The lived experience of the wound, ostomy, and continence nurse in wound care.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this qualitative research study was to explore the meaning of being a wound, ostomy, and continence (WOC) nurse engaged in wound care practice.


METHODS
The sample comprised 6 WOC nurses, each of whom had 3 or more years of wound care experience in a variety of care settings. Respondents were female, 49 years or older, and master's prepared. Interviews were conducted at either the place of employment of each subject or a neutral location based on the participant's preference.


METHODS
A Heideggerian hermeneutic phenomenologic framework was used during data collection. An unstructured interview process was used to encourage sharing of experiences through narratives. All interviews were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim. As a WOC nurse with 30 years of experience in wound care, the primary investigator logged reflections on the interview process as a valuable source of data analysis. Interpretive analysis involved immersion in the text, data transformation, and thematic analysis.


RESULTS
Eight themes emerged: (1) Essence of Practice; bond of caring; (2) Holistic Approach; putting the pieces of the puzzle together; (3) The Dichotomy... them and me; (4) Art of Wound Care; (5) Growth in Practice; (6) Allure of the Challenge. (7) Acknowledging Limits... you can't always make it better; and (8) Teaching, Mentoring and Being a Role Model.


CONCLUSIONS
The narratives illuminate the essence of this nursing specialty practice, whereas the outcome of this research provides a rich description of the human experience of being a WOC nurse engaged in wound care.
Sylvia
Cynthia J
CJ
Educational Development, Gaymar Industries, Inc, Orchard Park, New York, USA. csylvia@nachos.net
Jones
Vanessa
V
D004645:Empathy; D005242:Fecal Incontinence / Q000451:nursing*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D024802:Nurse's Role; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D010030:Ostomy / Q000451:nursing*; D036301:Qualitative Research; D014481:United States; D014549:Urinary Incontinence / Q000451:nursing*; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000451:nursing*