The CWCA® certification is offered by the American Board of Wound Management ABWM®. The CWCA® Certified Wound Care Associate is an accredited wound care certification that is valid for ten years.
CWCA® Certification Information
- 68.6% Passing rate
- $375 Exam application fee
- 120 Questions
- Offered by the ABWM®
- Nationally accredited
- Passing score = 72/100
- Ten year certification
- Requires annual renewal ($150)
- MA, CNA, LPN, LVN, Sales professionals can be eligible
Who is eligible for CWCA® Wound Certification?
LPNs, LVNs, CNAs, MAs, and PTAs can become CWCA® certified. All certified healthcare assistants, healthcare administrators, dietitians, sales and marketing professionals, and academic researchers can also become CWCA® certified. Many associate RNs, prior to the ABWM’s 2019 CWS® changes, are also CWCA® certified.
Prepare for the CWCA® Exam with WoundEducators.com
Because the CWCA® has a 68.6% passing rate, we recommend preparing fully before taking your exam. WoundEducators online wound care courses cover all important wound care topics found in the CWCA® exam. Don’t let your hard work and money be wasted – let us help you pass your CWCA® exam! Our courses cover every aspect of wound care management and include flashcards, CWCA® study guides, and more.
CWCA® Certification Exam Information & Cost
The CWCA® exam cost is $375. The exam is 120 questions with 20 questions being ungraded. You have up to 2.5 hours to take the exam. The minimum passing score for the CWCA® wound certification exam is 72% or higher. The CWCA® re-testing fee is the same as the initial test cost.
How to Apply For the CWCA® Exam
Follow these simple steps to apply for the CWCA® exam.
- Download and review the Certified Wound Care Associate (CWCA®) Candidate Handbook
- Create an account and complete your application online.
- Apply for the CWCA® 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.
- Upon completing the exam, a score report will be generated immediately.
Additional CWCA® Certified Wound Care Associate Professional Requirements
To become CWCA® certified, you must have at least three years of wound-related experience. The three years of experience do not need to be consecutive. If you can prove you have had three years of combined experience throughout the course of your career, you can become CWCA® certified. Other requirements include having an active and unrestricted license (if applicable). You must submit proof of your experience and your license to the ABWM® to get approval to take the exam.
What Should You Do If You Not Have Enough Professional Experience to Become CWCA® Certified?
If you do not meet the minimum requirement for experience, you can begin your expertise by taking our certification prep course, and using your certificate of completion to leverage more hands-on job experience. Your course completion certificate will show your employer that you have successfully completed an advanced wound management course. Taking initiative on your own and proving your knowledge beforehand can help you to get more wound care experience on the job.
New ABWM® CWCA® Candidate Program Option
In recent years, the ABWM® has also created a CWCA® Candidate option for Certification, created for those that have less than three years of wound care experience. The CWCA Candidate program corresponds to the full certification once eligible. The goal of the Candidate pathway is to provide healthcare professionals with another unique option to stay on-track to becoming fully certified once their remaining experience requirement is met.
A Candidate is still required to sit for the exam and maintain a full, unrestricted and active license. The testing fee for a Candidate application is the same as the Certification application since it is transferrable once the experience requirements are accomplished.
Other ABWM® Wound Care Certifications
To learn more about the ABWM® and all certifications offered by the ABWM®, visit our wound care certification information page. If you need more information on which certification is right for you, contact us! We love to help our students and future students become certified and find wound management jobs after certification.