A shared community-based practice: an alternative model for WOC nursing practice.

Abstract

In the past, as the populations in many communities have grown, WOC nurses have been hired for each of the major health care facilities located in that community. However health care restructuring has caused many local hospitals to reevaluate their use of specialty practice nurses, including ET/WOC specialists. In response to this trend, a shared community practice model was established that has allowed each agency to make use of ET nursing service on an "as needed" basis, while maintaining daily accessibility to this important resource person. This article describes the evolution and growth of this practice model during the past two decades of intense reform in health care delivery.