This past weekend, I had the immense honor of presenting a poster at the 2025 WOCNext Annual Conference, held June 1–3. The experience was not only professionally enriching but deeply meaningful on a personal level. To be chosen to share our work on a national platform among such an esteemed community of colleagues was both a privilege and a moment of reflection on the journey that brought us here.
The poster, titled “CRCM® Unveiled: A Comprehensive Risk and Compliance Model for Pressure Injury Risk Assessment in Legal Nurse Consulting,” was co-authored with my husband and professional partner, Steven Shaffer. It emerged from our collaborative work in legal nurse consulting, specifically from my work as a wound expert in litigation settings with a structured, defensible framework for evaluating pressure injury risk. This work has been—and continues to be—one of the most satisfying and professionally fulfilling endeavors of my career.
To my great surprise and deep gratitude, our local regional group, the Mideast Chapter of the WOCN Society, awarded our poster with a poster award. I want to express my heartfelt thanks to the chapter for this recognition. Their support means the world to me and reaffirms the importance of bridging clinical excellence with legal clarity.
It’s not often that personal passion, professional expertise, and service to one’s field intersect so completely. Being able to contribute to the evolution of legal nurse consulting—while helping improve both patient safety and legal accountability—feels like a meaningful way to give back to the specialty that has shaped my career.
In an upcoming blog, I’ll share more about the findings from our work and the implications of the CRCM® model for both clinical and legal practice.
With gratitude,
Cynthia Sylvia, D NURS, MSc, MA, RN, CWCN
Wound Expert | Legal Nurse Consultant