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Certified Wound Specialist Physician® — Requirements & Free Practice

US · License preparation

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Certified Wound Specialist Physician®

Voluntary ABWM board certification recognizing specialized wound-management knowledge for physicians; certification does not expand the holder's professional practice authority.

Licensing authority: American Board of Wound Management · Application information

Initial by examination
National Board Certification Examination for the Certified Wound Specialist Physician
Applicability
Current first-time full certification only. The current program page summarizes the three-year route; the currently adopted June 2026 handbook expressly also supplies the fellowship alternative. No official credential or route inception date is stated, so date boundaries are null.
Applicant Qualifications
MD, DO, or DPM with a full and unrestricted professional license in at least one state and all states of current practice.
Application
Submit the complete online application, professional resume or CV, personal statement documenting experience, copies of professional licenses and board certifications, three professional references, ethics affirmation, and required fee. For the fellowship alternative, two of the three references must be the fellowship director and the CWS or CWSP involved in training.
Approval And Scheduling
ABWM eligibility approval precedes Pearson authorization; schedule and sit within the 90-day window at an available test center, by appointment and on a first-come, first-served basis.
Candidate Program
Not a prerequisite for full certification; it uses the same examination and differs in experience requirements. No additional Candidate examination is added.
Experience Alternatives
["At least three years of clinical wound care experience and direct patient care.","Completed wound-care fellowship of at least one year, certified by a credentialing organization, with recommendations from the fellowship director and a CWS or CWSP actively involved in the training."]

National Board Certification Examination for the Certified Wound Specialist Physician

Provider
Pearson
Format
Computer-based multiple-choice examination at a Pearson test center, by appointment
Exam questions
Total questions: 180; Scored questions: 150; Unscored questions: 30; The total includes the scored and unscored questions.
Time limit
3.5 hours
Exam fee
$995 first-time application fee
Examination outline
  • Wound Healing Environment (21.3%)
    • Anatomy and Physiology
    • Wound Healing
  • Assessment and Diagnosis (26.7%)
    • History
    • Physical examination
    • Wound and skin assessment
    • Pain assessment
    • Risk assessment
    • Functional assessment
    • Laboratory/Imaging/Biopsy
    • Nutrition
  • Patient Management (24.7%)
    • Wound bed preparation/debridement
    • Dressings
    • Cellular and/or tissue products for wounds
    • Topical agents
    • Complications in healing
    • Nutrition
    • Biophysical technologies
    • Compression therapy
    • Negative pressure wound therapy
    • Hyperbaric oxygen therapy
    • Pressure redistribution
    • Surgical closure or tissue transfer
    • Case review
  • Etiological Considerations (18%)
    • Neuropathy
    • Diabetes
    • Venous insufficiency
    • Ischemia
    • Pressure related wounds
    • Lymphedema
    • Trauma
    • Surgical/surgical procedure
    • Atypical wounds
    • Dermatological
    • Infectious
    • Burns
    • Edema
    • Pediatric issues
    • Inflammatory
  • Professional Issues (9.3%)
    • Documentation/legal concepts
    • Patient adherence
    • Reimbursement and medical economics
    • Medical ethics
    • Multidisciplinary teams
    • Epidemiology
    • Evidence-based practice and research
Examination sources