Assessing the Value of Wound Care Certification

  Not long ago, Stanley K. McCallon, PT, DPT, CWS, considered himself a bit of a generalist as a healthcare provider. After launching his career in the mid-1990s, McCallon spent his first five years in practice working in a traditional physical therapy role, caring mainly for rehabilitation patients. But as time passed, one patient population remained particularly intriguing. Before long, he knew that he was most needed in caring for those living with chronic, nonhealing wounds.    “I developed such a passion for wound care through some of those patients I was seeing at the time,” said McCallon, 45, director of clinical services at LSU Health, Shreveport, LA. “So it became a field that I decided to dedicate myself to completely.”   Today, that dedication is cemented not just by his full-time commitment to the field, but by the wound care certification he’s held nearly 13 years.   It’s that specialty stamp on the credentials following his name that has greatly helped to shape his career and strengthen his impact on others — from patients to colleagues, staff members, and residents. And as his involvement within the wound care industry has increased with the advanced education and experience he’s acquired, so too has that passion.   McCallon, who oversees the faculty wound clinic at LSU (as well as a large faculty clinical practice across all LSU allied health programs) in his present clinical role, recently took the time to speak with Today’s Wound Clinic about his wound care career, how his certification has excelled that career, and why he believes wound care certification is becoming an increasingly valuable commodity for those in the industry across all clinical scopes of practice.

Certification Options

  Administered by the American Board of Wound Management (ABWM), the CWS,® or certified wound specialist, is a formal recognition of a master-level knowledge and specialty practice in wound management that demonstrates a distinct and specialized expertise in the practice.   Available to licensed healthcare professionals holding a bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree with three or more years of clinical wound care experience, the CWS was the ideal choice for McCallon as one who wanted to earn and demonstrate a proficiency and expertise in wound care from the vantage point of multiple care settings inherent in his profession as a PT.    “This is the wound care certification for multidisciplinary practitioners,” he said. “It’s not just reserved for PTs, nurses, or physicians; it brings in all of the disciplines — those who are primary providers in wound management. It’s always been the true multidisciplinary exam and certification that’s cohesive and brings everyone under one umbrella in this field, even if there are additional specialty exams today.”   Those specialty options offered by the ABWM include the certified wound specialist physician (CWSP®) and the certified wound care associate (CWCA®), which targets a host of professionals including associate degree nurses and nursing assistants, PT assistants, dieticians, researchers, administrators, and even marketing professionals.    “The CWSP is geared specifically toward physicians because there was a need for an examination that really addressed their skill set,” explained McCallon, who once served on the board of directors that developed the credential and currently serves as a member of the American Physical Therapy Association and Louisiana Physical Therapy Association. “The CWCA can also be members of industry or sales representatives — that examination was really created to cover an area that we were missing before.”

Benefits to Specialty Certification

  Beyond the personal satisfaction that comes with acquiring an advanced level of education in one’s field, McCallon said the advantages to attaining his certification have been evident from all aspects of a career perspective.    “When any individual gets into an area of interest and ultimately becomes board certified in that area, it serves as a portal into a career path that will keep them plugged into that field and actively learning as it evolves,” he said.   The proof is in his own personal evolution: at the time that he earned his CWS he was working in a long-term acute care hospital (LTACH) setting where he would ultimately be promoted to director of rehab and wound care for three different hospitals. He then took a similar position with another LTACH where he also served a role in marketing.    “Certification honestly has impacted my career in terms of salary increases and job enhancement, said McCallon, who joined the LSU Health faculty five years ago. “[Money] wasn’t the primary motivator, but from an employment-opportunity standpoint and a marketability standpoint there were many benefits to certification.”   The benefits also have included improved stature among colleagues and patients.    “It’s an opportunity that allows your peers to know that you’ve met particular standards and proficiencies,” he said. “And over the years we’re seeing more prospective patients who are seeking out providers who have that additional training and expertise. That’s come with time and education, but consumers are more savvy today concerning the advanced qualifications of their healthcare providers.”

Consumer Consciousness

  Of course, there are other organizations that offer specialty credentials for those within the wound care industry “that are valuable and can be considered,” noted McCallon, a former ABWM president who served from 2008-10.    “And that’s made the ABWM more cognizant of the need to have a very strong certification process and to have different avenues for clinicians,” he continued. “I don’t think you would have seen the CWCA or the CWSP come into existence if it had not been for other groups [offering credentials]. Assuming that everything is market-driven to an extent, consumers are looking for options. It’s good for us to have that competition.”   As a clinician consumer himself, McCallon said he leaned toward the ABWM not just because he was attracted to the range of what the CWS covered, but also because the organization is a nonprofit.    “In the world of certification, I think there is more credibility with a group that exists solely to promote and move the wound management profession forward,” he said. “That is a big distinction. I’m not putting any group down, but if you’re looking at all the certifying options, it is important that the ABWM is a nonprofit organization. I believe the ABWM is the gold standard for certifying bodies and that its offerings are superior. The ABWM has an excellent reputation and strong presence in the wound care community.”   McCallon said he was also inspired to pursue CWS certification by Joseph M. McCulloch, PhD, PT, FAPTA, CWS, a colleague and dean of the school of allied health professions at LSU Health who also serves as president on the board of trustees for the ABWM Foundation, a not-for-profit group that supports the work of the ABWM.    “I had been exposed to certification through Dr. McCulloch, who was literally one of the first clinicians to attain a CWS and has always been a big advocate and proponent of the certification process,” McCallon said.

Paying It Forward

  In an attempt to also serve as an inspiration to others, McCallon helped establish a wound management residency program in physical therapy at LSU Health. To date, all three residents who have completed the program have sat for and earned the CWS designation, McCallon said.    “We gear the entire residency toward an endpoint of successful passage of board certification,” he explained. “We don’t mandate certification, but we highly encourage it. It’s important for the clinician to have that personal drive and desire to get it for their professional development. I don’t want somebody to get certified just because they want to make more money. That should never be their primary motivation.”   He stresses that just as it pertains to the pursuit of education in general, the value of certification only goes as far in one’s clinical practice as the clinician allows.    “As with any job, only so much weight is carried by your degree or certification,” McCallon said. “You don’t just get certified and then everything magically falls into place. And it won’t carry you very far if you don’t have the work ethic and clinical skills to back it up.”   It is also crucial for one to adequately prepare for certification examination, said McCallon, adding that the LSU Health residency administers standardized examinations that are scheduled during the program to help prepare the resident for the board examination.

A Unique Partnership

  For those working within any healthcare setting, the ABWM Foundation also has shown initiative in strengthening applicants’ testing skills by forming alliances with organizations like the North American Center for Continuing Medical Education (NACCME), a continuing medical education provider based in Millstone Township, NJ, that offers Wound Certification Prep Courses (WCPC) throughout the year.    “The ABWM Foundation works diligently to support the education of individuals seeking certification by the American Board of Wound Management,” McCulloch said. “This involves the development of study guides, practice tests, and preparation courses. NACCME and the ABWM Foundation will be working together to offer a series of in-person and online Wound Certification Prep Courses that will be taught by ABWM-certified specialists. We are excited to participate in this endeavor.”   At NACCME, which along with TWC publisher HMP Communications LLC forms HMP Communications Holdings LLC, chairman and chief executive officer Jeff Hennessy echoed McCulloch’s praise of the collaboration.    “As the leader in providing education to wound care clinicians, we are always striving to push the envelope and provide the highest standards in education to ultimately increase successful patient outcomes,” said Hennessy. “We are excited to announce the new Wound Certification Prep Course will be strengthened by being utilized in conjunction with our Symposium on Advanced Wound Care to assist wound care providers in earning the CWSP, CWS, and CWCA certifications.”   According to McCallon, LSU also funds participation in prep courses such as the WCPC in an effort to maximize residents’ opportunities for board success.    “The candidate for certification is strongly advised to prepare for what is a very rigorous examination,” he explained. “The WCPC and other available tools such as the practice exams and study guides are an excellent, comprehensive way to prepare for the broad range of content covered in the board exams.”   For more information on the ABWM Foundation, visit www.abwmcertified.org.   For more on the WCPC, visit www.woundprepcourse.com. Joe Darrah is managing editor of Today’s Wound Clinic. Maggie Pajak, marketing communications manager with HMP Communications, contributed to this article.