New RN needs advice, please!

Hi everyone. I am a new RN and I just joined WoundTalk. From what I've seen, it looks like it will be a great experience as I advance in my career. I've noticed, though that many of the discussions are from certified wound nurses, or experienced nurses who have seen so much in their clinical experience. At this time, I cannot afford any wound care courses, and would like to know if anyone could suggest some good education materials (books or websites) for beginners. I had the opportunity to shadow our wound care nurse at our short term rehab facility and was fascinated with this aspect of patient care. I'd like to learn more at my own pace. Thanks!

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Permalink Reply by Laurie Swezey RN, BSN, CWS,CWOCN on October 5, 2011 at 4:05pm

Hi Laura,

I recommend that you visit the resource area. There you will find tons of free articles, webinars and resources related to wound management. (choose from one of the drop down options below the resources link on the main menu).

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Permalink Reply by Laura Spadafora on October 5, 2011 at 5:13pm

Thank you Laurie, I appreciate your quick reply. I obviously missed the resource tab! It's direct link to Amazon for books is very helpful, and I will be doing some shopping soon. I may check out Barnes & Noble first, because I like to get my hands on a "hard copy" and look through it before I buy it. Chances are they won't have much of a selection.....their shelves are crammed with NCLEX books! We shall see. :)

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Permalink Reply by Laurie Swezey RN, BSN, CWS,CWOCN on October 5, 2011 at 5:15pm

Good luck. Don't forget the free webinars. some of them are really good.

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Permalink Reply by Kimberly on October 7, 2011 at 3:16pm

Laura - Welcome to the world of Nursing. As for suggested reading materials, I can offer two very good options in my opinion. Forgive the reference but, if you are familiar with the book series regardless of subject matter, "_____ for Dummies". Then, you should easily find a look-a-like, but not as offensive in nature. This book series is colored the same, yellow, red, & black. These books are entitled, regardless of subject matter, "___ Made Incredibly Easy". They do have one titled, "Wound Care Made Incredibly Easy". I found it very easy to read & understand. It was just as informational a my textbooks had been, but not as boring. Other than that, I highly recommend any book by the author, Ruth Brown. She is well versed in Wound Care & Hyperbaric Medicine. Good Luck to you in your self study.

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Permalink Reply by Laura Spadafora on October 9, 2011 at 1:26am

Kimberly - Thank you so much for responding to my "cries for help"! As a matter of fact, I am familiar with the Made Incredibly Easy books, and I own a few. I did not know that there was one for wound care, but of course, I shouldn't be surprised. They have so many on such a variety of nursing subjects. And I appreciate the fact that these books insert a bit of humor along with very good information. I will have to check Amazon for this title. I am still "learning the ropes" at my new job, and I'm sure I will be exposed to more wound care as I "mature" as a nurse (even though I'm turning the big 5-0 soon, as a nurse, I'm a drooling baby!) So thanks once again, and I hope one day I can provide advice for someone on this forum.

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Permalink Reply by Kimberly on October 9, 2011 at 10:54am

Laura - You are most welcome. And, by no means should you fret the chronological age thing. First, there are a lot of things that living life teaches you that becomes invaluable to a nurse that they don't really teach you in nursing school, such as people skills. Secondly, age & rank are not truly that critical in some arenas. I have been a nurse, it seems over half my life, and I am the ripe old age of 44. If I may, I would like to take a moment to give praise to the nameless people that I recall very fondly & crucial to my raising as a nurse. I have have learned just as much about how to, and not to nurse from each C.N.A., L.V.N., Therapist, and M.D. that I have worked with as I have all the amazing other R.N., A.P.R.N., N.P., and Ph.D.R.N. persons throughout my career. As long as you are willing to admit that you don't know everything, you can continue to keep learning in every moment of your days. God bless, and Best of luck to you in your career.

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Permalink Reply by WoundTalk on October 14, 2011 at 11:12am

Hi Laura, Thank you for your comment. Many people who think that they are not eligible for wound certification actually are, and you may be surprised to learn that you are eligible after all. It is certainly worth investigating. There are different levels that you can reach depending on your background and education. You can find detailed information about eligibility criteria at: http://www.woundeducators.com/wed/certification-faqs.html

Wound education and certification would be a great way to help you boost your career. Even if you find that you are not eligible for wound certification, you would certainly benefit from completing a comprehensive wound care course and having a certificate of completion. In a crowded job market, this would help you stand out from the crowd and give you the edge over your competition.

WoundEducators.com offers payment plans to make wound care education/certification a VERY affordable option. If you are interested contact us.

We wish you every success in your future career.