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How Much Do Wound Care Nurses Make – Want to know how much a wound care nurse makes? Before we reveal those numbers, let’s first identify what the responsibilities of a wound care nurse are.
Wound care nurses care for patients with both acute and chronic wounds, including burns, pressure ulcers and unhealed surgical incisions. These registered nurses not only support healing, but they also provide preventive care to ensure that infections do not occur and other complications do not arise. In addition to their hands-on role, they also play an important teaching role, educating patients on how to care for their wounds after they return home.
How Much Do Wound Care Nurses Make
Obtaining certification in a specialty is rewarding in the sense of gaining additional knowledge and expertise, improving your nursing skills, applying for higher positions, and on top of that, wound care nurse salaries are usually higher.
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In 2012, registered nurses earned an average of $67,930 per year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. But these numbers reflect the salaries of all RNs, regardless of specialty or certification. A survey by the Association of Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nurses in 2012 found that WOC nurses earned an average of $82,104 per year.
Salary may also vary based on your location for larger cities you may expect higher compensation than smaller compensation. Here are some average wound care nurse salaries in different cities/states. The following figures are from Indeed.com (November 2013)
Since the salary of a nurse who specializes in wound care can vary depending on where you practice. The number of years of experience and education are also important factors.
As with any other job, certain employers offer higher salaries for nursing talent. For example, outpatient care centers pay RNs $71,200 a year — nearly $3,300 more than the national average for the job. WOC RNs in these same settings earn higher salaries, at an average of $84,332 per year. RNs working in home care average $65,530, while WOC RNs in home care earn nearly $9,000 more, averaging $74,197 annually. In hospitals, RNs earn $69,490 and WOC RNs earn $81,641.
How Much Does A Wound Care Nurse Make?
Education levels have long influenced salaries, and a survey in “Nursing,” a monthly publication for nursing professionals, found the same is true in the nursing industry. As of 2011, RNs with a bachelor’s degree earned an average of $64,400, while those with a master’s degree earned nearly $69,500. Nurses in the WOC industry did even better. WOC RNs with a bachelor’s degree average $76,578, while those with a master’s degree average $89,665.
The number of years of experience affects a nurse’s salary which should come as no surprise. With five years or less experience, nurses earned $49,600 per year in 2011. WOC RNs averaged $64,922 in 2012. With six to 10 years of experience, nurses earned an average of $56,800, while WOC nurses averaged $73,834 per year.
Most nurses do not participate in wound care for the money. Wound care management is challenging and many nurses find this field very rewarding. They value the autonomy of wound care and the respect given to them as experts in their field. For many, these intangible rewards are worth far more than a raise.
✓ ALL ACCESS to RN & LVN & Aggressive Behavior CEU Management + Webinar to Level Up your license I don’t want to take away the importance of applying a bandage correctly because that certainly has its own advantages. But when it comes down to it, frequency wins hands down.
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As we teach in the classroom, wound healing is a dynamic process. As a wound progresses through the healing phase, all kinds of cellular activity is taking place.
From neutrophils and macrophages to growth factors and fibroblasts, each phase has a job to do for the wound to move to the next phase and eventually close.
Cellular activity can be affected by temperature in wound tissue. As wound care physicians, our role is to help chronic wounds through each phase, removing obstacles and supporting an optimal healing environment.
Let’s look at the two main phases that need our help and the role of frequent dressing changes.
The Difference Between Chronic And Acute Wound Care
Unlike acute wounds, chronic wounds are past the hemostasis phase and into the inflammatory phase by the time we first evaluate them.
During this phase, the primary function is to remove necrotic tissue, bioburden and other debris that prevents the wound from healing effectively.
Due to the amount of damaged tissue, there is a lot of endotoxin released into the wound, which can affect the activity of fibroblasts and keratinocytes.
The debridement approach should be one of speed and efficiency, trying to clean the wound in the shortest possible time.
Healing Wounds, Healthy Skin: A Practical Guide For Patients With Chronic Wounds: Reddy, Madhuri, Cottrill, Rebecca: 9780300171006: Books
Since healing does not occur during inflammation, increasing the frequency of dressing changes while using sharp, enzymatic, mechanical, or chemical debridement is not important at this point.
Once the wound is cleansed, we need to shift our focus to practices that promote a healing environment.
Carefully choosing products that can protect the wound and reduce the frequency of changes will have a significant effect.
Studies show the simple procedure of changing a bandage can lower the temperature and stop healing temporarily, requiring up to four hours for healing to resume, according to the Journal of Wound Care.
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Evidence has shown that the minimum wound temperature for cellular activity is 91.4 degrees Fahrenheit, according to Acute and Chronic Wounds: Current Management Concepts (5th Edition). Therefore, the type of dressing and the frequency of changing the wound dressing can have a big impact.
To optimize healing, we need to change the bandage a maximum of three times a week, but ideally one to two times a week.
In clean wounds, the main factor affecting frequency is exudate. However, there are many excellent dressings available for managing exudate, and achieving a reduced frequency should not be a problem.
Modern evidence-based wound care and logic dictate some key principles to follow for more successful outcomes.
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The days of “we’ve always done it this way” and continued to do the same treatment throughout the process are long gone.
Bill Richlen, PT, WCC, DWC, is a licensed physical therapist and has experience in advanced wound care consultation in long-term care, outpatient, skilled rehabilitation and home health. He has served as a clinical instructor for physical therapy students, been director of several large rehabilitation departments, and has provided multidisciplinary wound care education to nurses and therapists for over 17 years. His expertise in a variety of settings enhances his role as a clinical instructor. Bill’s dynamic and engaging teaching style kept the participants’ attention throughout the course. Have you thought about becoming a wound care nurse? Wound care nursing is an excellent career field to pursue as a nurse. This article will discuss wound care nurse job overview, work setting, education requirements, salary and likes & dislikes.
This is a nursing specialty where nurses focus on caring for patients’ wounds. Wound care nurses assess, monitor, treat patients’ wounds and provide education to patients and their families.
They are referred by the healthcare team to treat the wound and develop a care plan for the healthcare team to follow. For example, where I work the doctor will consult with the wound care nurse, who will come assess the wound, develop a treatment plan, implement it, and then develop a care plan for the nurse to follow in caring for the wound.
Cutiscare Usa Wound Specialist
They take care of all types of wounds such as burns, diabetic/arterial ulcers, pressure ulcers, help with hyperbaric therapy (HBO) etc. It is important to note that wound care nurses can be certified not only to care for wounds but ostomies & continence problems as well. Below I discuss the different types of certifications nurses can obtain through WOCNCB.org.
Generally, they work Monday-Friday (8-5pm), but this depends solely on the type of work setting you choose to work in. Nurses who work in clinics may work 8-5 pm. Whereas a wound care nurse in a hospital might work three 12-hour shifts a week.
You need a BSN nursing degree and an active RN license. You must meet the requirements of the WOCNCB board. They offer many different certifications to become a wound care nurse.
Most employers prefer that you have some type of wound care certification. This certification program typically takes 2-3 months to complete (including lecture and clinical time). After completing the program, you must pass a certification exam in the specialty you choose to pursue.
What Are The Basic Steps For Wound Care?
It is important to note that some employers will hire you without certification with the promise that you will complete a certification program within a few months of being hired.
According to BLS.gov, the salary for a wound care nurse is $69,790/year and $33.55/hour and this varies depending on your certification, years of experience and geographic location. no longer supports older versions of your web browser in order to ensure user data remains secure. Please update to the latest version.
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