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Enterostomal Therapy Nurse - Career Profile |
Career OverviewAlmost one million people in North America have ostomies. Approximately 70,000 new ostomy surgeries are performed each year. It is patients who have ostomies, fistulas, pressure ulcers, and incontinence that enterostomal therapy nurses work with. It is their care in which they specialize.
It has been an extremely important development in medicine that the specialist needs of patients with ostomies and similar conditions have been recognized by the specialist training of Enterostomal Therapy Nurses and specialists to assist both adult and pediatric patients receive the necessary counseling and care post-surgery and even after discharge from hospital.
Enterostomal Therapy Nurses who are also qualified Clinical Nursing Specialists are specially trained to manage intestinal stomas. They handle outpatient care and in-hospital care of patients with stomas. They are trained to give patients appropriate education as to who their stomas are to be managed and how specialist equipment should be used.
Enterostomal Therapy Nurses provide the counseling that is equally important and necessary to patients as well, ensuring that patients with ostomies, fistulae, pressure ulcers, and incontinence are well adjusted after the treatment they receive.
Enterostomal Therapy Nurses work in hospitals, in outpatient clinics, in community health centers, and in the homes of the patients themselves.
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Career RequirementsEnterostomal Therapy Nurses are required to train as Clinical Nursing Specialists prior to completing any advanced training in the field. They are required to have some advanced training in the nursing field. Most Clinical Nursing Specialists have advanced degrees. Approximately 93% of all CNSs have a Master's Degree or equivalent graduate certificate to compliment their training as an RN.
Enterostomal Therapy Nurses are required to have an active RN license and typically have a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing to have obtained this qualification.
Specialist training in enterostomal therapy is a requirement for this profession, typically met by the practical experience of each candidate. Experience is focused on developing an understanding of ostomies, fistulas, pressure ulcers, and incontinence, of ostomy surgery and post-surgery recover, of patient rehabilitation and aftercare education.
Some institutions offer specialist training programs and certification in enterostomal therapy nursing. More information about training programs and certification is available through the following organizations:
American Nurses Credentialing Center
600 Maryland Ave., SW, Suite 100 West
Washington, D.C. 20024-2571
(800) 284-2378
American Nurses' Association
8518 Georgia Ave.,
Ste. 400,
Silver Spring, MD 20910
www.nursingworld.org
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Job OutlookWith almost a million people with ostomies, and almost 70,000 new surgeries performed each year, there is an ever-increasing need for specially trained Enterostomal Therapy Nurses. Patients are spending less time in hospital and so need more time and assistance to adjust to their lives after surgery.
Within the context of the rapid expansion of nursing, a growing number of jobs and increased responsibility for nurses, opportunities for nurses specializing in enterostomal therapy are likely to be numerous.
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Career TrackSee Clinical Nurse Specialist
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CompensationSee Clinical Nurse Specialist
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