Polly Whitaker, RN, CWON

Serves an expert Nurse III clinician for veterans with specialized wound, ostomy and complex skin care needs. Primary setting is acute care, in collaboration with 2 other team members provides cross coverage for all of the care settings at Mountain Home including the wound care clinc, Community Living Center, Primary Care, and Telehealth. Beyond direct patient consultations and follow up visits, provides patient/family and staff education, assists with policy and SOP development, product evaluation and resource management.

-Pressure injury prevention and management, early pressure injury interventions system wide contributes to a program that consistently maintains a rate below 0.04% well below the the national benchmark

- Accomplished wound care program receiving innovation awards twice for program excellence

-Member of the first and only Telewound service in VISN 9, consultative wound service available in 8 CBOCs through clinical video telehealth which increases access to care

Promoted growth of company wound care products in assigned territory, combined role of sales and clinical.

-Provided product education, training, and in-services on wound care devices and therapies.

-Provided bedside consults to clinicians with complex wound care patients and assisted with protocol development to optimize outcomes with KCI Wound VAC therapy and therapeutic bed surfaces

-Selected Field Sales Trainer fro Account Executives

Managed direct care of critically ill patients in medical, surgical, cardiothoracic and trauma adult intensive care units.

-Executed advances in nursing practice and technology to the bedside patient in a fast pace,dynamic, everchanging environment

-Obtained and maintained Critical Care Registered Nurse Certification (CCRN) through ANCC 1998-2004