What’s New. What’s Needed. What’s Next.™
More than 2,000 wound, ostomy, continence, and foot and nail care professionals from around the world made meaningful connections and unforgettable memories in June at WOCNext® 2024, the annual conference hosted by the Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nurses Society™ (WOCN®). The only educational event of the year hosted by healthcare professionals for healthcare professionals, WOCNext gave members, non-members, and students alike the opportunity to soak up new evidence-based research, sharpen their professional development, and unlock the power of community through networking.
Over 3 ½ days, the event offered attendees 45+ education sessions, 40+ expert speakers, 100+ exhibiting companies, and more than 45 Contact Hours through live and on-demand engagement. There were workshops, posters, contests, and yes, bingo.
Relive the experience, catch up on what you missed, and start thinking about next year’s conference with our recap of WOCNext 2024!
Next-Level Education
WOCNext 2024 celebrated over five decades of specialized education in wound, ostomy, and continence care with an expansive array of educational offerings that encapsulated the latest evidence-based practices—all from the home of WOC nursing, Cleveland, Ohio! Participants heard from leading experts who introduced emerging techniques and technologies and offered insights on modern standards of care.
The conference’s educational lineup showcased groundbreaking field trends and priorities, complementing dynamic discussions with poster abstracts from original research studies and innovative practice models. Diverse perspectives and interactive learning highlighted unique solutions to clinical challenges and introduced novel approaches to care, ensuring that every attendee left with knowledge that will push the boundaries of their professional practice.
Some highlights:
- What’s Next in Research: Abstract Presentations & Poster Merit Awards: This general session shared the latest research findings in WOC nursing with research-based abstracts selected by a rigorous, two-step peer review process. Topics included pressure injury detection, complex painful postoperative wound management, classifying IAD in adult patients according to skin tone, and more.
- Lymphedema Management in the Wound Care Center: This session, led by Suzie Ehmann, PT DPT, PhD(c), CWS, CLT-LANA, provided an overview of the new approach of lymphatic and integumentary rehabilitation for patients with lymphatic failure and non-healing wounds.
- Long-Term Urinary Catheter Complications: This session discussed the complications of long-term indwelling urinary catheters, their causes, evidence-based prevention, management strategies, and futuristic approaches.
Next-Level Growth
As attendees read in this year’s Welcome Letter, WOCNext isn’t just a conference—it’s a convergence of minds, a celebration of innovation, and a testament to the dedication of WOC nurses in elevating the quality of patient care. That’s why 2024’s event went above and beyond to support the personal and professional growth of members, non-members, and students through a variety of enriching activities.
It offered specialized learning sessions, mental health and wellness resources, and more than 45 Contact Hours for continuing education. As one attendee noted, WOCNext was an “excellent venue to gain CEUs in a targeted, compacted form.” Participants rewarded themselves with the much-needed time and space to refocus their energy with inspiring speeches and essential tips on avoiding burnout—a condition that is at an all-time high among nurses. Live and on-demand access and a flexible schedule also allowed attendees to follow their own game plan or go with the flow, experiencing the event in a way that aligned with their areas of interest.
Some highlights:
- Getting Clarity: Identifying Your Strengths to Shape Your Impact: This general session opening keynote led by Debbie Peterson, CSP, focused on navigating the complexities of your nursing career to elevate your clinical nursing leadership.
- Architects of Healthcare’s Future: In this session, Jacqueline Medland, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, discussed how nurses, as the largest segment of the healthcare workforce and the nation’s most trusted profession, can become change leaders in clinical practice and take purposeful steps toward a better healthcare system.
- Are Florence Nightingale & Norma Gill Relevant to Current WOC Nursing?: This session, presented by Joyce Pittman, PhD, RN, ANP-BC, FNP-BC, CWOCN, FAAN, reviewed the history and importance of data to the modern WOC nurse, breaking down which data a WOC nurse needs to observe and how they can observe it.
Next-Level Community
The WOCN Society made a conscious choice to host this year’s WOCNext conference in charming Cleveland, Ohio, the birthplace of WOC nursing. This symbolic location not only reconnected us with the roots of our profession but also reignited our passion for the industry and the people who benefit from our expertise every day.
WOCNext 2024 honored the history of the WOCN Society’s membership and illuminated the future of WOC nursing by facilitating knowledge exchange via inclusive networking, relatable roundtables, and moderated panels. Attendees advanced their practice and fast-tracked their careers by relying on the greater community to understand how our profession began and where it’s headed as organizations and professionals evolve to address changing patient needs. WOCNext is “a place to gather resources and connect with other WOC nurses,” said one surveyed attendee, and we’re elated to see this community flourish with the help of events like this.
Some highlights:
- First-Time Attendee Meet & Greet: All conference newbies immersed themselves in the welcoming and exciting atmosphere of WOCNext 2024 to receive advice on navigating the event, maximizing their experience, and connecting more deeply with the community.
- WOC n Roll Welcome Party: Attendees kicked off their WOCNext journey with a unique party at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Museum. They walked the exhibition halls and enjoyed the company of other like-minded professionals before the WOC learning began.
- Partnering for Education: The Value of a Vigilant Village: This session, led by Angela Richardson, MSN, RN, APRN-BC, CWOCN, AGCNS-BC, discussed education beyond the nursing discipline and engaging the broader healthcare team in wound and ostomy challenges to improve patient care and outcomes.
In Attendees’ Own Words
We also received great feedback from participants in this year’s conference buddy program, designed to connect new and seasoned conference attendees and help them make the most of their time at the event.
“Being a first-time attendee traveling alone, it gave me someone to get acquainted with and ask questions without having to approach a complete stranger on day one.”
“My buddy made a point to have me sit with her team during lunch so I could talk with other WOC nurses and see how their facilities run.”
Milestones & Announcements
The WOCN Society is committed to providing timely and relevant education, research, and advanced resources to assist our community in addressing the daily demands of patient care. That’s why we were incredibly proud of the milestones we’ve reached since our last conference and the announcements we shared at WOCNext 2024.
- Industry Visibility: We enhanced visibility of the WOC nursing specialty and uplifted WOC voices during WOC Nurse Week 2024, WOCN Wound Education Day, and WOCN Ostomy Education Day.
- Quality Improvement Project: We’re leveraging data to establish benchmarks for excellence in WOC nursing through Value of the WOC Nurse: A WOCN® Quality Improvement Project.
- DAISY Foundation Award: In collaboration with the DAISY Foundation, WOCN will offer an award in 2025 to honor the extraordinary contributions of WOC nurses worldwide.
- JWOCN Publication: 2023 marked the 50th volume of JWOCN and the introduction of the new Pediatric WOC Care section. The journal also achieved the highest 2-year impact factor in its history and published several issues in multiple languages.
- Updated Resources: We have updated our Guideline for Management of Wounds in Patients with Lower Extremity Arterial Disease, are nearing completion of the third edition of the WOC Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice, and continue to release new episodes of our award-winning WOCTalk podcast.
- Mentor Match Program: We will soon pilot our new mentor match program, which will create a tool for professional growth, personal development, and organizational success.
“Let us remember that our work is not just a profession but a calling. Together, let us continue to strive for excellence, advocate for equality for our patients, and embody the values of integrity, leadership, and knowledge that define us as WOC care professionals.”
– Vicky Pontieri-Lewis, President of WOCN, WOCNext 2024 President’s Address
Looking to the Future
WOCNext 2024 was a great success, so let’s keep the momentum going! If you registered for this year’s conference, don’t forget to log into the event portal to access session recordings, material downloads, and more through the end of 2024.
Excited for the next annual conference? We are too! Mark your calendar for WOCNext 2025, June 1–4, 2025, in Orlando, Florida, at the Orlando World Center Marriott. Don’t miss out on another opportunity to discover what’s new in your profession, network with your peers, and make a difference in the future of WOC care.
Save the date for WOCNext 2025.
As always, thank you to all the attendees, speakers, and staff who make WOCNext events possible. See you in 2025!
