The CWCN is a nursing certificationthat is conveyed to nurses who take and pass the Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nurse Board Exam (WOCN). The certified Wound Care Nurse Exam was developed to foster professional growth and excellence in the area of wound care nursing above and beyond that acquired in nursing school.
The CWCN Certification Process
To qualify to take the exam, the applicant must have a BSN degree and meet one of the following: have completed a WOCN-approved educational track, or completed a graduate level educational program containing the education equal to two semester hours in wound care nursing, or have 50 continuing education units in wound care nursing and 1,500 clinical practice hours. These requirements must have been met within the last five years before application. Three hundred seventy-five of those hours must have been completed in the year immediately prior to application.
The CWCN exam is given on a quarterly basis at computerized testing sites located all across the country. The exam contains eighty questions, which are used to derive the candidate’s score, and ten questions, which are being used as test questions for inclusion on possible future versions of the CWCN exam. The candidate must complete the exam in a ninety-minute time limit. The candidate’s score report is available after completion of the exam.
The CWCN is renewed on a five-year cycle. The nurse may choose to recertify by taking the examination or by submitting a professional growth portfolio. In order to participate in the professional growth portfolio program, the nurse’s current certification must not have lapsed and he/she must not have taken and failed the recertification exam. The candidate must earn a total of 80 points through professional enrichment activities in order to recertify. Ten of those points must come from continuing education directly related to wound care and forty of the total points must relate directly to wound care nursing. The other half of the points can be from other areas, but must directly influence WOCN nursing practice.
The CWCN credentials inspire public and professional confidence in the abilities, skill, and knowledge of the wound care nurse and are a testimony to the dedication and commitment that this special area of nursing requires.