Job Description

As a Wound Care Specialist, you will play a pivotal role in supporting the healthcare team by:

• Maintains an evidence-based practice Wound Care Prevention Program and serves as a clinical expert in wound care management for patients, their families, and health care professionals.
• Directs organizational efforts to decrease/eliminate hospital acquired pressure injuries and manages acute and chronic wounds.
• Collaborates with the medical staff and nursing leadership in developing and monitoring standards of care and quality indicators based on hospital and benchmark data.
• Leads multi-disciplinary teams in the assessment, provision of nursing care, developing and implementing the plan of care, generating referrals and providing education to patients/their families with complex and/or unique skin care/wound care problems.
• Models and mentors behaviors that promote excellence in patient care, ethical decision-making and patient advocacy.
• Coordinates and actively participates in activities surrounding skin prevalence days. Provides internal and community education to prevent wounds.

Experience:

• Minimum five (5) years clinical experience as a registered nurse in the acute care setting.
• Minimum two (2) years clinical experience in wound care.

• Demonstrates the following:
  • Knowledge/experience with program development
  • Advanced level clinical skills and the ability to assist others in the achievement of quality care.
  • Knowledge of the principles of growth and development.
  • Computer skills with database and appropriate software.
  • Ability to collect and interpret data.
  • Competence to instruct and monitor staff in the delivery of evidence-based patient care.
  • Advance knowledge related to wound care by the ability to review cases for quality.
  • Management, formulating, implementing and evaluating plans for improvement.
  • Effective team building and facilitation skills.
  • Ability to communicate in a professional manner.

Education:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing required
• Masters Degree in Nursing preferred

Licensure/Certifications:

• Current licensure with the California Board of Registered Nursing
• Current AHA BLS certification
• Any accredited wound care certification from the list below is required:
  • WCC: Wound Care Certified;
  • DWC: Diabetic Wound Certified;
  • CWCN: Certified Wound Care Nurse;
  • CWOCN: Certified Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nurse;
  • COCN: Certified Ostomy Care Nurse;
  • CCCN: Certified Continence Care Nurse;
  • CWON: Certified Wound and Ostomy Nurse; or
  • CWS: Certified Wound Specialist.
• Nurse Practitioner or Clinical Nurse Specialist License/Certification preferred
• Must successfully complete and maintain LA City Fire Card certification at the time of hire or within the first 30 days of employment
• Must successfully complete and maintain certification for Mgmt. of Assaultive Behavior (ex. CPI- Non-violent Crisis Intervention) within 30 days of employment.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Clinical Care/Evaluation

• Analyzes and organizes the care of clinically complex patients/clients, including sociocultural, cognitive, functional, nutritional and educational evaluation, leading to the development of a problem list and patient management plan.
• Contributes to formulation of individual patient care plans in collaboration with the interdisciplinary team. Communicates to and guides nursing staff in structuring/relaying information regarding patient diagnosis, plan, and progress to the patient/client/family and the interdisciplinary team.
• Assess, facilitates and role models appropriate resolution of patient/client/family psychosocial problems and/or support needs.
• Assesses quality of patient care delivery and identifies opportunities for changes in practice, rooted in evidence-based standards of care/protocols, which promote positive patient outcomes.
• Identifies and implements cost-saving activities (e.g., early, but appropriate discharge, clinical practice given at reduced costs, product evaluation, nursing practice changes, etc.).
• Actively participates in the VPH’s performance improvement activities.
• Participates in and conducts (chairs) house wide committee work, which determines and guides clinical policy and practice standards related to area of expertise
• Develops and manages wound prevention program; participates in designing organizational processes appropriate to area of expertise congruent with patient/client needs and the VPH vision, mission and strategic plan.
• Role models patient advocacy behaviors.
• Analyzes new skills, technology and equipment for safety and clinical/fiscal efficacy
• Evaluates and directs nursing staff in assessing patient/family readiness to learn; initiates and reinforces; evaluates and documents patient/family education.
• Identifies opportunities for, develops and participates in community outreach education programs.
• Directs, educates and mentors nursing staff in the development of sound clinical judgment (synthesis of clinical data and determination of subsequent plan) to promote positive patient outcomes.
• Initiates and participates in nursing performance improvement and research projects to ensure nursing staff and health care team member delivery of evidence-based practice.
• Develops standards of care/protocols that guide nursing care, assuring evidence-based practice.
• Participates in the Clinical Leadership Council and other relevant committees; minimum attendance of 6 meetings/year/Council.
• Gathers and analyzes data related to patient/client outcomes resulting from CNS interventions in area of expertise. Presents gathered data in correlation with VPH goals, projects, etc.
• Treats and manages acute and chronic wounds.
• Provides comprehensive wound management, including reducing causative factors, assessing nutritional needs, and providing and applying topical therapies
• Assesses and treats patients with ostomies
• Provides direct patient care to a group of patients while utilizing the nursing process.
• Performs wound nurse consults as ordered by physicians and consults with nurses when they request a nurse-to-nurse consult.
• Provides continuity of care for patients in collaboration with physicians and staffing with accountability for planning, implementation and evaluation of comprehensive wound care involving multiple disciplines and site of care evaluating care given and intervening as necessary
• Coordinates discharge planning with nursing and case management to ensure availability of post-hospitalization wound care supplies and equipment upon a patient’s discharge
• Facilitates in promoting continuum of care by working with home health agencies and skilled nursing facilities
• Provides clinical support to the Amputation Prevention Center

Educational Activities

• Implements preventative actions to reduce the incidences of pressure injuries
• Educates the patient, the patient’s family, and any other support persons on care techniques and on ulcer prevention and treatment
• Provides ongoing nurse education on wounds, staging, and wound dressing including comprehensive care and treatment
• Provides community awareness and education relating to wound care prevention
• Provides wound-related education to new hires and new grad program

Administrative Activities

• Monitors wound incidence on a daily basis and reports to administration
• Creates monthly reports for directors to evaluate wound incidence and progress
• Tracks a wound care patient’s disposition, prior to and post hospitalization
• Assists with development of wound care related policies, procedures, and protocols
• Monitors safe practice and progress with corrective actions plans
• Shares knowledge to improve efficiency and the cost effective usage of products
• Participates in hospital evaluation of new products related to wounds or ostomy
• Obtains by self-initiative, advanced knowledge and credentials and serves as a role model/educator; implements standards of care and adheres to policies and procedures and all regulatory requirements (e.g. Medicare).

Salary Range: $52.08 - $69.24 per hour

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