American Board of Wound Management National Board Certification Examination for Certified Wound Care Associate — Information & Free Practice
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American Board of Wound Management National Board Certification Examination for Certified Wound Care Associate
- Provider
- Pearson
- Format
- Computer-based multiple-choice knowledge examination at Pearson test centers, by appointment.
- Exam questions
- Total questions: 120; Scored questions: 100; Unscored questions: 20; The total includes the scored and unscored questions.
- Time limit
- Up to 2.5 hours.
- Exam fee
- $375 first-time application fee.
Examination outline
Wound Healing Environment (26%)
- Anatomy and Physiology
- Wound Healing
Assessment and Diagnosis (24%)
- History
- Physical examination
- Wound and skin assessment
- Pain assessment
- Risk assessment
- Functional assessment
- Laboratory/Imaging/Biopsy
- Nutrition
Patient Management (20%)
- Wound bed preparation/debridement
- Dressings
- Cellular and/or tissue products for wounds
- Topical agents
- Complications in healing (e.g., biofilm management, infection, systemic factors)
- Nutrition
- Biophysical technologies
- Compression therapy
- Negative pressure wound therapy
- Hyperbaric oxygen therapy
- Pressure redistribution (i.e., offloading)
- Surgical closure or tissue transfer
- Case review (e.g., analyzing labs/imaging, outliers, prognosis, synthesis of data)
Etiological Considerations (19%)
- Neuropathy
- Diabetes
- Venous insufficiency
- Ischemia
- Pressure related wounds
- Lymphedema
- Trauma
- Surgical/surgical procedure
- Atypical etiologies (e.g., malignancy, medication-induced)
- Dermatological
- Infectious
- Burns
- Edema (i.e., systemic vs. local)
- Pediatric Issues
- Inflammatory
Professional Issues (11%)
- Documentation/legal concepts
- Patient adherence (e.g., socioeconomic factors, ability to comply, patient education)
- Reimbursement and medical economics
- Medical ethics (e.g., palliative care, reasonable expectation of outcomes)
- Multidisciplinary teams
- Epidemiology
- Evidence-based practice and research
Examination sources
- ABWM CWCA certification and current content outline
CWCA Content Outline, effective date and linked JTA report
- ABWM CWCA certification and current content outline
CWCA Content Outline, Domain 1
- ABWM CWCA certification and current content outline
CWCA Content Outline, Domain 2
- ABWM CWCA certification and current content outline
CWCA Content Outline, Domain 3
- ABWM CWCA certification and current content outline
CWCA Content Outline, Domain 4
- ABWM CWCA certification and current content outline
CWCA Content Outline, Domain 5
- ABWM CWCA certification and current content outline
CWCA Content Outline, introduction to task classification
- ABWM 2021 Job Task Analysis Technical Report
PDF p.239, Appendix N heading
- ABWM 2021 Job Task Analysis Technical Report
PDF p.18, Summary, final DCO location
- ABWM 2021 Job Task Analysis Technical Report
PDF p.17, Table 5, Total row; columns CWCA Total/Recall/Application/Analysis, then CWS and CWSP
- ABWM 2021 Job Task Analysis Technical Report
PDF p.17, cognitive level definitions before Table 5
- ABWM 2021 Job Task Analysis Technical Report
PDF p.17, paragraph following Table 5
- ABWM How to Apply for an ABWM Exam
For First-Time Applicants, Step 1 of 5, handbook links
- CWCA Applicant Handbook, updated June 2026
PDF p.5 (printed p.2), Examination, specifications
- CWCA Applicant Handbook, updated June 2026
PDF p.5 (printed p.2), Examination, item counts and scoring
- CWCA Applicant Handbook, updated June 2026
PDF p.5 (printed p.2), Time Allocation for the Examination
- CWCA Applicant Handbook, updated June 2026
PDF p.10 (printed p.7), Examination Administration
- ABWM How to Apply for an ABWM Exam
For First-Time Applicants, Step 3 of 5
- ABWM How to Apply for an ABWM Exam
For First-Time Applicants, Step 4 of 5
- ABWM How to Apply for an ABWM Exam
For First-Time Applicants, Step 2 of 5
- ABWM How to Apply for an ABWM Exam
Ready to apply and schedule your exam?, first-time certification applications
Related license preparation
This examination may be required or accepted as an alternative, depending on the license and application pathway.