The ABWM (American Board of Wound Management) Foundation has named June as Wound Healing Awareness Month (WHAM). This month is meant to recognize the challenges experienced by individuals whose lives are affected daily by chronic wounds and to bring awareness to the general public of the support given by certified wound specialists.
During Wound Healing Awareness Month, all of us at Whittier Rehabilitation Hospital-Westborough recognize how fortunate we are to have our very own Clinical Wound Specialist, Maura Bucher, CWS, COCN.
Maura has been with Whittier for 14 years – starting here right out of nursing school. Her career grew to include supervising on the weekends while continuing to take care of patients on the unit. Maura took on the role of Wound Care Nurse when her predecessor retired in 2018. She received her CWS certification in 2019, and recently received her COCN (Certified Ostomy Care Nurse) certification in May. She is continuing her studies and is currently preparing to take the CCCN (Certified Continence Care Nurse) exam.
“I feel both challenged and rewarded working with a very diverse patient population utilizing very specialized knowledge and skills as a CWS and COCN. I look forward to continuing to grow in my role with the specialty certification in continence care.”
Maura also has the esteemed responsibility to work with all RN and CNA new hires to educate them in proper wound care management. “It helps to get all the nurses and nursing assistants involved during the first few days of their training. I stress the importance of working together to treat some very complicated patients and to prevent skin-related problems. Some of the things we stress include surgical site infection prevention, pressure injury prevention and incontinence management and other individualized treatment goals.”
As the Skin Committee chair, Maura works closely with all disciplines to incorporate a multidisciplinary wound-healing philosophy into our hospital’s practice.
“Collaborating with the Nurses, Therapists, Dietitians and Physicians helps to keep the plan patient-focused and individualized. There is a very cohesive team here.”
Maura feels right at home at Whittier.
“Working at a long-term rehabilitative hospital, I am able to create bonds with the patients and their families. Providing care over an extended stay, coupled with education for at-home progress, really emphasizes the continuity of care that is a great benefit of Whittier Rehabilitation Hospital.” Maura is grateful to Whittier for their support and for their accommodation of her continued education and growth in the field of wound care management. And we are grateful to have such a valuable resource for our patients!
If you would like to have a rewarding career like Maura’s, visit our nursing jobs page to learn more about the difference YOU can make in our patients’ lives.
