ABWM Remains the Standard of Excellence in Wound Certification

The American Board of Wound Management (ABWM) is the only multidisciplinary wound care certification accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA), and while others have sought to position their organizations and certifications as preeminent, none have duplicated the standard of excellence offered by ABWM.

Facts Matter:

“The public can be confident in the fact that all ABWM diplomates have passed a statistically sound, evidence-based examination created by a multidisciplinary team of experts in the field of wound management.”

– Ed Mahoney, DPT, CWS®, ABWM Exam Chair

• ABWM established the original multidisciplinary wound certification in 1995.
• ABWM utilizes an interdisciplinary team approach to its exam development and ensures that all exams go through a three-round psychometric review process.
• The ABWM board of directors includes a public member specifically to ensure the best interests of the general public.

“In today’s health care environment, I want to be sure that those caring for me and my loved ones have certification that upholds rigorous standards and rigorous verification through examination.”

– Russell B. Melchert, PhD, RPh ABWM Public Member

Ethics Matter:

“Our certifications are only given as a result of rigorous and psychometrically valid testing, not as a ‘grandfathering’ offering.”

– Gayle Lindsey, PT, MHSM, MBA, CWS®, ABWM President

• ABWM does not participate in — and condemns the practice of — certification grandfathering.
• ABWM is a stand-alone certification board and does not offer any type of review process or course, because doing so would be a conflict of interest.
• To maintain the validity of the exams, ABWM board members are prohibited from serving on other wound care certification boards or participating in the development of wound care exam prep or review courses. •
• Since ABWM has no way to determine whether other organizations’ exam content is equivalent, our policy is to not provide reciprocity. Doing so would violate our NCCA accreditation.

Excellence Matters:

“ABWM is among an elite group of organizations and programs that meet the rigorous standards of the NCCA.”

– Christopher M. Murphy, ABWM Executive Director

• ABWM’s certification programs are accredited by the NCCA, which means that they have met the national credentialing industry’s standard of excellence for certification development, implementation, and maintenance.
• ABWM requires all exam applicants to have at least three years of clinical wound care experience or to have completed a credentialed one-year residency in wound care.
• Not all wound care providers are created equal. Only those who pass a rigorous examination earn the privilege of ABWM certification. Competition nurtures a healthy marketplace, and ABWM has no qualms about competing with other wound care certification programs. What ABWM vigorously objects to is any dilution of wound care certification quality or validity, because we take public health and wound care consumers’ trust seriously. ABWM sets the certification standard high and will always strive for excellence in wound certification.