In an effort to offer high-quality resources for NOVA members, NOVA is partnering with Springer Publishing Company to provide access to nursing specific materials and study guides. Springer Publishing, an award-winning publisher of healthcare content has helped to educate healthcare professionals for over 70 years. Through this partnership, members receive an exclusive discount + free shipping on various products, including textbooks, digital resources, and exam preparation and study tools. All members receive a 40% discount + free shipping on any product. To view the available resources and start purchasing today, click here or visit https://www.springerpub.com/nova and enter promo code: NOVA40 at checkout.

Did you know that NOVA has a partnership with the Wound Care Education Institute? In addition to providing certification and education to RNs and APRNs, the Wound Care Institute offers opportunities for the LPN community.

 

How Wound Care Certification Can Help LPNs and LVNs Improve Care Outcomes

According to current active wound care clinicians, LPNs/LVNs with wound care experience are needed in different healthcare settings. 

The lack of standardized, pervasive wound care training for clinicians sets the foundation for why clinicians working with patients with wounds should seek certification in wound care, according to Bill Richlen, PT, WCC, DWC, one of the Wound Care Education Institute’s (WCEI) clinical wound care instructors.

“The wound care industry generally lacks enough knowledgeable clinicians to handle the challenges of chronic wounds. This is mainly because comprehensive wound care training is rarely included during college training of all disciplines – this includes MDs, NPs, PAs, RNs, PTs, and LPNs/LVNs,” Richlen said. 

Richlen advises that any clinician working on a day-to-day basis in wound care should strongly consider enrolling in formal wound care training before becoming wound care certified (WCC). 

WCC benefits are abundant

Regenia Butler, RN, WCC, DWC, a telemetry nurse and member of the hospital-wide skin prevalence team at Methodist Health System in Dallas believes strongly in nurses becoming wound care certified.

“Not only did our team learn a lot about wound care [during training], which greatly benefited our patients, we saw our business increase as a result, Butler said. “We received more referrals from physicians due to our staff being wound care certified.”

And according to Butler, WCEI from Relias is the top choice for clinicians seeking wound care certification. “The WCEI website and the Wound Central Journal are some of my go-to resources to help educate fellow nurses and others on the latest evidence-based treatments for the types of wounds we’re discussing. This helps to convince reluctant providers who are practicing in outdated ways that I’m qualified to recommend the best care for our patients.”

For Stephanie Mansfield, LVN, WCC, DWC, an added benefit has been the increase in her marketability as a nurse. Mansfield is a wound care coordinator at Willow Bend Nursing and Rehabilitation in Mesquite, Texas and a home health wound care nurse for Bridgeway Health Services in Fort Worth, Texas.

“I took two courses and have two certifications from the WCEI and since then, I’ve had more opportunities,” remarked Mansfield. “And WCEI cares about nurses, PTs and physicians. They want us to learn, and if they don’t have an answer to a question, they’ll get it for you.”

WCEI continues to support alumni 

Providing ongoing education for our alumni is very important to us, said Janene Brubaker, WCEI senior product manager.

“From our seminars, webinars, and Wound Central Journal to our Facebook group , we believe in staying connected with our alumni to support their ongoing quest for knowledge and positive outcomes for their patients,” Brubaker said.

Start learning more about wound care today with one of our many accredited courses.

 

Taryn-Janae Wilcox-Olson, MHS, RN
President Elect
VA Portland Healthcare System, Portland, Oregon

NOVA Chapter 332

Taryn-Janae (TJ) Wilcox-Olson, MHS, RN, NOVA’s President Elect has been a NOVA member since 2010. She began her VA career in 2008 as an RN in mental health at the VA Black Hills, South Dakota and became Patient Safety Manager in 2011. In 2018 she decided that she despised snow  and moved to the Pacific Northwest where she has yet to shovel rain! TJ transferred to the VA Portland Health Care System as the Patient Safety Manager.

Since joining NOVA, TJ has been a member of many committees. She notes that joining committees heightens the sense of engagement and increases the feeling of belonging to a bigger team.  This has allowed her to participate in organizational level decisions. Her first committee was the Membership Committee.  TJ learned the importance of reaching out to members and recruiting new ones along the way. She helped her first chapter at Black Hills grow from just 6 members to 32 within a year. She continues to  serve on  the Membership Committee and helps with chapter outreach. In June, TJ is meeting with a group of Transition-to-Practice nurses at the Tomah VA to discuss the importance of joining nursing organizations and getting involved as part of professional practice.

TJ’s favorite committee is the Annual Meeting Planning Committee. She enjoys helping make decisions about the meeting locations,  host cities and watching the program come together from  an idea to a well-orchestrated event. She was the co-chair for the Annual Meetings in Reno, Louisville, and NOVA’s first virtual meeting in 2020. She is serving as chairperson of this year’s meeting in Las Vegas. The meeting will have a new and different look but will be better than past meetings. TJ is excited to see the network of NOVA nurses (post pandemic) back together again. The energy of an in-person meeting can’t be beat. We hope to see you in Las Vegas in October!

NOVA’s Licensed Practical Nurses Reveal Their “Why”— and How NOVA Supports That Mission 

NOVA’s Licensed Practical Nurses discuss the reasons why they became a nurse and why they chose to join the Department of Veterans Affairs. They describe some of the difficulties while working in their VA clinics and explain how NOVA has helped them on their journey in service as an LPN.

Why NOVA LPNs Choose Nursing

There are many reasons why people become nurses and join the VA. For NOVA Board of Director, Betty Ogren, LPN, VA Northern Indiana Health Care System, her grandfather was her inspiration to care for  Veterans. She recalls that he was not able to get the help he needed because of the distance from his local VA. “I wanted to take care of Veterans,” Ogren said. “I could not take care of my grandpa, a U.S. Army Veteran, when he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. The VA was more than three hours from my grandparents, and they had very little help. I wanted to help Veterans, caregivers, and spouses navigate the system and receive the appropriate support.”

Carol McTavish, LPN at VA Boston Healthcare System, has worked in the VA for nearly 30 years and says that it was fate that led her to a  career in the VA. “Looking back, it seems that Nursing chose me..."  McTavish said. “We were in the middle of traveling to Ireland when my best friend submitted an application to nursing school. It was so much simpler 30-plus years ago! My mom received a call saying that I had been accepted and the start date was the day after we arrived home. It felt like fate.”

Handling Difficult Times

During the pandemic, LPNs have been some of the frontline workers keeping their patients healthy. According to Mary Hill, LPN, TCT, when the pandemic first started, her clinic had to completely pivot with patient visits on short notice. “The COVID-19 crisis has changed how we do patient visits. We switched to training providers and patients to use iPads and other personal devices to make  services available. It was very stressful for the providers, patients, and staff, but we did it!”

Ogren shared a Veterans Crisis Line incident when a Veteran left her an instant message requesting assistance with a patient  on her team, which was a rare occurrence. The Veteran had called stating he was in the parking lot in a car with tinted windows and was armed. “He planned to stay there and if approached would shoot. I was able to work with the crisis line worker to get the necessary information to assist VA and local police. The Veteran left the campus, was picked up by local police and taken to a mental health facility for help.”

LPNs and NOVA

According to McTavish, NOVA has helped give LPNs a voice and the opportunity to be a part of webinars and committees. “I enjoy the support of other members when I need someone to talk to.” 

For Ogren, joining NOVA has let her expand her reach within the organization and see all the hard work that is involved. “NOVA has been really phenomenal. I joined  NOVA in 2015, but did not get involved right away. I had expressed interest in serving on the Board of Directors, not thinking that I would have a chance. I was appointed to the board last year, and that is when my eyes were opened as to all things that the NOVA does.”

Ogren mentioned when she went to her first NOVA Hill Day: “To be able to stand in front of a Congressman or Congresswoman or the House Committee or Senate Committee and have them say, ‘What do you need?’ was something I will never, ever forget.”

NOVA is here to support all of its members in any way possible, through committees, education, events, advocacy, or more.

Connect with fellow VA Nurses from around the country during NOVA’s Virtual Hill Day on June 10. Click here to find out more!