Wound Care as a Physician Career
The demand for physicians with expertise in wound care has been growing as chronic wounds affect 6.5 million people in the United States. Wound Care is a fast-growing field of medicine that is becoming recognized as a specialty of medicine. With the proper training, physicians who hold medical licenses in their state can work as wound care physicians inside nursing home institutions and patient homes.
Currently Skilled Wound Care has an accredited fellowship program, which physicians may qualify for. The added benefit of becoming a wound care physician is the ability to more easily achieve Work/Life Balance.
WOUND CARE IS
A FIELD OF MEDICINE
THAT TAKES CARE OF:
· Pressure Wounds
· Lower Extremity Arterial Ulcers
· Diabetic Foot Ulcers
· Venous Stasis Ulcers
· Surgical Wounds
· Skin infections
WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO
GET STARTED AND BECOME SUCCESSFUL?
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The first year working in wound care has a high learning curve. You learn as you care for patients, but you should also be reading to better understand how to care for your patients.
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Pursue your passion for wound care by starting to read about the field and wound care specifically as soon as your interest begins.
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Talk to individuals currently in the field to gain a better understanding of what the career entails.
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Shadow others.
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Attend continuing education events that will help you answer questions about the field.
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At Skilled Wound Care, we also offer a Advanced Wound Care Fellowship; SWOCS (Skin, Wound, & Ostomy Certified Specialist) Program provided by the College of Long Term Care in association with Skilled Wound Care Surgical Group is an intense 12 -24 month training program that will focus on training clinicians (MDs, ODs, PAs, NPs) on the full spectrum of advanced wound care. To see more about this option, click here.
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As you start your career in wound care, you may start by seeing a lower volume of patients to have ample time to complete a thorough examination and ability to perform procedures. Over time you will become more adept at procedures and patient encounters and you will begin to see more patients.
Known as the silent epidemic, chronic wounds, or wounds that are slow to heal currently affect 6.5 million people in the U.S. and the numbers will likely increase, according to the U.S. National Institutes of Health. If untreated, chronic wounds can lead to loss of limbs or even death. This epidemic is largely unknown because individuals with slow-healing wounds often have another chronic condition that can lead to morbidity.
- For over 15 years SWC has been treating patients with chronic ulcers.
- We have over 100 successful physicians working throughout the country.
- We reduce morbidity, mortality, and cost, through our direct patient care program.
- We currently service 25 states, 340 US Cities, in 483 Zip Codes
TAKING THE LEAP TO
WOUND CARE AS A PHYSICIAN:
Leaving a residency program or medical specialty to become a wound care physician can be an overwhelming decision for physicians. What is the best way to explore wound care as the right career for you? Currently there is not a formalized ACGME approved program for wound care. Training in wound care starts with exposure to the field by shadowing wound care physicians and seeing the day-to-day workload. There is also an abundance of educational resources available on the topic of wound care both online and via textbook. As you become more knowledgeable in the area, you will begin to see the large need for wound care experts.
A typical wound care physician sees a wide variety of wounds throughout the day. The majority of wounds are chronic and managing them is not an emergency. On average patients in our practice see anywhere from 20-40 patients a day. Some visits may be brief if they are smaller healing wounds, whereas patients with multiple, larger wounds may take longer to see. Most visits are conducted during the weekday, and there are no weekend and on-call requirements.