Cath Lab Digest

Five years ago, Ostomy Wound Management embarked on a journey of recognition and celebration. Noteworthy wound, ostomy, and continence clinicians were to be nominated, interviewed, and featured in a monthly column that highlighted their accomplishments and described the career choices that rendered them worthy of acknowledgment. We set forth, under ConvaTec’s sponsorship, with a modest appreciation of the scope, if you will, of this endeavor — not fully anticipating the breadth of experiences we would be charting.

My Scope of Practice has traveled from the bedrooms of home care patients to the battlefields of Iraq; from acute care hospitals to Ground Zero, September 11, 2001; from entrepreneurial ventures to missionary work. It has increased our familiarity about precepting and protocols, research and risk factors, standardization and support surfaces. The stories of dedicated clinicians’ professional challenges and successes are woven with a common theme: Patients first. This fifth anniversary of My Scope of Practice marks a good time to recap some of the stories that have made this journey, to be continued, so memorable.

Our first column featured Paul Farley, a quietly engaging CWOCN working in home care. Paul shared his approach to the many variables inherent to the healthcare setting, including traffic. Other featured clinicians working in home care include Marsha Davidson, who enjoyed developing relationships with her patients’ families. Lidia Garner pushed for more home care protocols in wound management. Scott Bolhack, MD, makes house calls wherever the patient calls home — often, in his case, the majority of nursing homes in Tucson, Ariz.

Among the featured acute care clinicians is Jo Catanzaro, a critical care nurse with a penchant for wounds, ostomies, and teaching, is influential in a large city hospital; and Marietta Glazer, a champion of pre-surgery education for her patients. Marcia Simon is helping bridge the gap between research and practice as she seeks new therapies for burn and wound patients.

Numerous “featurees” have been instrumental in initiating programs in their scopes of practice. In addition to her work with ostomy and wound patient support groups and product committees, Laura Shafer helped start a wound clinic. Jetta Tressell’s determination facilitated a skin care team. Celeste Dimon helped create a Research Council to encourage nurses to catch the research bug.

Several clinicians have been influential from the industry side of the field. Victoria Langer found inspiration in her ailing husband’s struggle for comfort and devised support surfaces that she went on to market. Terri Maxwell established a two-part business that provides wound, ostomy, and continence supplies and consultation for patients and practitioners.

Practitioners serving the armed services arena  raised awareness of the unique challenges they face as they treat military and civilian patients. One of several siblings in the armed services/medical arena, Joy Schank fell in love with wound care while working as a surgical nurse at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Olga Rodriguez has served several tours of duty — the latest in Iraq. Jody Warren, one of a select few certified ET nurses in the Army Nurse Corps, lives by his mother’s creed: Nurse is a verb and a noun.

Many clinicians find fulfillment working with the disadvantaged in the US and abroad. Podiatrist Alan Cantor was drawn to the plight of Jamaicans with lower extremity issues (Dr. Cantor later provided insights into the rescue efforts on 9-11).  Shawneen Schmitt, inspired by what she was able to achieve during the Red River floods in 1997, has taken her nursing ideals to Latvia, Mexico, Kazakhstan, and North Sumatra.