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Leavenworth is home to one of the few programs in the country that specializes in training nurses in the area of wound care.
“We’re the only one in the nation in the (Department of Veterans Affairs system),” said Sharon Saim, director of the VA Eastern Kansas Health Care System Wound Management Academy.
The program, which was launched this year, is operated on the grounds of the Eisenhower VA Medical Center in Leavenworth but is open to nurses who work outside of the Veterans Affairs system.
The academy was developed out of a need for nurses trained to handle wounds that require a lot of care, according to Jim Gleisberg, public affairs officer for the VA Eastern Kansas Health Care System.
He said officials with the VA Eastern Kansas Health Care System, which includes hospitals in Leavenworth and Topeka, were having trouble getting nurses into existing programs.
The Wound Management Academy offers a three-week training program, and graduates can take a test for national certification, Saim said.
The academy offered its first two classes this year. Three more are planned for 2009.
Saim said the program has been fully accredited for five years by the Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nurses Society.
In addition to being the first in the VA system, the academy is one of only three stand-alone programs of its kind in the country, Saim said.
Each class for the Wound Management Academy is limited to around 10 students. Saim said four slots are dedicated to nurses from the VA Eastern Kansas Health Care System — two for the Leavenworth hospital and two for the Topeka hospital.
VA nurses are charged less for the tuition than others who attend the academy.
Saim said each class includes 70 hours of classroom work and 40 hours of clinical experience.
“It’s an intense three-week class,” she said.
The academy had its first class in April. The program had an accreditation site visit later that month. Saim said she learned in July the academy was being accredited.
The academy had its second class in September.
The next class is planned for April 2009.
Leavenworth is home to one of the few programs in the country that specializes in training nurses in the area of wound care.
“We’re the only one in the nation in the (Department of Veterans Affairs system),” said Sharon Saim, director of the VA Eastern Kansas Health Care System Wound Management Academy.
The program, which was launched this year, is operated on the grounds of the Eisenhower VA Medical Center in Leavenworth but is open to nurses who work outside of the Veterans Affairs system.
The academy was developed out of a need for nurses trained to handle wounds that require a lot of care, according to Jim Gleisberg, public affairs officer for the VA Eastern Kansas Health Care System.
He said officials with the VA Eastern Kansas Health Care System, which includes hospitals in Leavenworth and Topeka, were having trouble getting nurses into existing programs.
The Wound Management Academy offers a three-week training program, and graduates can take a test for national certification, Saim said.
The academy offered its first two classes this year. Three more are planned for 2009.
Saim said the program has been fully accredited for five years by the Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nurses Society.
In addition to being the first in the VA system, the academy is one of only three stand-alone programs of its kind in the country, Saim said.
Each class for the Wound Management Academy is limited to around 10 students. Saim said four slots are dedicated to nurses from the VA Eastern Kansas Health Care System — two for the Leavenworth hospital and two for the Topeka hospital.
VA nurses are charged less for the tuition than others who attend the academy.
Saim said each class includes 70 hours of classroom work and 40 hours of clinical experience.
“It’s an intense three-week class,” she said.
The academy had its first class in April. The program had an accreditation site visit later that month. Saim said she learned in July the academy was being accredited.
The academy had its second class in September.
The next class is planned for April 2009.
