Wound care certification cost can be described in two different ways – one which only considers the cost of the actual certification exam, and one which considers the overall wound care certification cost from start to finish. Most wound care certification exams cost between $300-$575. On the other hand, wound care certification courses can range widely both in cost and in CE/CME hours provided. In addition to paying your exam fee, some wound care certifications also require you to have previously completed an accredited wound care course. Below we break down the cost of common wound care certification exams and overall cost when paired with one of our courses.
Cost of NAWCO Wound Care Certification Exams
To take your WCC exam, there is a $30 application fee and a $300 exam cost. The WCC is an accredited certification. The WCC exam is administered by NAWCO, the National Alliance of Wound Care & Ostomy. You can use any of our wound care certification courses to prepare for the WCC exam.
WOCNB Certification Offerings
The WOCNCB exams and certifications are accredited certifications and are also competitively priced; the initial exam will cost $395, which covers the exam and application. Once you pass the exam, the certification is valid for five years. Besides being nationally accredited, another benefit of the WOCN certification is that there is no annual renewal fee within that five-year term.
The WOCNCB offers multiple certifications:
- Foot Care Certification
- Wound, Ostomy, and Certification
- Wound Treatment Associate
- Advanced Practice Wound Certification
- CWCN (most common)
If you are a go-getter, the WOCNCB also offers discounts when taking more than one certification exam at a time, with this application fee structure:
- Two Certification Specialties – $510 fee
- Three Specialties -$610 fee
- Four Specialties – $670 fee
The Wound Treatment Associate Exam offered by the WCONCB is $295. The WTA is not an accredited certification. The WTA exam must be taken by an LPN, LVN, or RN. Although the WTA is a less common path, it is still worth mentioning. In order to get your WTA-C credentials, you must complete 16 hours of clinical care under the direct supervision of a WOCNCB Certified Wound Care Nurse.
AWBM Wound Care Certification Cost
The AWBM also has a similar wound care certification cost. The cost to take their exams is:
- CWCA-$375
- CWS-$575
- CWSP-$995
Our wound care certification courses are widely used and extremely successful when used for preparing for the AWBM certifications. The ABWM certification is valid for ten years, however, there is a yearly 6 hour CE requirements and a $150 yearly registration fee.
Courses with an Until-You-Pass Guarantee
Many healthcare professionals take our wound care certification courses to prepare for the wound certification exam. We offer an “until-you-pass” guarantee, which will give you course access until you successfully receive your certification (provided it is within 3 years of registration).
Wound Care Certification Cost: Courses
WoundEducators.com aims to keep its wound care certification cost for courses affordable for all healthcare professionals. The (WCEI) Wound Care Education Institute’s cost for their online Skin and Wound Management Course is currently $2,797 for 22.75 CE hours. Our accredited online wound care certification courses are just $797 for RNs, LPNs, LVNs, CNAs, and medical salespersons. Our wound care certification courses for Physicians, Occupational Therapists, BSNs’, Nurse Practitioners, and Physician Assistants are just $897. Courses are approved for 50-60 CE/CME hours and all course materials and shipping are included.
Look Out for Non-Accredited Certifications
Vohra is an example of a non-accredited wound care certification. Vohra’s full certification course with CE credits currently cost $410. This course may provide you with useful wound care knowledge, but you will need additional coursework if you plan on registering to take the WCC, CWCN, CWCA, CWS, or CWSP certification exams. While these courses still offer continuing education hours, they cannot be used to meet the education required for most accredited wound care certification exams. Their purpose is for accelerating wound care practices and professional knowledge.
Comprehensive Wound Care Certification Cost
The complete wound care certification cost combined with one of our preparation courses is very cost-effective for any certification you choose. Although the certifications listed above all require you to have a certain amount of clinical experience, knowing the cost will allow you to make better decisions about your future career path. By breaking down wound care certification cost, we want to make sure that you have no surprise costs and can budget appropriately when trying to achieve certification.
Thank you for sharing your valuable information. I am a new NP who would like to become proficient in Wound Care as well as to become certified.
Can you tell me what the total cost for all for test along with exam for all 4 tests, please? We are getting a grant together to plan on the courses, exams, and all items to study for all 4 test.
Thanks,
Kimberly Handlin-Rowell, RN, BSN, MSOH
khandlin@amcks.org or k_pebbles76@yahoo.com
Kimberly, refer to the chart: https://woundeducators.com/wound-care-certification-cost/
The cost of the test is the exam fee. The courses range from $797 to $897. If you took the course once, you can use it for all the tests you qualify for. There are annual renewal fees for a few of the tests, which are also listed in the chart. If you still need more information or want to discuss a group rate, please email karen@woundeducators.com
Note that the WOCNCB experiential path also requires 1600 wound care clinical hours experience over the 5 years preceding the exam including 375 hours in the year before the exam.
Thanks Irene, view detailed information on the WOCNB wound care certification exam eligibility requirements.
Hello my name is Francisca Sharp, I am an RN for more then 9 years and CDE for 4 months. I work in a community clinic and have been working doing wound care for about 5 years,’My goal is to take classes on line and get certified. What do I need to do?
Thank you
Francisca, if you have 3 years of cumulative wound care experience, we recommend pursuing the accredited CWCA certification offered by the ABWM. Our RN course can help prepare you with the knowledge you need to pass the CWCA exam. All certification exams will be done in-person at an independent testing center. You must submit proof of your current license and wound care experience to the ABWM to get approval to take the exam. Once approved, you have a 6-month window to schedule & take the exam at an approved PSI testing center.
Our RN wound care course can be found here: https://woundeducators.com/wound-care-certification-courses/rn/
Can a physical therapist become wound certified and also ostomy certified in the state of texas? Is this standard of practice for physical therapist?
I’m interested in this but have just a little wound care experience years ago. I read above that to be certified you also need years of wound care experience, so it seems that taking this course and passing a test would not be enough to be certified? My thought was this would help me find a job after a long hiatus to raise a family, but it doesn’t seem feasible without the wound care hours. Please advise?
Gretchen,
You can always try to pursue your WCC first if you are concerned with your years of experience. Also note that as long as you can prove you have had three or more years of combined experience, you may have enough. For certifications requiring 3 or more years of wound care experience (like the ABWM certifications), there is also a 1-year fellowship option.
Recommendations on getting more experience –
After completion of our course, you obtain the certificate of completion. You can then let your employer know that you completed the 50 hour wound care course and obtain the experience needed to take the exam. Once you have the required experience, we will allow you re-access to the course so that you can study for the certification exam. If you have any additional questions, please contact us.
Hello, my name is Marinela and I am interested in getting certified. I am a BSN nurse and have been working in a hospital for 4 and a half years. We get patients with different wounds.
I need a little clarification when you note “wound care experience”. When I admit the patient in the hospital, I assess the wound, clean it, dress it, document it and place a wound consult in the system for the specialized wound care nurse to see the pt. Based on wound care nurse directions such as appropriate medication to apply, special dressing, and how often need to change it, I go ahead and treat, manage the wound. This counts as wound care experience, am I right?
Please let me know what I need to be certified. Thank you
Marinela,
Based on your description of your duties, you would have enough experience to test for your CWS – Certified Wound Specialist. You can begin your application and request more specifics about experience through abwmcertified.org. To learn more about the CWS, check out our article – https://woundeducators.com/becoming-cws-certified-wound-care-specialist/
To help study and prepare for your certification, we recommend taking our online BSN wound care certification course – https://woundeducators.com/wound-care-certification-courses/bsn-np/
Best of luck!
Hello, I’m interested in getting wound certified but I’m not sure which one WCC or CWS. I’m BSN graduate and been working in the hospital for 19 years. I do wound care per routine order and after wound care nurse initially assessed the wound and placed their recommendation. What should I get to be certified?
Thank you
Sheila of California
Sheilla,
You can pursue both, and even the new AWCC. We suggest starting with the CWS as you have enough clinical experience. This certification lasts for 10 years and is accredited. The new AWCC certification is available for anyone with a previous wound certification, including the CWS. Because this is a new certification as of Sept 2019, it is not yet accredited. The AWCC is valid for 5 years.
Best of luck!
I am an LPN with no wound care experience. How would I proceed if I wanted to become certified? I am not working at a place where I can do wound care.
Darlene,
Thank you for your interest in WoundEducators! You can always begin with our LPN wound care course and use your course completion certificate to leverage more wound-related roles with your current employer, or seeking a new employer. Volunteer options and preceptor options (shadowing a certified wound care nurse) are also other great options. Once you have enough wound-related experience, you can pursue your certifications, including the CWCA and WCC.