Interested in becoming certified with the American Board of Wound Management (ABWM), but don’t yet meet the eligibility requirements? The Candidate Program is your first step.
Whether you’re working toward your required experience or just beginning your career in wound care, this program allows you to declare your intent, gain recognition, and stay on track for full certification.
You can apply to one of the following Candidate Programs:
Each Candidate Program corresponds to the full certification you plan to pursue once eligible.
You may be eligible for the Candidate Program if:
The Candidate Program is open to early-career professionals or career changers committed to a future in wound care.
Step 1: Choose Your Track
Decide whether you’re applying as a CWCA®, CWS®, or CWSP® Candidate, based on your intended certification goal.
Step 2: Prepare Your Application
You’ll need to submit:
Step 3: Submit Online
All applications must be submitted through our online portal, Certemy. You’ll receive confirmation once your application is reviewed and approved.
Use the following links to start your application in Certemy:
Upon approval, you will be able to schedule your examination at a local testing center for any time in the following 90 days, based on availability. Your three-month eligibility window will begin immediately upon application approval. Do not submit your application until you are prepared for your three-month eligibility window to begin. Window extensions will not be granted.
*Your Email Address to Use
It is preferable and strongly suggested that applicants use a personal email address, as opposed to a business email address. Corporate firewalls, policies, and spam filters may limit the email one receives at a business email address. Also, should your employment situation change in the future, your certification will stay linked to you via a personal email. (NOTE: Applicants can update their email address within the certification platform at any time, however a best practice is to start with a personal email address.)
*Verification Email
An initial verification email is sent from the certification platform to your email, and IT MAY GO TO YOUR PROMOTIONS OR SPAM FOLDER. Please check there if you start the process and do not receive a verification email. The email will come from “support@abwm.certemy.email” which you may wish to whitelist or add to your contacts prior to starting the application process.
Once your application to sit for the Candidate certification examination has been approved, you will receive an email notification directly from our testing company, Pearson VUE, within 3-5 business days. The notification will include information on how to schedule your exam.
Once you have received your approval notifications, you may schedule your exam for any time in the following 90 days, based on availability at your local testing center. Appointments are first come first serve, so please schedule as soon as possible after receiving your Pearson Vue authorization email. Applicants will not receive a refund and may have to apply for a new exam authorization with ABWM if exam changes are made within 48 hours of their appointment. Please note that a no show for a scheduled exam will result in the loss of application fees as we are charged for the open seat.
Upon completing the exam, a score report will be generated immediately. Applicants can also access score reports by logging in to their Pearson VUE accounts.
Once you’ve passed the Candidate certification exam, you’ll be officially recognized as an ABWM Candidate and may remain in the program for up to three years while gaining the necessary experience for full certification.
