WOC nursing is where I have landed after 44 years as an RN. The last 16 years as a CWOCN has been the longest time I’ve done one type of nursing; although not in the same place. Rural Maine living is my preference; however, I did a stint as a CWOCN traveling to Alaska, Maine and Wisconsin as well as a year of being a nurse educator in Virginia. Focus is primarily on inpatient acute care, however throughout the 16 years there have been periods where both inpatient and outpatient clinic were done at the same location. That is where my career has taken me now. At Central Maine Medical Center’s Comprehensive Wound Care in Lewiston. The team has three NP CWOCN’s and two CWOCN’s with one CWN and three RN’s who are WOCN’s awaiting to take their tests. We also cover two outlying rural hospital‘s for acute and outpatient care.
As a career nursing is vast. There are so many choices. I’ve done home health, ICU, Med/Surg and developed two group homes for pregnant teens and their infants. It’s a wonderful career with varied experiences that all combine to help with being a WOCN. In serving as the secretary this last year, it is clear the team for the regional organization are dedicated, intelligent, committed, and have an awesome variety of skills. I went through the whole COVID working inpatient and with many ICU patients. I thought my time as a nurse was up. However, getting involved with the NERWOCN has helped me reignite and keep going for a while longer.

Terese is an RN at Beverly Hospital where she has worked for almost 20 years.  Five years ago she completed her wound ostomy continence certification from WebWoc,  and now holds a position as one of Beverly Hospital's Skin Care Coordinators.  Acute care is her main area of practice.  She has been a member of the WOCN society since 2018.  She received her RN from St. Elizabeth's Hospital School of Nursing, BSN from Endicott College.

For almost a decade, Melissa Mayes, MSN, RN, CWCN has worked as the Inpatient Wound / Ostomy Care Nurse an acute care facility in Southeastern Massachusetts promoting evidenced-based practice that is autonomous, empowering, and collaborative to bridge gaps and transform care at all levels. Melissa is the Site Coordinator/Clinical Instructor for the Wound Treatment Associate Program since 2015, has achieved Clinical Scholar Emeritus from Practice Development Program, is a co-founders/co-chairs of the system’s Wound Ostomy Continence Enterprise Group of 39 acute care facilitates across the country. She previously served as Secretary and for the past two years has served as Treasurer for the New England Region of Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nurse’s Society.  Her hobbies include indoor / outdoor gardening, archery, dirt bike riding, caring for a variety of animals, and creating handmade crafts