Holly Hovan's blog

Holly M. Hovan MSN, RN-BC, APRN, CWOCN-AP

You might notice the hospital halls seem a little quieter around the holidays, the unit census may be down, and patients may be asking about their discharge plans. The holidays can be a time when patients want to be home (when they're able to).

By Holly M. Hovan MSN, RN-BC, APRN.ACNS-BC, CWOCN-AP

Often when we hear the words "pressure injury," our brains are trained to think about staging the wound, considering treatment options, and obtaining a provider's order for care. Ideally, when we hear the words "pressure injury," we should think prevention! As Benjamin Franklin once said, "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." This is a very true statement and speaks volumes to our goals of care and education format when developing pressure injury prevention curriculum for our facilities.

By Holly M. Hovan MSN, RN-BC, APRN.ACNS-BC, CWOCN-AP

Documentation is a huge part of our practice as wound care nurses. It is how we take credit for the care we provide to our patients and how we explain things so that other providers can understand what is going on with the patient, and it is used for legal and billing purposes as well.

By Holly M. Hovan, MSN, RN-BC, APRN-CNS, CWOCN-AP

As wound, ostomy, and continence (WOC) nurses, and nurses in general, we are often so busy taking care of others that sometimes we forget to take care of ourselves. A wise instructor in nursing school once told me, "If you don't take care of yourself first, you won't be able to take care of anyone else." I am often reminded of this when I travel and the flight attendant says "Please secure your own mask first!" Hearing that simple reminder will always and forever remind me to take care of myself first to best take care of others.

By Holly M. Hovan, MSN, RN-BC, APRN, CWOCN-AP

As someone who holds tricertification, I often feel as though my ostomy patients are the ones in whose lives I am making the biggest difference. Watching them progress, gain confidence in independent ostomy management, and enjoy their lives once again is one of the best feelings to me!

Holly M. Hovan MSN, RN-BC, APRN-CNS, CWOCN-AP

Not many people wake up one day and say, "Wow, I really want to be a continence nurse!" In fact, sometimes people don't even really understand what a continence nurse is, their role, or the specialty in general. I often tell nurses that although we may not all hold certification, every nurse should be a continence nurse, especially in the long-term care setting.

By Holly M. Hovan, MSN, RN-BC, APRN-CNS, CWOCN-AP

As discussed in a prior blog, reflecting on why you want to become certified and how to begin the process are some important initial steps when considering certification. Understanding certification, how it relates to or potentially changes your current position and employer recognition are some important initial considerations as well. Certification is a mark of professionalism and a designation as an expert in your field of practice. After deciding on a certifying body that aligns with your goals and values, and those of your employer, the next step is to prepare for the exam.

By Holly Hovan, MSN, RN-BC, APRN-CNS, CWOCN-AP

What is mobility? Typically, when we hear the word mobility, we think about our ability to move, with or without assistance. In a long-term care setting, we often hear the words, "mobility aids," which are typically pieces of medical equipment that are used to enhance mobility—wheelchairs, walkers, canes, power wheelchairs, crutches, and even guide dogs for those who are sight impaired. There are many intrinsic and extrinsic factors that impact one's mobility, which will be discussed in this blog.

by Holly Hovan MSN, RN-BC, APRN, ACNS-BC, CWOCN-AP

As discussed in a prior blog, stoma location is certainly one of the key factors in successful ostomy management and independence with care at home. However, even with proper stoma siting, peristomal skin complications may occur for a variety of reasons. In this blog I discuss a few of the more common peristomal skin complications and tips for management.

by Holly M. Hovan MSN, APRN, ACNS-BC, CWOCN-AP

Recently, one of my awesome staff nurses coined a phrase that stuck with me—Mr. DoctoR Pressure Injury (MDRPI), also known as medical device-related pressure injury. MDRPIs are a common yet usually preventable problem. We wanted to raise awareness of MDRPIs for World Wide Pressure Injury Prevention Day in November of 2018, and one of our staff nurses was quite creative in doing so! She thought of using a doctor’s briefcase with medical devices inside, many of which can and do cause pressure injuries. Being creative and using acronyms are great ways not only to engage staff, but also to be sure that they remember the information provided to them. Additionally, hands-on props and interactive stations require engagement, which appeals to many different types of learners.