Surgical Wound Care Institute
The Surgical Wound Care Institute was founded by Dr. Paul Ferraro, D.O., in an effort to combat the lack of proper wound care training in long-term care facilities.
The Institute offers the “Comprehensive Advanced Wound Care Certification Program,” a two-day intensive course that provides a thorough discussion of wound care.
Dr. Paul Ferraro, D.O.
Education:
• Doctorate: University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine
• Bachelor's: Southwest Missouri State University
• Internship and residency: Cuyahoga Falls General Hospital (now Western Reserve Hospital)
Current positions:
• Clinical assistant professor of surgery, Northeast Ohio Medical University
• Director of wound care, Select Specialty Hospital
• Medical Director at Summa Barberton Hospital Wound Care Center
Associations:
• American College of Osteopathic Surgeons
• American Osteopathic Association
• American Medical Association
Our background – leaders in holistic wound care
Dr. Ferraro is also the founder of Surgical Wound Care Services, Northeast Ohio's leader in holistic wound care. SWCS' team of dedicated wound specialists do weekly rounds at local nursing homes, providing expert care to patients suffering from wounds of all types.
By offering local oversight, surgical services, counseling for patients' families, and education for staff, SWCS stands out from the crowd of national wound care providers.
Dr. Ferraro's consulting services focus on developing cost-effective wound care management programs for long-term care facilities that bring genuine results to their patients.
The Surgical Wound Care Institute was birthed out of a desire to reach beyond SWCS' current logistical limits by educating nursing staff to carry SWCS' mission back to their facilities.
The Certification Program has the following units:
1. Welcome
2. Role Implementation
3. Integumentary System
4. Assessment and Documentation
5. Physiology of Wound Repair
6. Basic Dermatology
7. Pressure Ulcer Prevention
8. Pressure Ulcer Stages
9. Skin Lesions
10. Skin Tears
11. Nutrition Guidelines
12. Miscellaneous Wound and Skin Conditions
13. Management of Infection
14. Lower Extremity Ulcers
15. Neuropathic Foot Ulcers
16. Burns
17. Factors Affecting Wound Healing
18. Adjunctive Treatment Modalities
19. Wound Care Dressing Selection
20. Managing Tubes and Drains
21. Legal, Ethical, and Reimbursement Issues
22. Debridement
23. Post Test and Evaluations
Taking this course will give nursing staff the training needed to provide holistic, effective healing to patients with wounds of any type.
By learning to prevent many wounds in the first place, and by healing preexistent wounds more quickly, nursing staff will set themselves apart as specialists, and the facilities that employ them will reduce costs and legal risks.
Dr. Paul Ferraro, D.O.
Dr. Paul Ferraro is a board-certified general surgeon with over 15 years of experience. Before becoming a surgeon, he served 10 years as an infantry sergeant and special forces medic.
His interest in wound care stemmed from a desire to follow through with his patients' well-being all the way from surgery through long-term care.
Through his work with Surgical Wound Care Services and the Surgical Wound Care Institute, Dr. Ferraro's mission is to transform wound care management within long-term care facilities.
By developing management programs that are cost-effective for facilities, he seeks to enable facilities to offer the best possible care to their patients.
McKenzie Christie, MSN, FNP-C
Certified Nurse Practitioner
McKenzie has been a Nurse Practitioner with SWCS since December 2016. She received her Bachelors of Science in Nursing from Kent State University in 2012. Previously, she worked as a registered nurse at Cleveland Clinic Main Campus in the Heart Failure ICU and St. Thomas Summa Wound Care Center. McKenzie graduated from Malone University's Master of Science program as a Family Nurse Practitioner. She is a member of the Ohio Association of Advanced Practice Nurses and the American Association of Nurse Practitioners. When not at work, McKenzie enjoys spending time with her husband and family.
Emonica J. Faison
MSN, ANP-BC
Emonica J. Faison joined SWCS in June 2017. She graduated from Kent State University's Master of Science Program as a Adult Nurse Practitioner in 2013. Prior Nurse Practitioner's experience in the Primary care/Community setting. Registered Nursing background in critical care & travel nursing. Member of the Ohio Association of Advanced Practice Nurses & the American Association of Nurse Practitioners. Prior exposure to chronic wounds started at the beginning of her nursing career over 12 years ago and was intrigued by the overall healing process from initial presentation to complete closure. Outside of working, Emonica like to explore trails at national parks & travel with her 5 year old collie-shepherd mix pup.
Althea Premraj
MSN, RN, ACNS-BC, CWOCN
Althea was born, raised, educated and spent most of her life in India. She is married with two daughters, both are nurses, married and have kids. Althea served in the Indian Military Nursing Services for about 15 years, traveled all over India. She has been a nurse for over 35 years and has loved each moment of the profession. Coming to this country opened up a lot of opportunities for her, not only for work but education as well. Althea got interested in wounds while working and saw a window of opportunity for career growth. She went back to school, working full time, graduated with BSN from Indiana Wesleyan University, so she could get into the Wound Ostomy Continence School, which required BSN. She completed WOCN certification and continued to obtain MSN and completion of APRN. Finally, after a very long struggle juggling between work, school and being a grandmother, Althea graduated with MSN from Kent State University. She obtained her CNS (Clinical Nurse Specialist) certification. She joined SWCS with Dr. Ferraro in January 2016. Her specialty as an APRN is Adult Gerontology and her passion is wound ostomy care. Althea loves to see the wound heal and help patients in their time of need with ostomy care.