RN Wound/Ostomy (WOCN)- UNC Medical Center

RN Wound/Ostomy (WOCN)- UNC Medical Center

Become part of an inclusive organization with over 40,000 teammates, whose mission is to improve the health and well-being of the unique communities we serve.

Join Our Growing WOCN Team!

We provide comprehensive WOCN care, including Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT), with a focus on flexible 40-hour workweeks, and incentives, to eligible applicants.

What You'll Experience:

• Full-scope CWOCN practice across a diverse patient populationfrom pediatrics to adults in medicine, surgery, oncology, and outpatient care.
• Collaborative team environment where WOCNs support each other in solving complex patient challenges with creative solutions.
• Exposure to complex cases rarely seen in smaller hospitalsgiving you valuable ongoing learning opportunities and professional growth.
• Active involvement in quality improvement initiatives, such as reducing hospital-acquired pressure injuries (HAPI) and shortening length of stay for new ostomates.
• A role that combines clinical expertise with education and coaching, allowing you to make a real impact beyond bedside care.

Why Join Us? Our team is expanding alongside the anticipated launch of a complex wound service, adding new expertise and provider support to better serve the growing wound care needs in North Carolina. WOCNs here are passionate advocates, bridging care gaps and finding satisfaction in making a meaningful difference.

The UNCMC Certified Wound Ostomy and Continence Nurse team is a professional consult service. We are educators, researchers, and advocates, dedicated to meeting the needs of our patients and their caregivers. Our mission is to leverage our expertise in collaboration with the healthcare team and to optimize patient outcomes. WOCN required.

Summary: Assesses, plans, implements, and evaluates wound, ostomy and continence care throughout inpatient and outpatient areas. Functions primarily as a clinical consultant and provides direct patient care and education to highly complex patients and provides staff educational programs in areas of expertise.

Responsibilities:

• Administrative: Updates, revises and maintains ostomy, wound, continence and skin care product formulary in conjunction with Central Distribution and PMC. Evaluates products for their efficacy and cost effectiveness. Stays informed of product innovations from the manufacturers of ostomy, wound, continence and skin care products. Maintain a mechanism for documentation patient caseload. Update and maintain appropriate data collection criteria and tools when appropriate. Maintains and utilizes current documentation standards for ostomy, wound, continence and skin care patients.
• Clinical Consultant: Serves as consultant to medical staff, physicians and nursing staff for patients with wound, ostomy and continence conditions. Provides assessment and recommendations for wound, ostomy and continence patients. Develops patient plan of care and monitors for effectiveness. Provides patient and family education. Coordinates discharge plans with the provider and case management. Serves as clinical consultant for wound, ostomy, continence and skin care needs for committees, task forces, projects on the unit level, hospital level and healthcare level. Attends professional offerings to further enhance clinical skills and to be current on clinical standards related to wound, ostomy, continence and skin care.
• Educational Consultant: Provides educational programs for health care providers including nurses, physicians and students in the UNC Health Care system. Provides educational resources to keep staff updated to advances, new policies and procedures related to WOC practices and related quality and patient safety issues. Serves as the clinical expert for orientation material on wound, ostomy and skin conditions for new nursing staff. Serves as a clinical preceptor to nursing and medical staff and students. Serves as a clinical preceptor to WOC Nurse students. Serves as the clinical expert for LMS modules related to WOC Nurse practice. Creates, reviews and revises all procedures and protocols related to WOC nurse practice.
• Research Participant: Participates in research related to WOC nurse practice including wound, ostomy, skin and continence conditions. Participate in data collection including audits of pressure injuries. Interpretation of data.

Education Requirements: Bachelor's degree in Nursing from a state-accredited school of professional nursing. Licensure/Certification Requirements: Current Wound Ostomy Continence Nursing (WOCN) certification required. Licensed to practice as a Registered Nurse in the state of North Carolina. Basic Life Support (BLS) for Healthcare Provider certification. Professional Experience Requirements: Two (2) years of nursing experience. Knowledge/Skills/and Abilities Requirements: Expert level assessment and clinical intervention skills.