Overcoming Tradition: Teaching Wound Management into the Twenty-First Century

Wound management has been an integral part of nursing practice for the past century. However, the expectations associated with wound management within nursing have altered significantly in the past twenty years. These changes have not always been reflected in the curricula of undergraduate nursing programs. This paper provides an overview of the changes in wound management within nursing practice from the mid nineteenth century and identifies what aspects have undergone change and why such changes have not always been taught to nursing students. We then outline how wound management has been incorporated into the undergraduate nursing curriculum at Central Queensland University using curriculum mapping.