COCN study guide
COCN · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Certified Ostomy Care Nurse (COCN) credential is a specialty nursing certification for clinicians whose practice centers on the person living with a fecal or urinary ostomy. Candidates are typically nurses who manage stomas, pouching systems, and peristomal skin in acute care, outpatient, home health, and long-term care settings, and who want their ostomy-specific expertise validated by an accredited certifying body rather than by employer competency checklists alone. The examination is built around the work ostomy nurses actually perform: assessing the stoma, the abdomen, and the surrounding skin; supporting patients through preoperative marking and education and through the postoperative phase, including complications; selecting and troubleshooting appliances and pouching systems; and addressing rehabilitation, sexuality, body image, diet, and psychosocial adjustment. Expect application-style items built on clinical scenarios rather than isolated recall of product names. The COCN study guide has 4 sections and about 1,069 words.
01Assessment and Patient Evaluation
Begin with the whole patient, then focus. Document stoma type (end, loop, double-barrel), location, shape, diameter measured at the base at rest, height, color, moisture, mucosal integrity, and the mucocutaneous junction.
314 words, about 2 min02Preoperative, Intraoperative, and Postoperative Ostomy Care
For elective surgery, the WOC nurse marks the stoma site: within the rectus abdominis, away from the umbilicus, belt line, creases, scars, bony prominences, and planned incision; assess lying, sitting, and standing; confirm the patient can see the mark. Preoperative education covers the procedure, expected stoma, appliances, sexual function and fertility, enhanced recovery, and support resources.
280 words, about 1 min03Ostomy Appliances, Pouching Systems, and Peristomal Skin Management
Know one- and two-piece systems, drainable, closed-end, and urostomy pouches, flat versus convex barriers, skin barrier rings, paste, powder, protectant film, belts, and adhesive removers. Choose based on stoma type, output, abdominal contour, skin, dexterity, and wear time.
248 words, about 1 min04Patient Education, Rehabilitation, and Psychosocial Considerations
Start with survival skills: emptying, changing the pouch, measuring, ordering supplies, and when to call. Use teach-back, short sessions, plain language, and the patient’s preferred learning style; involve family or caregivers as the patient wishes.
227 words, about 1 min