Introduction: After limb salvage procedures, patients often have complex and severe wounds that require vascular team members to work cohesively and across disciplines, sharing decisions with patients and their families. The nursing team need a high level of capability in wound assessment and management to deliver individualised, person-centred care. The required skills are both technical and non-technical and develop as nurses engage in modes of learning that transition them from novice to expert. Aim: To overview the technical and non-technical skills required to assess and manage patients with complex wounds and the modes of learning to build capability. Findings: Technical skills include holistic patient assessment and procedural skills in wound management, including skin and nail care, positioning, pressure offloading, pain management (pharmacological and non-pharmacological), wound hygiene (cleansing and debridement), dressing selection and retention (aseptic technique), and the application of therapeutic compression. Non-technical skills refer to the cognitive and interpersonal abilities that enhance safety and complement technical skills. These include situation awareness (gathering information, recognising and understanding, and anticipating and thinking ahead), decision-making (identifying possible options, assessing risks and selecting options, re-evaluating), task management (prioritising, planning and preparing, identifying and utilising resources, maintaining standards and levels of quality) and teamwork (exchanging information, assessing roles and capabilities, co-ordinating activities, displaying authority and assertiveness, supporting other team members). The non-technical elements are employed throughout the planning and provision of wound care. Conclusions: Vascular nurses need to high-level technical and non-technical skills to optimise patient outcomes and experience. Novice vascular nurses benefit from mentorship and opportunities for experiential learning that arise from working alongside experienced nurses. Nurses need to engage in modes of learning that develop their capabilities and activities that ensure their well-being. Skilled, empathetic clinicians who listen and understand patients' needs and preferences must also have enough time to deliver quality care. With the current nursing shortage and in a climate of cost savings and service redesign, organisations need to look carefully at models of care to ensure that patients and families have contact with the right clinicians at the right time to receive the right care.