Determine your Eligibility. It is critical that you select the correct pathway for your specific situation. Failure to select the correct pathway will result in a full data loss and require you to restart your application from the beginning with the correct pathway. If you are not sure which application to complete, please view the Certification Eligibility Page.
Please note that applying for the Candidate program is not a prerequisite for applying for full Board certification. Both pathways require sitting for the exact same examination, the only difference is the experience requirement. For a complete definition of how ABWM defines three years of wound care experience, please click here. If you are still unsure about which pathway you are currently eligible for, please reach out to us at info@abwmcertified.org before proceeding with an application.
Once you have determined which certification you are eligible for, download and review the Applicant Handbook for the appropriate ABWM certification. Applicants for the CWCA® Candidate, CWS® Candidate and CWSP® Candidate program can also refer to the handbooks below.
If you wish to sit for an exam outside of the United States, please reach out to the ABWM via email at info@abwmcertified.org to pay the appropriate International Testing Fee. An additional fee is required based on your geographic location in the USA and Canada, or outside these countries.
Complete Your Application Online. Make sure you have correctly determined your eligibility under step 1. Do not apply until you are ready for your 90 day scheduling window to begin as outlined under step 3 and 4 below. Once you have determined which certification you would like to apply for under step 1, you can create an account via Certemy (ABWM uses the Certemy platform to administer our applications) and complete your application online. Applications in your online account will time out after a period of 1 year so please do not enroll in the application until you are ready to apply. Click on the relevant link below to get started.
Certification Applications (Applicants with 3+ Years of Wound Care Experience):
Candidate Program Applications (Applicants with 0-2 Years of Wound Care Experience):
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, Associates and Diplomates are able to change their email address within the certification platform, 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.
Wait For Your Application to be Approved. Once your application to sit for the 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.
Schedule Your Exam via Pearson VUE. 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.
Get your Exam Results. 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.
Create or log-in to your account and complete your application online. Click on the relevant link below to get started:
Candidates who fail to recertify 10 years after their initial certification will have their Associate or Diplomate status revoked, and will no longer be permitted to use their credential. For more information regarding recertification, please view the Renewal & Recertification Handbook.
Submit your application online.
Your application must be received a minimum of 15 business days prior to your desired exam date. 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.
Once your application to sit for the certification examination has been approved, you will receive an email notification directly from our testing company, Pearson VUE. 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. Candidates 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.
Upon completing the exam, a score report will be generated immediately. Candidates can also access score reports by logging in to their Pearson VUE accounts.
