A wound care nurse practitioner is someone who must have an extremely gentle touch. Each form of nursing requires its own kind of skill. A Med/surg nurse must have good knowledge of general disease and a strong back to lift patients. A telemetry nurse must have good technological skills and a critical nurse must be able to function well in a crisis. However, a wound care nurse practitioner needs something that comes innately and can't be taught in school - a compassionate nature, a strong stomach and a very light touch.

A Specialty Field

Wound care nursing is usually done in a hospital or specialty clinic that treats wounds or particular sores. It is also a highly valued position in nursing homes and convalescent centers where elderly patients are prone to bed sores. The requirement is a Bachelors Degree in Nursing and a specialized certification in the field of wound care management. Wound care nurses spend a great deal of time in continuing education as theories on pain management and wound care change rapidly and new techniques and bandages are developed frequently.

Changing Daily

The overall job of a wound care specialist is to help the patient change and dress wounds to promote healing, prevent infection and lack of scarring. A diseased or infected wound can lead to many complications in the patient including the need for amputation of skin, a limb, or even death if the infection makes it way to the heart. Your skin is the largest living organ on your body and it's vitally important to keep it from infection. When under the treatment of a wound care nurse practitioner, a patient can expect to have their wounds cleaned and dressed on a daily basis.

Challenges

Wound care is a challenging profession. Wounds are often painful to touch and removing the tape and dressing associated with the wound can hurt the patient as well. Nurses must have a very gentle attitude and be able to deal with the pain and anger some patients feel. Because deep wounds can also be disfiguring if not treated properly, the patient can exhibit anger.

In wound care management there are 2 types of wounds: dirty wounds with infection, pus or chronic disintegration, and clean wounds, usually made by surgeons during a procedure. Burns, bed sores and spreading wounds are all dirty wounds. Dirty wounds usually are accompanied by the dead flesh that must be removed when the wound in clean. The smell of the wound is nauseating to some, and is one of the things a wound care nurse practitioner must get used to dealing with.

Rewards

Wound care nurse practitioners often work with children or victims of accidents and fire. They report their work is highly satisfying as they see people heal and recover their life and abilities back. Although the patients think of the nurse "causing pain" in their lives because of the daily cleaning, when the time is over most patients have developed a strong bond with their nurse due to the extensive time spent together.

Wound care nurse practitioners offer a special service and an incredibly needed set of gifts to the health care community.

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