The Lived Experience of the Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nurse in Wound Care

PURPOSE: 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. SUBJECTS AND SETTING: 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.