Note from Executive Director

By Cindy Broadus, RN, BSHA, LNHA, CLNC, CLNI, CHCRM, WCC, DWC, OMS

The theme for this issue of Wound Care Advisor is “the best of the best,” so it seemed appropriate for this note to be about the “best of the best” from the NAWCO viewpoint.

What does “best of the best” mean? Merriam Webster defines the word best as “the greatest degree of good or excellence.” In addition, Merriam Webster defines the word excellence as, “extremely high quality.”

One high-quality conference full of excellence is the Wound Care Education Institute’s Wild on Wounds (WOW) Conference. Since its inception in 2004, this conference has provided bedside clinicians with the opportunity to come together to learn, network, and have fun! After 12 years, WOW continues to be the go-to conference of the year for many clinicians. With a loyal group of dedicated clinicians, continued growth, and a focus on what is best for the attendees, the WOW conference makes it on my “best of the best” list.

As WOW has grown, so has the number of Wound Care Certified clinicians. With more than 18,000 certified clinicians, NAWCO continues to be the largest certification body in the United States. I think about all of these clinicians with a great sense of pride for each and every one of them and what they have accomplished. Enhancing their knowledge and increasing their presence was an individual decision made by each person. Why? Because they wanted to be the “best of the best.”

I’d like to take that one step further. What constitutes the “best of the best” in this group of talented, intelligent, compassionate clinicians? It’s clinicians who consistently go above and beyond to make it better for patients who are often overlooked. Others perceive these clinicians as “going the extra mile” and “giving 150%.”

As WOW and the certified number of clinicians grew, we knew there needed to be a way to acknowledge these excellent practitioners. Who better to choose these deserving clinicians than the people they work with on a daily basis? That’s why in 2007 NAWCO established the Awards Committee and decided on the criteria for four awards to be given that year: Outstanding WCC of the Year, Outstanding Work in Diabetic Wounds, Outstanding Research in Wound Care, and a WCC Scholarship to an Outstanding Clinician working in the field.

Every year, the clinicians who are chosen receive their 15 minutes of fame. But what happens when the curtain goes down, the lights go out, and everybody goes back home? We may think that these individuals are forgotten, but I believe that among their peers, patients, and families they remain famous. With that said, I wanted to give them all another 15 minutes of fame by recognizing them again. I am certain that today they play as vital a role in the care of wound patients as they did the year they were chosen.

Outstanding WCC of the Year
2007 – LuAnn Reed RN, WCC, DWC
2008 – Rachel Pacheco RN, WCC
2009 – Shane Pilkington OT, BS, WCC
2010 – Sharon Perry RN,NP-BC,WCC
2011 – Beny Tadina-Himes RN, WCC
2012 – Monessa Wadford RN, BSN, WCC
2013 – Ava Chavaz RN, WCC
2014 – Chelsey Hawthorne RN-BC, WCC,
BSN

Outstanding Work in Diabetic Wounds
2007 – Michelle Goncalves, LPN, WCC
2008 – Stanley Rynkiewicz RN, BSN, WCC, DWC
2009 – Catherine Jackson RN, WCC
2010 – Kulbir Dhillon NP,WCC
2011 – Nenette Brown MSP, NP, WCC
2012 – Sandra Leamer-Newhouse RN, WCC
2013 – Jessica Kuznia PT, WCC, DWC
2014 – Anna Ruelle DPM, WCC

Outstanding Research in Wound Care
2007 – LuAnn Reed RN, WCC, DWC
2008 – Amy Narciso RN
2009 – Anne Blevins RN, BSN, WCC
2010 – Christine Fanelli MS, NP-BC, CWS, WCC
2011 – Connie Johnson RN, MSN, WCC, DWC, LLE, OMS
2012 – Julie Lientz BSN, RN, WCC, CWON
2013 – Connie Johnson RN, MSN, WCC, DWC, LLE, OMS
2014 – Michael Katzman BSN, RN, ONC, WCC

WCC Scholarship
2007 – Janet Jones, RN
2008 – Christina Albright RN, WCC
2009 – Rebecca Thompson RN
2010 – Maren Zinski RN, BSN, WCC
2011 – Marlene Bilello RN, WCC
2012 – Melinda Kofmehl, RN
2013 – Angela Rumery LPN
2014 – Craig Johnson RN, BSN

I would like to extend my personal thank you to all the winners for the job that you do, the care you provide, and the compassion you display. We are honored that you chose the WCC credential to enhance your professional careers. Your commitment to learning, along with your expertise, makes a difference in the lives of wound care patients you encounter across the United States.

This is our ninth year of recognizing individuals who have been chosen by their peers as the “best of the best.” Be sure to attend Saturday’s Session 114 (Paying it Forward) to meet the Award Winners for 2015.

In the next issue, I will continue our series of Board member introductions, but I enjoyed this break in the series to be able to recognize the “best of the best” in the wound care field. Congratulations, once again, to all of the past award recipients. You are all truly the “best of the best.”

DISCLAIMER: All clinical recommendations are intended to assist with determining the appropriate wound therapy for the patient. Responsibility for final decisions and actions related to care of specific patients shall remain the obligation of the institution, its staff, and the patients’ attending physicians. Nothing in this information shall be deemed to constitute the providing of medical care or the diagnosis of any medical condition. Individuals should contact their healthcare providers for medical-related information.