Quality Improvement SOARS with SWANs!
SWAN® Week 2026 is officially underway!
On Monday, September 14, SWANs, students, educators and members of the wound, ostomy and continence (WOC) community from across Canada joined us for our “Discover the SWAN Program” webinar, officially kicking off a week dedicated to celebrating Skin Wellness Associate Nurses and the important impact they are making across the healthcare system.
This year’s theme, “Quality Improvement SOARS with SWANs!”, recognizes the leadership, competency and day-to-day contributions of SWANs across care settings — and the important role they play in advancing quality improvement and supporting better care for patients, residents, clients and families.
NSWOCC President Bev Smith, RN, BScN, NSWOC shares a warm welcome to SWAN Week 2026:
From a New Idea to More Than 600 SWANs Across Canada
The kickoff webinar provided an opportunity to look back at how far the SWAN Program has come and where it is headed next.
Vida Johnston, SWAN Co-Lead Academic Advisor with the Wound, Ostomy and Continence Institute, shared the history and evolution of the program, which began development in 2018–2019 in response to the need for greater access to specialized WOC education for RPNs and LPNs.
The first SWAN cohort launched in 2020, and the program has continued to grow significantly since then.
Today, there are 623 SWANs across Canada, with another 103 students currently enrolled. Approximately 45% of SWANs work in long-term care, with SWANs also making an impact in community care, acute care, clinics, industry and other settings.
The 5.5-month, competency-based online program prepares nurses to provide evidence-informed care for stable and uncomplicated wound, ostomy and continence concerns while recognizing when more complex needs require consultation and collaboration with a NSWOC®.
The webinar also provided a look at another exciting step forward for the profession: work toward SWAN certification through the Canadian Nurses Association, anticipated for 2027. The proposed certification will be portfolio-based, recognizing continuing education, professional activities and the work nurses are undertaking within their SWAN roles.
Giving SWANs a Voice and Building a National Community
Sharon Hunter, SWAN Director on the NSWOCC Board of Directors, spoke about her role in representing the perspectives of SWANs and advocating for their continued growth and recognition.
She also reflected on how SWANs contribute to quality improvement at the point of care — working directly with patients, residents and clients, collaborating with interdisciplinary teams, educating and supporting colleagues, and helping ensure that care reflects the needs and goals of the individual.
Annemarie Larocque, SWAN Community of Practice Lead, also highlighted the important role of the SWAN Community of Practice in connecting SWANs from across the country.
Through regular meetings, the Community of Practice provides opportunities for SWANs to share experiences, seek guidance and mentorship, discuss clinical topics and products, problem-solve together and explore how the SWAN role is developing across long-term care, community, acute care and other settings.
Meet Alanna Howse: One SWAN’s Journey
One of the highlights of our kickoff was hearing from Alanna Howse, who shared her personal journey through the SWAN Program and what becoming a SWAN has meant for her nursing practice.
Alanna described completing the program as one of the most challenging and rewarding accomplishments of her nursing career.
During the approximately six months she spent completing the program, Alanna was also working full-time, supporting her son through a busy soccer schedule five to six days a week and moving homes — all while managing a significant academic workload.
Finding the time required determination. She studied after night shifts, worked on assignments late into the night and even turned the time spent waiting during her son’s soccer practices into opportunities to read and complete coursework.
There were moments when balancing everything was difficult, but Alanna remained committed to finishing what she had started.
And today, she is seeing the impact of that commitment in her everyday practice.
Since completing the program, Alanna has been able to share her wound care knowledge with her nursing colleagues, helping them better understand wound assessment and management, why wounds develop, factors that may delay healing and interventions that can contribute to improved outcomes.
She is also using that knowledge directly with her patients — helping them better understand their wounds, why they may have developed, what is happening throughout the healing process and what they can do to support their own healing.
For Alanna, becoming a SWAN has strengthened her confidence, supported her professional growth and deepened her passion for wound care.
Her journey is also a powerful example of what we mean when we say “Quality Improvement SOARS with SWANs!”
When a SWAN develops greater knowledge and confidence, that impact does not stop with one nurse. It can extend to colleagues through education and mentorship, to patients through greater understanding and engagement in their care, and ultimately to the broader healthcare team through stronger, evidence-informed WOC care.
Watch the Full SWAN Week Kickoff
Thank you to everyone who joined us from communities across Canada and helped make our kickoff such a great start to SWAN Week 2026.
If you weren’t able to join us live — or would like to watch the presentations again — watch the full “Discover the SWAN Program” webinar here:
And we’re only getting started!
Throughout SWAN Week, we’ll continue sharing stories, photos and messages recognizing the incredible work of SWANs and SWAN–NSWOC teams across the country.
We encourage SWANs to share how they’re celebrating, submit a photo proudly wearing their SWAN lab coat or merchandise, or recognize a SWAN or SWAN–NSWOC team making a difference in their organization or community.
Learn more and follow everything happening throughout SWAN Week 2026 at:
