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You Deserve Expert Care

You and your family deserve expert care. Making the right decision regarding your healthcare provider can determine how quickly you recover and get back on your feet. It also can determine how much you are paying for care, because faster healing time amounts to shorter hospital stays. You want the most skilled and knowledgeable health professionals working for you. This is why it is so important for your nurse to be board certified.

What does Board Certified mean?

The Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nursing Certification Board (WOCNCB^®) began certifying nurses in 1978 as a way to recognize and differentiate the value of expert nurses from those at an entry level. Becoming board certified is a voluntary process that requires consistent evaluations of a nurse's professional knowledge and skills. While a nurse who is not board certified may possess basic entry-level skills, he or she may not have the specialized skills and experience to adequately provide expert care. Board certification ensures that a nurse is knowledgeable and well-qualified to provide specialized care.

Board Certified Nurses

A nurse who is certified in wound, ostomy, continence or foot care will hold the following certification credentials: CWOCN^®, CWCN^®, COCN^®, CCCN^®, CWON™, or CFCN^®.

Board certification demonstrates that a nurse has voluntarily sought validation of expert nursing knowledge. A board certified nurse has shown a personal commitment to quality care and sought a means of self-regulation in order to protect you - the consumer.

Board Certified Nurses are:

• Clinical Experts   Board certified nurses are required to complete many hours of classroom education and supervised clinical experience.
• Treatment Specialists   Board certified nurses are required to participate in on-going education programs, staying up-to-date on the most current techniques and products.
• Health Educators   Board certified nurses teach you about your health problems and how to best manage them. Educated patients can actively participate in their care, leading to quicker healing and increased comfort.
• Experienced and Knowledgeable Professionals   In summary, board certified nurses are experienced and knowledgeable professionals who are well prepared to take care of special needs!

To find a certified nurse, call the WOCNCB^® at 1-888-496-2622.

Board Certified nurses produce better results!

A survey of nurse managers conducted by the American Board of Nursing Specialties reported a significant positive impact on patient care and safety when they hired certified nurses (Stromborg et al., 2005). Board certified nurses possess more confidence in detecting symptoms and initiating prompt intervention (Cary, 2001). Another study revealed that 78.5 percent of those patients treated by a board certified wound care nurse healed in comparison to the 36.3 percent of those treated by non-certified nurses (Bolton, et al., 2004). Providers who hire board certified nurses have fewer malpractice claims (Trossman, 2002). Knowing these statistics, shouldn't you have a board certified nurse caring for you?

Find out if your nurse is WOCNCB^® certified! The www.wocncb.org website offers credential verification of all its certified nurses.

To request a free brochure, call the WOCNCB^® at 1-888-496-2622 or e-mail your request to: info@wocncb.org.