Improving Proficiency in Wound and Ostomy Care: A Practical Training Program for Recently Graduated Registered Nurses

Introduction: Background: Professional wound and ostomy care is necessary in to enhance outcomes and quality of life for patients who require it. Newly certified registered nurses (RNs) often have little hands-on experience with the important skills required for wound and ostomy care. Thus, we developed an educational program to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application for newly trained Registered Nurses (RNs) in the areas of wound care, wound vacuum therapy, and ostomy management.Methods: A group of experienced nurses that specialize in wound care and ostomy devised a comprehensive training curriculum that has many sessions and is designed to provide practical instruction. The thirty Registered Nurses (RN) (N&#3f30) who participated in the program were newly graduated from their respective programs. Participants took part in educational seminars, workshops that provided hands-on experience, and clinical training that was under close supervision. The degree of confidence, the level of skill competence, and the quantity of information that was learned or acquired were evaluated using validated instruments during both the pre-training and post-training evaluations. We used structured interviews and focus groups to acquire qualitative information related to the participants’ experiences with the training program.Results: After completing the program, the participants demonstrated a significant increase in both their theoretical comprehension and their actual competency in the care of wounds and ostomies. Average knowledge scores rose from 55% before the training to 85% immediately 2 / 2 after the instruction (p 0.01). Practical skills assessments demonstrated a considerable increase in the accuracy in the procedures and applications of wound dressings, wound vacuum therapy, and ostomy care. The average proficiency scores increased from sixty percent to ninety percent (p 0.01). We also found that self-reported confidence ratings rose 40% from pre-training, demonstrating considerable increases in newly licensed RNs’ confidence for independently providing wound and ostomy care.Discussion: Conclusion: These newly graduated registered nurses considerably improved their clinical skill in wound and ostomy care by participating in the practical training program. We found that immersive and hands-on training for newly licensed RNs has the potential to successfully bridge the gap between knowledge and practice and may improve outcomes for patient care. We believe it is imperative that future programs include analogous experiential methodologies to adequately prepare newly licensed RNs for the clinical difficulties of wound and ostomy management,References: