National Alliance of Wound Care
The National Alliance of Wound Care (NAWC), Glendale, Wisconsin, announced that its wound care certification program was granted a 5-year accreditation by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA). This accreditation demonstrates the program's compliance with the NCCA Standards for the Accreditation of Certification Programs. NCCA is the accrediting body of the National Organization for Competency Assurance. The NAWC awards qualified health care professionals with the Wound Care Certified (WCC) credential.
Founded in 2003, the NAWC has credentialed more than 6000 multidisciplinary health care professionals (including registered nurses, advanced practice nurses, medical doctors, physical therapists, licensed vocational/practical nurses, doctors of osteopathic medicine, physician assistants, podiatrists, physical therapy assistants and occupational therapists), thus making the NAWC one of the largest wound care-credentialing boards in the United States. According to Debbie Hecker, RN, MBA, WCC, Executive Director of NAWC, "This accreditation is a huge milestone for our organization, our WCCs and the patients they care for. It proves that our process and standards meet the rigorous requirements set forth by the NCCA-we could not ask for a better stamp of approval on our program."
[black up pointing small triangle] Information:http://www.nawccb.org
American Professional Wound Care Association
Open Enrollment to Close at End of the Year. The American Professional Wound Care Association (APWCA) is in the process of providing public statements to inform the medical community of the imminent closure of open enrollment for physicians to become fellows of the APWCA. After closure, a certification examination will be required to become a fellow. Physicians will still be able to join as associate members without wound care physician certification and enjoy member benefits. Interested physicians can join now under the current policy before termination of open enrollment and become a fellow without sitting for the physician wound care certification examination. The current policy is that physicians who are board certified in their field of medicine are fellows of the APWCA.
Current physician members of the APWCA will continue to maintain their present designation of associate or fellow after the open enrollment closure. The effective closure date will be on December 31, 2008. There are no impending changes for nurses and other providers who are also encouraged to join the APWCA, one of the fastest growing membership organizations in wound care.
Review and Refresher Course. The APWCA is offering a new program, "The Essentials-A Comprehensive Review and Refresher Course on Wound Care Management and Intervention." Designed for all health care providers, the 2-day (15-hour) review course will be held on January 10 and 11, 2009, at the Marriott Renaissance Concourse Hotel at the Airport in Atlanta, Georgia.
APWCA2009. The APWCA2009 National Conference will be held on April 2 to 5, 2009, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and will add a new dimension as it also hosts the American College of Hyperbaric Medicine's National Meeting. The scientific program will be highlighted by international faculty renowned for their research, teaching expertise, and contributions to wound care.
Applications for the submission of poster and oral abstracts for presentation at APWCA2009 are currently being accepted and are available on the APWCA Web site. Guidelines for presentation have been revised for this year. All abstract applications must be submitted as an e-mail attachment on the posted forms. The deadline is on February 2, 2009, for all oral and poster abstract application submissions.
VEITHsymposium. The APWCA is a collaborating organization with the VEITHsymposium, November 19 to 23, 2008, at the Hilton New York in New York City, New York. The 3rd Annual WOUNDS track will be held Wednesday, November 19, and is a distinct 1-day comprehensive program for the vascular specialist, podiatrist, and other members of the wound care team. WOUNDS at VEITHsymposium is approved by the APWCA Scientific Committee for 8 CME/CE hours in wound care as required to maintain credentialing as a fellow, diplomate, or associate of the association.
Physician's Certification Examination. The first physician-specific wound care certification examination, credentialing all prescribing physicians (MDs, Dos, and DPMs) in the field of wound care, will be offered by the Council for Medical Education and Testing (CMET). The CMET certification is the examination recognized by the American College of Hyperbaric Medicine and endorsed by APWCA.
Upcoming examinations will be offered in conjunction with major conferences as follows: November 20, 2008, in New York City, New York, in conjunction with the VEITHsymposium, and on April 5, 2009, at the APWCA National Clinical Conference, "Wound Care and the Related Sciences" in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Resources for study can be found on the CMET Web site.
For registration and other information, visit http://www.CouncilMET.org or http://www.WoundCareExam.org.
[black up pointing small triangle] Information:http://www.apwca.org; 215-364-4100
Association for the Advancement of Wound Care
The Association for the Advancement of Wound Care (AAWC) is leading the development of guidelines for the global treatment of wounds and lymphedema at the request of the World Health Organization (WHO). The collaboration will enhance the delivery of modern wound and lymphedema care to resource-poor countries. The AAWC has provided its recommendations to the WHO in the form of a White Paper, titled, "Best Practice Recommendations for Wound and Lymphedema Management." To be published in 6 languages, the recommendations will provide the foundation for educational programs and clinical practice guidelines for providers and organizations around the world.
Contributors to the White Paper include: Chairman John Macdonald, MD; Mary Jo Geyer, PhD, PT, CWS, CLT-LANA; Robert Kirsner, MD, PhD; Terry Treadwell, MD; Laura L. Bolton, PhD; and William Ennis, DO, all from the United States; R. Gary Sibbald, BSc, MD, FRCPC (Med) (Derm), FAPWCA, MEd; Heather Orsted, RN; and David Keast, MD, all from Canada; and Terrence Ryan, MD, England.
[black up pointing small triangle] Information:http://www.aawconline.org