NAWCO®, the National Alliance of Wound Care and Ostomy, announced on May 10th, 2019 that their Wound Care Certified WCC® certification received national NCCA® accreditation.
The NCCA®, the National Commission for Certifying Agencies, independently reviewed the WCC® certification and determined that the material covered in the exam and the eligibility requirements met the program standards for accreditation. NCCA® accreditations are valid for 5 years. The WCC® certification was formerly accredited until 2013. This re-accreditation is huge news for the National Alliance of Wound Care and Ostomy and healthcare professionals pursuing wound care certification.
WCC® Magnet Recognition
The WCC® Wound Care Certified certification is also part of the ANCC® American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Magnet Recognition Program. Magnet Recognition certification data is used by the Demographic Data Collection Tool (DDCT) to help measure improvement goals for professional certification. Magnet Recognition is the most prestigious ANCC® distinction a health care organization can receive.
Healthcare professionals who can pursue the WCC® Certification include:
- Registered Nurses
- Licensed Practical/Vocational Nurses
- Nurse Practitioners
- Physical Therapists
- Physical Therapist Assistants
- Occupational Therapists
- Occupational Therapy Assistants
- Podiatrists
- Physicians
- Physician Assistants
In addition to having an active, unrestricted license, Wound Care Certified Candidates must also meet the experience and educational requirements to become WCC® certified.
WCC® Educational Requirements
The educational requirement for WCC® certification includes graduating from a wound care school that meets the criteria established by the certification committee. All of WoundEducators.com online wound certification courses meet the educational requirement for WCC® certification. (The 23-hour Introduction to Evidence-Based Wound Management course cannot be used to meet this requirement)
The education requirement is waived if the applicant is already wound care certified with one of the following wound care certifications:
- CWCN® Certified Wound Care Nurse (WOCNCB)
- CWON® Certified Wound Ostomy Nurse (WOCNCB)
- CWOCN® Certified Wound Ostomy Continence Nurse (WOCNCB)
- CWS® Certified Wound Specialist (ABWM)
WCC® Experience Requirements
Experience for WCC® certification counts as either:
- Two years of full-time wound management work, or
- Four years of part-time work (must be at least 20 hours per week)
WCC® Preceptor Option
If the candidate meets one of the educational requirements but does not have the required experience, they can choose to undergo a 120-hour hands-on clinical training with an approved NAWCO® preceptor.
Other NCCA® accredited wound care certifications include:
- ABWM®’s CWCA® Certified Wound Care Associate, CWS® Certified Wound Specialist, andCWSP® Certified Wound Specialist Physician certifications.
- The WOCNCB®’s NCCA® accredited certifications include the CWOCN® Certified Wound Ostomy Continence Nurse, CWON® Certified Wound Ostomy Nurse, CWCN® Certified Wound Care Nurse, CCCN® Certified Continence Care Nurse, and CFCN® Certified Foot Care Nurse.
About the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA®)
The NCCA Standards were created in 1977 and updated in 2016 to ensure certification programs followed modern industry standards of practice.
If you are interested in becoming WCC® Wound Care Certified, start with a WoundEducators.com online course to meet the educational requirement!
Is it still true that an LVN can become certified as long as they have an associates degree?
LVNs with or without an associate’s can become WCC certified. (You would still need to meet their minimum requirements for education and experience.)
i would like education in ma dreams sins death ma parent i didn get better life
20yrs as home health Rn doing varies types of wound management and teaching
Sherry, if you have 20 years experience, you should be able to become WCC and CWS certified!
I have 3 years working at wound care center, what are the steps for me to get wcc wcs and also need Ostomy since I do a lot of ostomy care at my other job.
John, if you have three years experience, you can apply for your CWS through the ABWM and your WCC through NAWCO. Visit abwmcertified.org to get started on the application for the CWS and visit https://www.nawccb.org to get started on the WCC. You will need to submit the complete packet prior to being approved to take the test. The WCC also requires you to have an educational component met, which you can do through one of our courses.
Best of luck!
I am currently an LPN with 1.5 years wound care and ostomy experience. What would be the best route for me to take to become Wound care certified?
Thank you for your interest in becoming wound care certified! If you can prove you have three years of consecutive experience, you can take your CWCA exam. If you do not have three years experience, you can elect to take the WCC exam. Our LPN course will serve as the educational requirement to sit for the WCC exam. Both are accredited certifications.
Best of luck!