Holly M. Hovan, MSN, APRN, ACNS-BC, CWOCN-AP
Wound Care Coordinator
Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center
Holly is a Wound Care Coordinator at The Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio. She has a passion for education, teaching, and our Veterans. Holly has been practicing in wound care nursing for approximately six years. She has much experience with the long-term care population and chronic wounds as well as pressure injuries, diabetic ulcers, venous and arterial wounds, surgical wounds, radiation dermatitis, and wounds requiring advanced wound therapy for healing.
Holly enjoys teaching new nurses about wound care and most importantly, pressure injury prevention. She enjoys working with each patient to come up with an individualized plan of care based on their needs and overall medical situation. She values the importance of taking an inter-professional approach with wound care and prevention overall, and involves each member of the healthcare team as much as possible. She also values the significance of the support of leadership within her facility and the overall impact of great teamwork for positive outcomes.
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
By Holly Hovan MSN, RN-BC, APRN, ACNS-BC, CWOCN-AP
Wound assessment is one of the initial steps in determining the plan of care, changes in treatment, and which key players should be involved in management. However, wound assessment needs to be accurately...
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...
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...
Holly M. Hovan MSN, APRN, ACNS-BC, CWOCN-AP
Payne and Martin brought skin tears to the attention of wound and skin specialists and to the wound care community when they reported an incidence rate of 2.23% in individuals aged 55 years and older, living in a long-term care...
By Holly M. Hovan MSN, APRN, ACNS-BC, CWOCN-AP
What does your facility do to raise awareness regarding pressure injury prevention? We have lots of educational opportunities throughout the year, but one of our most important and prepared for days is the third Thursday in November...
By Holly M. Hovan MSN, APRN, ACNS-BC, CWOCN-AP
Wound, ostomy, continence (WOC) nurses wear many hats. A significant role that we play is that of an educator, both with our patients and with our staff. I'm sure we've all heard "How on earth did you ever get interested in wounds?...
by Holly M. Hovan, MSN, APRN, ACNS-BC, CWOCN-AP
by Holly M. Hovan, MSN, APRN, ACNS-BC, CWOCN-AP
With a growing population of Americans aged 65 or older, it is important to know what skin changes are normal and abnormal and what we can do in terms of treatment, education, and prevention of skin injuries.
by Holly M. Hovan MSN, APRN, ACNS-BC, CWOCN-AP
by Holly M. Hovan MSN, APRN, ACNS-BC, CWOCN-AP
With World Continence Week upon us, it is an appropriate time to discuss some types and causes along with treatment of urinary...
by Holly M. Hovan MSN, APRN-ACNS-BC, CWOCN-AP
By Holly M. Hovan MSN, APRN-ACNS-BC, CWOCN-AP
After determining our goals of wound treatment (healing, maintaining, or comfort/palliative), we need to choose a treatment that meets the needs of the...
By Holly Hovan MSN, APRN, CWOCN-AP
By Holly Hovan MSN, APRN, CWOCN-AP
Part 4 in a series analyzing the use of the Braden Scale for Predicting Pressure Sore Risk® in the long-term care setting. For Part 1, click here....
By Holly Hovan MSN, APRN, CWOCN-AP
Part 3 in a series analyzing the use of the Braden Scale for Predicting Pressure Sore Risk® in the long-term care setting. For Part 1, click here....
By Holly Hovan MSN, APRN, CWOCN-AP
A series analyzing the use of the Braden Scale for Predicting Pressure Sore Risk® in the long-term care setting. For part 1, click here.
By Holly Hovan MSN, APRN, CWOCN-AP
When marking a patient for a stoma, it is important to consider the practice based on evidence acquired by the wound, ostomy and continence (WOC) nurse during training and experience. Stoma siting procedures are based on evidence-based practices...
By Holly Hovan MSN, APRN, CWOCN-AP
A series analyzing the use of the Braden Scale for Predicting Pressure Sore Risk® in the long-term care setting. For Part 2, click here....
By Holly Hovan MSN, APRN, CWOCN-AP
As wound care clinicians, we are aware that part of the process of consulting requires a comprehensive wound assessment, looking at wound characteristics, causative factors, and drainage. As I've previously mentioned, we've all heard the term, "...
Holly M. Hovan MSN, APRN, ACNS-BC, CWON-AP
By Holly Hovan MSN, APRN, ACNS-BC, CWON-AP
In patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD), there is a decreased renal clearance that causes an increase in phosphorus, then calcium, in the body. Elevation of these two electrolytes causes the...
By Holly Hovan MSN, APRN, ACNS-BC, CWON-AP
by Holly Hovan MSN, APRN, ACNS-BC, CWON-AP
As a wound, ostomy, and continence nurse in long-term care, education is a huge part of my role working in our Community Living Center (CLC), Hospice, and Transitional Care Unit (TCU). Unit specific, evidence-based training and continued...
