Thomas Edison took on many challenges in his day.
One of his more famous quotations had to do with the value of being prepared before taking on a test such as a new invention.
"We should remember that good fortune often happens when opportunity meets with preparation," Edison said.
For nurses today, one of the biggest challenges to prepare for is caring for an increasing number of patients with chronic wounds, which can include diabetic foot ulcers, pressure ulcers and venous leg ulcers. In fact, an estimated 67 million people around the world are suffering with chronic wounds, making access to a wound care specialist of utmost importance to these patients. To prepare nurses for the 100 million wounds that occur with your patients each year, Nurse.com is now offering Relias PrepSmart to grow the next generation of wound care experts by providing a strong knowledge base and the credentials to back up those new wound care skills.
What is PrepSmart?
Simply put, PrepSmart is an interactive, online tool for skin and wound management education that helps each nurse who wants to become a wound care specialist prepare for a certification exam efficiently and effectively. PrepSmart features a robust group of learning tools, such as flashcards, multiple learning games and full-length, timed practice exams to get tomorrow's wound care experts ready for success today. Becoming a wound care specialist is not easy, but having plenty of learning options helps. One of the most valuable tools in the PrepSmart toolbox is the quizzes and tests that let nurses to practice as many times as they would like in a comfortable environment to get ready for certification exam day.
How to get started
The first thing learners will see in PrepSmart is a vibrant dashboard with everything at your fingertips, including:
- A countdown to your exam date
- A progress bar showing your completion percentage for the course
- Daily knowledge goals
- Performance updates, showing your percentile rank among other learners and average scores on practice questions and tests
- A scoreboard of seven different learning games, listing your high scores
Study at your pace
Everyone's work schedules and lifestyles move at a different pace. So why shouldn't your learning opportunities adapt to that pace? With PrepSmart, learning is customizable and set to your specifications based on the time you have to spend training to become a wound care specialist each day. When you're ready for a lesson, PrepSmart is ready. This feature helps learners like you stay engaged to retain the lessons you're practicing every day. PrepSmart is also mobile friendly, which helps you study on the go.
Course breakdown
The skin and wound management course is presented in 13 different learning sections and provides a vast array of wound care lessons. Nurses will learn about topics such as:
- Wound assessment
- Wound healing
- Wound bed preparation
- Pressure ulcers
- Acute wounds
- Topical wound management
The course discusses evidence-based practice that can make you a valued member of an interdisciplinary wound care team. "The credentials are important to me because it means that I've earned the respect of my peers and the physicians (at my facility)," said WCEI alumnus Judy Gallien, LPN, WCC, CWCA, OMS, who added that the certification has led to a better salary at her job. To learn how you can get started on your journey to wound care certification -- and how it can benefit patients and your career -- check out our website for more details at WCEI.net/courses/PrepSmart. 
