Dear Colleagues:
Congratulations are in order. The American Nursing Association (ANA) recently recognized Wound, Ostomy and Continence (WOC) Nursing as a specialty within the ANA. This is a significant accomplishment with important ramifications for WOC Nurses.
In order to qualify as an ANA-approved specialty, the WOCN Society embarked on a multiyear effort to document our history, expertise, and standards of practice. The process was intensive and we appreciate the efforts of the WOCN ANA Scope and Practice Task Force, WOCN Society members whose comments and feedback were instrumental in refining the required documents, and the review and support provided by the ANA.
Enhancing Our Professional Reputation, Guiding Professional Development
Representing the interests of more than 2.9 million nurses in the United States, the ANA advances the profession by fostering high standards of nursing practice. The ANA's imprimatur of WOC Nursing as a specialty signifies that WOC Nursing adheres to the high standards of practice cultivated by the ANA.
Professional recognition also has practical significance. The WOC Nursing Scope and Practice Document was meticulously assembled and organized to address history, competencies, educational criteria, and standards and practices for both WOC Nurses and Advanced Practice WOC Nurses. The information contained in the document, although necessary for recognition, is also valuable to WOC Nurses committed to performance excellence and articulating the importance of WOC Nurses to administrators, legislators, patients and others.
WOC Nursing: Becoming an Advocate for the Profession
Influencing public perception and administrative understanding about the role of the WOC Nurse is a critical and essential task for all WOC Nurses. The best strategy for taking on the role of advocate is to become intimately familiar with the Scope and Practice Document. Information about how to obtain a copy of the document will soon be available through http://www.wocn.org and we encourage WOC Nurses to make the document the cornerstone of your practice.
Recognition as a specialty is not the end of the journey, but rather, a new road that WOC Nurses will travel. We now have the tools to advocate for our profession and we should commit to using them to promote a better understanding of the role and function of the WOC Nurse.
Mapping a New Course
The Scope and Practice Document will allow WOC Nurses to expand their influence. We anticipate that the document will serve as a foundation for what is taught in Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nursing Education Programs and in other schools of nursing about the WOC nurse specialty role. Additionally, it can be used on an administrative level to make employment related and hiring decisions and serve as a resource for legal and political arenas.
We have reached an exciting juncture in the life of our profession. As with most major accomplishments, we must not rest on this accomplishment, but instead use this recognition to improve the future outlook of our profession.
With Pride and Gratitude,
Phyllis Bonham, PhD, MSN, RN, CWOCN, DPNAP, FAAN
President, WOCN Society
Kathleen Lawrence, MSN, RN, CWOCN
President-Elect, WOCN Society, Chair, ANA Scope and Practice Task Force