Exploring the identity of the certified wound ostomy continence nurse in industry : an interpretive analysis of professional ecology

• Main Author: Sylvia, Cynthia J.
• Published: Cardiff University 2018
• Online Access: https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.753568

This qualitative study is an investigation of the culture of nurse specialists who are certified in wound, ostomy and continence care, have practiced their specialty at the bedside, and who are now employed in industry by medical device manufacturers or distributors in the USA. It is framed within the context of the larger professional nursing society with a focus on ecology, defined as an approach to understanding identity and role within their socially constructed environment (Hughes, 2009). These nurses are situated within a complex environment that is not well understood by those outside of their group. This study examines the cultural knowledge of the members and how they are establishing a new boundary of practice. It is about understanding the identity and the emerging role of this group of nurse specialists and how they perceive their reception by and their impact on the wider field of nurse specialists in this area of expertise. An examination of the literature demonstrated no documented evidence examining these nurse specialists. A purposive sample of Certified Wound Ostomy Continence Nurses (CWOCNs) who now work in industry in the United States was selected from my professional network, to conduct two methods of data collection; one focus group (n=7) and a series of six semi-structured, in-depth, individual follow up interviews. Audio and visual recording of the focus group and audio recording of each interview provided the raw data; all data was transcribed verbatim. Immersion into the data facilitated thematic coding that evolved through multiple iterations of interpretative analysis as a reflexive process (Srivastava, 2009). This qualitative study was guided by Symbolic Interactionism, to explore and describe the identity and the role of a group of nurse specialists. In the process of understanding identity, key findings emerged as themes of identity, role, boundary work and human ecology, rich with subthemes that indicate future implications for nursing.