Tag Archive for: ostomy nurse scholarship

MY JOURNEY TO BECOMING A CERTIFIED OSTOMY NURSE

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UOAA is excited to announce that the 2025 recipient of the Educational Award for Ostomy Nurse Certification is Erin Young from California!

Below Erin shares a little bit about herself and her motivation to become a certified ostomy nurse.

I am incredibly grateful to have been awarded a scholarship to support my ostomy certification education. This generous gift eases the financial aspect of continuing my education, but more importantly, it serves as a reminder of the encouragement and belief others have in my journey. Having this investment enables me to give back in meaningful ways to the ostomate community and inspires me to keep moving forward with purpose.

I have wanted to be a nurse for as long as I can remember. My dream began in kindergarten and has guided me ever since. I started my healthcare journey as a Certified Nursing Assistant while attending nursing school. For the past six years, I have been fortunate to work in diverse areas like telemetry, oncology, intermediate care, and a GI clinic. Each role has helped me grow as a nurse, teaching me new skills, deepening my compassion, and showing me how healthcare can change lives.

I want to support the ostomate community not just with clinical expertise, but also with empathy rooted in shared experience.

Becoming a certified ostomy nurse is more than just a career goal for me, but is something that feels deeply personal. Seven years ago, I received a life-changing medical diagnosis that sent me down an unexpected road. I underwent a total colectomy and ultimately chose to have a j-pouch. Several years later, I became a member of the ostomate community when I had surgery for an ileostomy. This profound experience has been transformative in ways I never could have imagined. Surgery restored my health, but it also introduced me to the physical and emotional challenges that come with adjusting to living with an ostomy. I’ve learned firsthand what it feels like to navigate those vulnerable, overwhelming moments, and I know how meaningful it is to connect with someone who truly understands.

Pursuing certification as an ostomy nurse feels like a calling. I want to support the ostomate community not just with clinical expertise, but also with empathy rooted in shared experience. Saying “I’ve been there too” builds trust and comfort that textbooks can’t teach. Every day, I bring that understanding to the bedside. My goal is to give back to the community that supported me and to be the nurse I leaned on after surgery. I want my patients to feel seen, heard, and never alone. Every patient deserves this.

Becoming a certified ostomy nurse is not just a career move, it’s a calling that is the culmination of my lived experience and the start of a purposeful contribution to a field that changed my life. I see it as a way to advance my career and make a meaningful difference for patients facing an isolating experience. I’m ready to give back, to lead with compassion, and to help others not just survive, but thrive with an ostomy. This journey honors my past, embraces my present, and dedicates my future to caring for others living with ostomies.

Congratulations, Erin!

The next scholarship application will open, pending funding availability, in January 2026 and closes on June 30, 2026. 

 

Find an Ostomy Nurse

PROUD ACCEPTANCE OF THE 2024 UOAA OSTOMY NURSE SCHOLARSHIP

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UOAA is excited to announce that the 2024 recipient of the Educational Award for Ostomy Nurse Certification is Jessica Biggs from Arkansas!

Below a grateful and proud Jessica shares a little bit about herself and her motivation to become a certified ostomy nurse.

I am thrilled to have been awarded the 2024 UOAA Scholarship, which will support my journey towards becoming a certified ostomy nurse. As a Registered Nurse with four years of specialized experience caring for individuals with ostomies at Washington Regional Medical Center General Surgery Clinic since 2021, this scholarship represents not just an opportunity for me to advance my education, but also a step toward enhancing the quality of care for my patients.

I received my Associate of Science in Nursing at North Arkansas Community College in 2016 and recently graduated with my Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) from Western Governors University in 2024. During my BSN program, I was honored to be awarded the Capstone Certificate of Excellence for my comprehensive healthcare change proposal, which included the development and initiation of an outpatient ostomy clinic at my current place of employment.

The journey from general nursing to specializing in ostomy care has been driven by a profound desire to fill a critical gap in healthcare services in Northwest Arkansas and to provide compassionate, expert care to a community that desperately needs it. Northwest Arkansas, with its dense population, currently lacks sufficient outpatient ostomy care services. This unmet need has driven me to work tirelessly towards the establishment of a dedicated ostomy clinic.

Throughout my career, I have had the privilege of working closely with patients navigating the complexities of life with an ostomy. These individuals face unique challenges, from managing their physical health to dealing with the emotional aspects of their condition. Ostomies, though medically necessary for many, can often lead to feelings of fear and confusion. As a nurse, my role extends beyond just providing medical assistance; I strive to be a source of emotional support and education, empowering my patients to regain their confidence and independence.

By becoming certified through the Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nursing Certification Board (WOCNCB), I will be equipped with the specialized knowledge and skills necessary to provide expert care and education to my patients. UOAA is enabling me to pursue this further education and specialized training in ostomy nursing. This advanced knowledge is essential for providing patients with evidence-based gold standards of care that addresses both their physical and emotional needs. I’m excited to have been accepted into the WEB WOC ostomy single scope program and start in the 2024 Fall semester.

As I embark on this next chapter of my professional journey, I am deeply committed to making a lasting impact on the lives of individuals with ostomies. Every day, I witness the resilience and strength of my patients, and I am inspired by their stories. They remind me of the importance of compassion and understanding in nursing care. It is not just about treating a condition; it is about treating the whole person and supporting them through their unique challenges. I believe that every patient deserves access to high-quality, compassionate care, and I am dedicated to making this a reality for the ostomy community in Northwest Arkansas.

In conclusion, receiving the 2024 UOAA Educational Award for Ostomy Nurse Certification aligns seamlessly with my passion for enhancing patient care and advancing the field of ostomy nursing. Thank you to UOAA for believing in my vision and for investing in the future of ostomy care!

Congratulations, Jessica!

The next scholarship application will open, pending funding availability, in January 2025 and closes on June 30, 2025. 

If you’d like to help UOAA continue this in 2025, please consider making a donation to the Ostomy Nurse Scholarship Fund online, please complete the Donate Form, and at the bottom under the ”Additional Comments” section, please note “Ostomy Nurse Scholarship Fund”. You can also send a check made payable to UOAA, in the memo line include the Fund name, and mail to PO Box 2293, Biddeford, ME  04005-2293.

A Future Certified Ostomy Nurse in the Making

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In an effort to contribute to a solution on narrowing that large gap between the patients who need a certified ostomy nurse and the number of available certified ostomy nurses, United Ostomy Associations of America, Inc. is sponsoring a scholarship award. More nurses specialized in ostomy care will lead to improved ostomy care in the United States.

Thanks to the ongoing generosity of the ostomy community donating to the scholarship fund, UOAA can provide this annual award in the amount of $3000. UOAA is excited to announce that the 2022 recipient of the Educational Award for Ostomy Nurse Certification is Jessica Peters from Maryland!

Below a grateful and honored Jessica shares a little bit about herself and her motivation to become a certified ostomy nurse.

I have worked as a surgical nurse at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center (JHBMC) since graduating with my Associate degree from Community College of Baltimore County, in Maryland in 2008. In 2020 I received my Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from Chamberlain University. Now an Advancement in Clinical Excellence (ACE) nurse, and a permanent charge nurse, I strive for the best patient outcomes.

In 2021 I received the Johns Hopkins school of nursing’s “Jarvis Star Nurse Award” for outstanding clinical excellence in nursing. In 2022 I humbly accepted the “Nurse of the Year” award from my hospital, JHBMC.

I contribute to both hospital and unit councils and committees, and my passions include mobility, safe patient handling equipment, ostomy, wound education, Comprehensive Unit-based Safety Program (CUSP), and fall prevention.

My motivation and excitement to become a certified ostomy nurse come from the experiences and knowledge I’ve attained working in the surgical unit for 13 years at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center. Working in General surgery, you see many medical diagnoses and care for the patients following various surgical procedures. Colorectal and continent diversion surgeries are common in our unit, and I’ve noticed that patients, particularly receiving ostomy care and education, are unique and have many challenges to overcome. It takes extraordinary compassion to care for a patient having this surgery. I believe an ostomate is on a journey, and I’ve always wanted to be there on their journey, making sure every step is taken with care and consideration.

At the end of 2020, my passion for ostomy care evolved when I started the JHBMC’s first-ever “unit-based” ostomy committee. The committee meets monthly and has an organized agenda for discussion. The diverse group includes the unit staff, case manager, dietitian, surgeons, and Wound Ostomy Continence nurses from inpatient and outpatient healthcare teams. Our streamlined approach relies on communicating about the ostomate throughout the transitions of care. We also share best practices as a group and have created tools to make educating the patient as unambiguous as possible.  With the committee’s support, I created a spreadsheet to audit for proper orders and tasks required during the hospital stay and a step-by-step bedside checklist to ensure all ostomy tasks and teaching are completed before discharge. We have achieved much as a committee but most profoundly, we have the data to show our ostomy best practices, and comprehensive education model resulted in zero hospital readmissions from 2021-2022!

I plan to contribute to the field by sharing the insight and best practices I’ve gained from the committee at my hospital. I have the most incredible Wound Ostomy Continence nurse mentor and plan to receive my certification through the WEB WOC Nursing Education Program.

The past two years have been exciting, and it’s been a privilege to have a career that I love. My ultimate goal is to have the best skills and knowledge in ostomy care and to serve my hospital and community independently as a certified ostomy nurse. I look forward to advancing my career and can’t wait to continue this journey.

Congratulations, Jessica!

The next scholarship application will be available in January 2023 and closes on June 30, 2023. 

If you’d like to donate to the Ostomy Nurse Scholarship Fund online, please complete the Donate Form, and at the bottom under the ”Additional Comments” section, please note “Ostomy Nurse Scholarship Fund”. You can also send a check made payable to UOAA, in the memo line include the Fund name, and mail to PO Box 525, Kennebunk, ME  04043.