WOCTalk

Episode Resources:

For resources mention in this article, visit the links below

Abstract: “Going With the Flow” to Develop a Robust External Female Catheter Implementation Process

ePoster: Going With the Flow” to Develop a Robust External Female Catheter Implementation Process

Article: Implementation of an external female urinary catheter strategy on prevention of skin breakdown in acute care: A quality improvement study

Wound Treatment Associate (WTA) Program

Ostomy Care Associate (OCA) Program

WOC Nursing Education Programs accredited by the WOCN Society

About the Speakers:

Cecilia Zamarripa, PhD, RN, CWON, is a Wound, Ostomy and Continence (WOC) Nurse for 38 years and currently manages the WOC Nursing Department at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Prior to that, Cece practiced WOC Nursing at Baylor University Medical Center Dallas, Texas; Rush University Medical Center; and at the UPMC since 1997.

Cece has been involved as a clinical preceptor for nurses in a WOCNEP and in Nursing Education roles. In 2010, Cece had the privilege of being selected as the Joint Commission Resources Patient Safety Scholar in Residence. Her teaching experience includes RN to BSN program at Slippery Rock University, Community Health Nursing, clinical instructor at Duquesne University, Preceptor for nurses completing their WOC Nursing Education Program, and Course Co-Coordinator for the Wound Treatment Associate (WTA®) and Ostomy Care Associate (OCA®) programs.

Cece is involved in the Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nurses Society™ (WOCN®) and was a past volunteer for WOCNext Conference Planning Committee. Cece is involved in her professional specialty organization and was a contributing member of the WOCN Peristomal Consensus Panel in November 2020. She is a member of Sigma Theta Tau, Western PA Area Chapter for National Association of Hispanic Nurses, WOCN Society™, the WCET and a current Director for the WOCN Board.

Alexandra Craig, BSN, RN, WTA-C is a clinical research coordinator (CRC) for the UPMC Presbyterian WOC Nursing Department. During Alex’s time in the department, she has been instrumental in to help develop the projects and prepared documents for research study protocols. Her research experience includes a Support Surfaces RCT, Ostomy Barrier leakage retrospective study and numerous wound care quality projects. She is passionate about learning; research and the nursing science provides the evidence to improve patient care outcomes. She is currently enrolled in her MSN program and plans to attend a WOC Nursing Education Program (WOCNEP) soon after.

Episode Resources:

For resources mentioned in this episode, visit the links below:

Local Coverage Determination (LCD) for Ostomy Supplies document L33828 located on cms.gov

UOAA Support Group Finder

About the Speaker:

Stephanie Yates MSN, RN, ANP-BC, CWOCN, WOCNF, is a master’s prepared Nurse Practitioner and consultant, educated at UNC - Chapel Hill, and Duke University. She received WOC nursing education at Emory University. Stephanie practiced for many years in acute care, home health, long term care and at the Duke Wound Management Clinic and Duke Cancer Center. She is a Past President of the WOCN® Society and she led or participated on three consensus conferences related to MARSI. She co-authored several journal articles on MARSI as well as co-edited the second edition of the WOCN Core Curriculum-Wound Care. She has lectured on wound care topics locally, regionally, and nationally. She was recently inducted as a Fellow in the WOCN Society.

Episode Resources:

Connect with Janice on the WOCN Community platform.

Post ostomy clinic questions in the ostomy community and/or professional practice community.

About the Speakers:

Janice Erbe Gorski, DNP, APNP, FNP-BC, CWON-AP, is an ostomy nurse practitioner who is employed at the Medical College of Wisconsin as a lead Ostomy APP. She is responsible for the development of the ostomy program and works in both the inpatient and outpatient clinic settings. In her role, Janice opened a nurse practitioner led ostomy clinic which has dramatically grown to support two dedicated ostomy nurse practitioners.

Janice became certified as a wound ostomy nurse in 2008 and received her Doctorate of Nursing Practice in 2020. She is active with the Wound Ostomy Continence Nursing Society at both the Chapter and National levels. She is the current president of the North Central Chapter. Additionally, she serves on the United Ostomy Associations of America (UOAA) Education Committee.

Episode Resources:

Journey of WOC Nursing through the Decades

Youth Rally

United Ostomy Associations of America (UOAA)

Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation

Kristin's blog: Gutless Wonder Woman

About the Speakers:

Paula Erwin-Toth, MSN, RN, FAAN, has over 40 years of experience as an RN specializing in wound, ostomy, and continence nursing. She is a well-known author, lecturer, and patient advocate dedicated to improving the care of people with wounds, ostomies, and incontinence in the US and abroad. Paula completed her basic nursing education in 1978 at the Akron City Hospital’s Idabelle Firestone School of Nursing, she received her (WOC)ET education at the Cleveland Clinic’s RB Turnbull, Jr. School of Enterostomal Therapy in 1982; her BSN and MSN were awarded in 1986 and 1990, respectively, by the University of Akron in Ohio. Paula served as the Director of WOCN Nursing Education at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio, from 1990-2012 and served as Director Emerita of that program. In 2012, Paula received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the WOCN Society. In 2013, Paula was inducted as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing. Paula is also President and CEO of PETprojects, a firm specializing in wound, ostomy, and continence care, education, and advocacy. In June 2024, Paula was surprised and honored to receive the WOCN Society's President’s Award from Vicky at the WOCNext conference in Cleveland.

Kristin Knipp, LPN, is a veteran in the ostomy and IBD communities.  She received her ostomy for Crohn’s disease at age 15, and she’s been advocating for patients for over 28 years. Kristin has worked for the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation, served as president of the United Ostomy Associations of America, and volunteers as a nurse for Youth Rally (a camp for teens with bowel & bladder disorders and diversions).  She frequently speaks locally and nationally to physicians and her nursing colleagues about patient experience, engagement, and education. Kristin currently works as a clinical care coordinator at the Cleveland Clinic Center for Swallowing and Esophageal Disorders, and her unique insight as both a patient and nurse helps her meet the needs of her patients at every stage of life.

Episode Resources:

For resources mentioned in this episode, including organizations where you can donate unused ostomy supplies, visit the links below:

Friends of Ostomates Worldwide-USA (FOW)

Friends of Ostomates Worldwide (Canada) (FOWC)

United Ostomy Associations of America (UOAA) Support Group finder

American Cancer Society

USC Center for Inflammatory Bowel Disease

About the Speaker:

Janice Colwell, APRN, CWOCN, FAAN, is an advanced practice nurse certified in wound ostomy and continence care. She most recently practiced at the University of Chicago Medicine providing care to patients with ostomies. She is a past president of the WOCN Society and Friends of Ostomates Worldwide USA, and has contributed to ostomy patient care by editing several ostomy care textbooks, participating in ostomy research projects, authoring multiple ostomy-based articles, and is the co-section editor of the ostomy section of the Journal of Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nursing (JWOCN).

Episode Resources:

Visit the Chapter page on the WOCN website for more information on the restructure, including FAQs and additional resources.

Connect with your local WOCN peers through the online Chapter Communities.

View this infographic about the WOCN Society’s history.

About the Speakers:

Derik Alexander, MSN, RN, FNP-BC, CWOCN, CFCN, has been a dedicated member of the WOCN Society for 23 years. He is the Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nurse Practitioner at Dignity Health Medical Group and St. Joseph’s Hospital & Medical Center in Phoenix, Arizona. He holds a Master of Science in Nursing, Family Nurse Practitioner from the University of Phoenix (2009), and completed his Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nurse Education at Emory University.

Mandy Spitzer, MBA, RN, CWOCN, CFCN, is a Certified Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nurse, as well as a Certified Foot Care Nurse. An active WOCN Society member, Mandy has served on the South Central Chapter's Board of Directors in various roles, including President (January 2023 – present), President-elect (2021 – 2022), and Communications Officer (2017 – 2020). She is currently the Medical Education Manager for Negative Pressure Wound Therapy at Smith and Nephew.

Nicole Kindel, BSN, RN, CWOCN, is an Acute Care Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nurse with 18 years of certification as a WOC nurse. Over the past 15 years, she has held every position on the North West Chapter Board of Directors.

Episode Resources:

Click here for information on the WOCN-accredited nursing education programs.

Click here to view Preceptor FAQs about becoming a WOC nurse preceptor, how to get started with new students, information about roles and responsibilities, and more.

Click here to search the Preceptor Directory to find a WOC preceptor in your area.

Click here to view information on WOCN Society membership options.

Click here to view the WOCN Society annual scholarship information.

About the Speakers:

Lori Borja, MSN, RN, CWOCN, CFCN, has been a certified WOC nurse for over 24 years, with experience in all care settings. She ran a nurse-led outpatient ostomy clinic where she conducted pre-op teaching, stoma-site marking, post-op care, and managed stomal and peristomal complications.  Lori has extensive experience in program development and nursing education in the clinical setting.  She has been a Clinical Instructor at the Emory University WOC Nursing Education Program since 2014 and the Program Director since 2019.

Kelly Jaszarowski, MSN, RN, CNS, ANP, CWOCN, WOCNF, earned her BSN degree in 1989 from Sangamon State University (now known as the University of Illinois Springfield) and her MSN in 1997 with a specialization in adult primary health care. She became a CETN (now known as a CWOCN) in 1990. With over 30 years of nursing experience and more than 30 years as a CWOCN, Kelly has precepted both nursing and WOC nursing students.

Kelly has practiced in various settings, including acute care, home healthcare, extended care, assisted living, and outpatient facilities. Currently, she is an independent WOC consultant with mid-level provider status in local facilities and serves as a legal nurse consultant. She has taught nursing and WOC nursing, lectured locally and nationally, and been published. Kelly has also been active in numerous professional organizations, serving on the Board of the WOCN and the Mideast Chapter. She is a Past President of both the Mideast Chapter and the WOCN Society. Kelly has been an educator with the Cleveland Clinic - R. B. Turnbull, Jr. MD WOC Nursing Education Program for over 10 years and is the current Program Director.

Debra Netsch, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, CWOCN-AP, CFCN, has been a WOC nurse for over 38 years, with 26 of those years also as a Nurse Practitioner. She has taught with the WEB WOC® Nursing Education Program for over 23 years and is Co-Director and the ANCC Approved Provider Program Director. Debra has published numerous clinically relevant textbook chapters and articles. She has a passion for ostomy care and teaching.

Episode Resources:

Click here to find a UOAA Affiliated Ostomy Support Group near you. People who have or will have surgery, caregivers, family, friends and medical professionals are invited to attend and benefit from lifelong learning and emotional support.

Click here to access the article, The Role of the WOC Nurse in an Ostomy Support Group by Stephanie Mowdy, BSN, RN, C, CETN. Click “Download” on the left-hand side to get the PDF version of the original article that was published in the JWOCN® in 1998.

Click here to access the article Starting and Maintaining a Hospital‐Based Ostomy Support Group by Heidi Huddleston Cross, MSN, RN, FNP-BC, published in the JWOCN in 2010.

Click here to access the WOCN members-only online Ostomy Community

Click here to access the WOCN members-only Professional Practice Community

About the Speakers:

Vashti Livingston, MS, RN, CWOCN, has been a member of the WOCN Society for 20 years. Vashti has been a WOC nurse co facilitator for an ostomy support group for 20 years. She currently works as a Certified WOC Nurse Ambulatory Urology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center NYC. Her educational background includes Emory University WOCNEP (2001); MS in Adult Health Nursing (2005); BSN (1990) and BS Biology (1984).

Stacy Krakower, BSN, RN, CWON, has over 20 years of direct patient care working in the acute, long term, ambulatory and home care settings. Stacy completed her training in wound and ostomy nursing from the Emory University Wound and Ostomy Certification Program and has been certified wound and ostomy nurse for the past six years. Since 2019, Stacy has had the privilege of being one of the leaders of the Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center's Ostomy Support Group. She has helped grow this group over the years as it successfully pivoted from an in person support group to a virtual group. She is passionate about her role as a leader of such an important group as she feels that knowledge is acquired over time and support groups can offer the ostomy community life long learning, support and friendship.

Rebecca Poleshuck, MSN, FNP-BC, CWOCN, presently practices as a Wound Ostomy and Continence Specialist and Colorectal Surgery Nurse Practitioner, with special certification in wound, ostomy and continence care. She has practiced in the field of nursing for over 19 years, providing care to pressure injury patients, and developing comprehensive educational programs for registered nurses, licensed practical nurses and patient care assistants. As a wound care expert at an academic medical center, she routinely diagnoses and treats patients with pressure injuries based on the etiology and stage of the wound. She received a BS in Nursing from Hunter-Belleveue School of Nursing and certification as a Family Nurse practitioner from SUNY Downstate. She is currently employed at Mt. Sinai Beth Israel Hospital in New York as a nurse practitioner, wound, ostomy and continence specialist. Rebecca is Co-chair of the WOC Nurse Mount Sinai Health System Steering Committee for Hospital Acquired Pressure Injury prevention and provide a consultation service for wounds, ostomies and fistulas in the acute care setting as well as in a nurse practitioner run outpatient clinic for patients with recent ostomies and patients with long term concerns. She has also developed prevention strategies for patients at risk for pressure injuries in unit based quality improvement projects as well as developing a wound and ostomy continuing education program for Mount Sinai Beth Israel School of Nursing. Rebecca has created a staff development program for Registered Nurses and Patient Care Associates to prevent pressure injuries, moisture associated dermatitis, the care of lower extremity wounds and ostomies. She also created a staff development program for nurse practitioners for care of oncological wounds. Rebecca sits on Mount Sinai systemwide committees for pressure injury prevention and for credentialling of advanced practice providers.

Click here for details about the WOC N Roll Welcome Party at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on Saturday, June 8. Purchase a ticket ahead of time through the WOCNext registration site.

Click here to listen to the WOCTalk episode with Destination Cleveland for insider tips on what to see and do in Cleveland.

Click here for a comprehensive list of things to do and places to eat in Cleveland.

Register to attend WOCNext in-person.

Register to attend WOCNext virtually.

Click here to download the WOCNext app.

About the Speaker:

Brooke Passy is a Certified Meeting Planner (CMP), Digital Event Strategist (DES), and is the Director of Meetings for the WOCN® Society.

Click here to access the WOCN Society’s online Continuing Education Center (CEC)

Click here to search the newest online courses

Click here to view the new certification review courses

Click here to access the WOCN Society’s free online Clinical Resources

If you missed WOCN® Wound Education Day 2023, click here to purchase the on-demand sessions

If you missed WOCN® Pharmacology Day 2023, click here to purchase the on-demand sessions

About the Speaker:

Meghan Smith, MSN, AGACNP, CWOCN, is a nurse practitioner in the Department of Surgery at Henry Ford Health in Detroit where she has implemented a WOC nurse mentoring program. She has been a nurse for 20 years and a certified wound ostomy continence nurse for 16 years. She has had previous presentations on ostomy care, pressure injury prevention, staff education and mentoring. She serves as the current chair of the WOCN Education Committee. When she's not empowering others to make a bigger impact on what's most important, Debbie can be found boycotting winter and chasing sunshine from Pennsylvania to Florida each year with her husband, Tom.