Get Certified!
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Recently Certified
| Congratulations to all of those who were recently certified. The ABWM would like to recognize all new Associates and Diplomates who received their credentials from November 29-December 18, 2012.
To view a list of those who were certified, please click here.
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ABWM Facebook
| Like ABWM on Facebook to stay up-to-date on news, to interact with other Associates and Diplomates, and to participate in upcoming games and contests!
Please note that you must have a Facebook account to "like" the ABWM. Sign up for an account here. |
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Complete Your CEUs!
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To all current Associates and Diplomates:
Don't forget! In order to renew your certification for 2013, you must complete at least 6 hours of continuing education in wound management.
Continuing education may be completed through any accredited provider, either in person or online.
Renewal notices were sent out November 26.
Your annual renewal is due no later than January 31st of each year.
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Update Your Information
| Remember to update your CV, website, business cards, etc. with the new ABWM name, American Board of Wound Management (ABWM).
You may also update your contact information in the My Account section of the My Certification Portal.
If you would like to use our logo on your marketing material or website, contact Carrie Hoffman.
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News to Report?
| If you have interesting and important industry-related news to report, please share it with us!
Send us an email:
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Conferences & Events
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May 2 - 5, 2013
Denver, CO
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Contact ABWM
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1155 15th Street, NW
Suite 500
Washington, DC 20005
Phone: 202-457-8408
Fax: 202-530-0659
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ABWM Staff
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Christopher M. Murphy
Carrie Hoffman
Luke Zorich
Manager, Certification &
Caroline Berman
Administrative Coordinator
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Walter Conlan, III, MD, CWSP
Colleagues,
I hope that the holiday season brings you great tidings of joy. It is a time to reflect over our past year, appreciating what is important and dear in each of our lives.
I am thankful for my family, my work, and I am fortunate to live in such a special place. We are very blessed. I am also so proud of the accomplishments of the ABWM over the past year. Our organization has remained true to our mission. Through our examinations and credentialing we are elevating the care that our patients receive in our communities. Isn't this why we are wound professionals?
Some of the accomplishments over the past year:
1) New Testing Company:
 | | Joe McCulloch ABWM Exam Chair |
ABWM completed the transition of our testing company to Applied Measurement Professionals. For those who have taken an exam over the past year, you certainly noticed an improvement in the test taking process. Volunteers have spent countless hours ensuring that the exam truly reflects what is on the content outline. I would like to personally thank Joe McCulloch, PhD, PT, FAPTA, CWS for the leadership which he has shown during this transition. He is the heart and soul of our organization.
2) Continuous Testing:
Over the years, practitioners have commented that the testing time periods were too restrictive. Personally, I prepare better when I have a definitive deadline (such as this newsletter), but ABWM wants to meet the needs of our candidates. Year-round testing makes the test more accessible and easier to plan around. My only hope is that it does not lead towards procrastination.
3) Combined CWS and CWSP Exam:
Now MD's, DO's and DPM's can sit directly for the CWSP. Our Board has received positive feedback concerning this new change. There is a lot of momentum in MD/DO/DPM certification. The CWSP part of the exams has been developed to truly reflect wound care examination and management for the 2012/2013 years.
4) Establishment of the ABWM Foundation:
 The mission of the ABWM Foundation is to "create a pathway for wound care professionals to have adequate knowledge, skills and abilities to provide effective wound care." We want to increase the number of candidates sitting for the exams by 15% each year and provide a number of different study options for candidates wishing to take the exam. Through the Foundation, we will be better prepared to let the decision makers in Washington know what a certified practitioner offers to their constituents. The Board also gives us the opportunity to build relationships with other like-minded organizations with similar missions. Several of these relationships will likely be announced over the next few months.
ABWM is the premier credentialing organization in wound care. Over the past year, we have continued to grow and focus on the concerns of our Diplomates and Associates, prospective CWCA's, CWS's and CWSP's, and the entire wound industry as a whole. With the Affordable Health Care Act, hospitals, insurance companies and government entities will be especially focused on only having "qualified" practitioners see their patients. One of my goals in 2013 is to position the ABWM to meet this challenge. We want to help you do better.
Thank you again for your commitment and dedication to competency in wound care. Best wishes for a happy and healthy New Year!
Sincerely,
Walter Conlan, III, MD, CWSP ABWM President
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2013 Exam Information
Beginning February 1, 2013, the exam content outlines for both the CWS and the CWCA exams will be updated, similar to what was created for the CWSP exam in the fall. With guidance from our testing agency, Applied Measurement Professionals (AMP), we have completed a job-task analysis (also known as a practice analysis or role delineation study) to determine the job content elements that are related to effective job performance. The results of this study were used to develop the new content outline for each examination, and all versions of the examinations correspond to these specifications.
The CWCA exam will consist of 120 multiple-choice items (questions) given over a 3-hour period, 100 of which are used to compute candidates' scores. The exam includes 20 non-scored 'pretest' items. The CWS exam will consist of 150 multiple-choice items given over a 3.5-hour period, 125 of which are used to compute candidates' scores. The exam includes 25 non-scored 'pretest' items.
Pretesting is a common practice for certification examinations, which allows for evaluation of the items prior to using them for scoring. Performance on the pretest items does not affect your score, however candidates will not know which questions are pretest items.
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2013 Annual Renewal Reminder
All current CWCAs, CWSs, and CWSPs who received their certification on or before June 30, 2012 are required to complete their Annual Renewal for 2013. Certificants who received their certification after June 30, 2012 will not be required to renew until 2014. To complete the Annual Renewal, all certificants must submit the renewal fee of $150, and document 6 hours of continuing education related to wound management. Renewal should be submitted no later than January 31, 2013. Submissions made after January 31st will be subject to a $75 late fee. Submissions made after February 28th will be subject to a $150 late fee. Certification status will be revoked if renewal is not received by March 31, 2013. To submit continuing education information, certificants must log in to the My Certification Portal, and click on the Annual Renewal tab. Certificants may choose to continue on to pay the renewal fee online by credit card, or they may mail the fee in by check with a copy of their invoice. Receipts will typically be available in the My Account section of the Portal after one business day. Login information for the My Certification Portal was sent by mail on 11/26/12, and by email on 11/30/12 and 12/10/12. For any questions about Annual Renewal, please email info@abwmcertified.org. |
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