What do tissue viability nurses do

The transition from experienced nurse to tissue viability nurse specialist TVNS is challenging, with numerous hurdles to overcome. Here, Ali Hill reflects on her experience to date, transitioning from the management of chronic wounds in the community to specialist management of oncological wounds in a hospital setting.

Register Log in. Wound Care Today November Back to journal. Personal development. Becoming a tissue viability nurse specialist By: Ali Hill. I am very lucky. I hold degree and masters level accreditations in tissue viability and dermatology care and I have 12 years of nursing experience — including five years focused on wound care and four years as a Band 6.

One would imagine that the transition from experienced nurse to that of tissue viability nurse specialist would be smooth and seamless but, in reality, it is not.

My role as a TVN is to provide expert care and management of inpatients with wounds; to develop and deliver education to nursing staff and allied health professionals and to shape service development, with the aim of improving efficiency and patient outcomes. In order to better understand, and so overcome, some of the personal challenges I have faced in the role, I turned to the literature on advanced practitioners, including nurse specialists, and the transition from experienced staff nurse to these roles.

Although a great deal of the research is several decades old it has been included here because of its seminal nature and because it continues to aid understanding and so preparation for the role. This article will briefly explore some of the more personally salient aspects of the literature to provide insight into my transition so far and the strategies that can be used mitigate some of the difficulties when transitioning from novice to expert nurse specialist.

The perpetual novice. I first worked in the Trust as a newly qualified nurse before leaving to work in the community. As I had retained my interest in oncology, I rejoined the Trust many years later and, with my community-acquired tissue viability experience, worked in the surgical outpatient team, assisting with minor surgeries and managing post-operative wound complications.

The developmental tissue viability nurse role was an exciting opportunity and applying for it seemed a natural extension of my wound management experience. These include:. However, we provide services throughout Harrogate and the wider community. We accept referrals from healthcare professionals, who can refer via the single point of access service SPOA.

Site Search Search. Community Services We provide a range of community services in Harrogate and the local area as well as across North Yorkshire and Leeds. Our team of nurses have specialist knowledge, skills and experience in wound care and tissue viability. Tissue viability assessments can be made in a number of locations. This could be your own home or at a care home, clinic, GP surgery, community inpatient unit, prison or hospice.

We may also offer telephone advice. Our referrals come from healthcare professionals. This includes GPs, community nurses and therapists who are already involved in your care. By continuing to use the site, you are deemed to have accepted and agreed with this. The Tissue Viability Service is nurse led providing specialist advice and care to patients with, or at risk of, developing wounds.

This is achieved by the provision of specialist advice, training and equipment. The Service also provides education for patients and their carers via leaflets and publications as well as in person when assessing patients.