ABWM Newsletter: February 2019
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Message From ABWM President
Gayle Lindsey,
PT, MHSM, MBA, CWS
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Fellow Diplomats:
Hello! As a brief introduction, my name is Gayle Lindsey, and I am honored and humbled for the opportunity to serve you over the next two years as your President! I am a physical therapist and also hold a Master of Business Administration and a Master of Health System Management. I currently serve as Director of Physical Medicine and Wound Care Services at Methodist Mansfield Medical Center in Mansfield, Texas.
I have been a CWS since 2000 and began my involvement with our organization as a member of the Regional Committee, attending conferences and working our exhibition booth to spread the word of our certifications. I have also served as a member of the Marketing Committee and Board Nominations Committee. I have been a member of the Board of the American Board of Wound Management since 2006, serving one term as a Board member and two terms as Secretary before becoming President-Elect in 2016. I am excited for what the next two years will bring!
More importantly, I want to take this opportunity to thank Dave Mahon, MD, FACS, CWSP, our immediate past President, for his exceptional service during his two year term. Dave led our organization through important initiatives, including:
- Increasing public awareness of our certifications via media outlets and Wound Healing Awareness Month
- Building a network of ABWM certified ambassadors to serve as local promoters of our certifications
- The ongoing expansion of our mobile testing services
- Increasing the ABWM’s international involvement by traveling to Singapore to administer our certification exams to 26 Singapore physicians and nurses.
Thank you, Dave, for your outstanding service and transformational leadership!
I also wish to thank Chris Murphy, our Executive Director, and his team at Association Management Strategies for their ongoing support and hard work to keep the American Board of Wound Management the premier wound certification organization. Their efforts behind the scenes are tireless and we wouldn’t be the great NCAA certified organization we are today without them!
Turning to the next two years, my main objectives as President are:
- Keep the momentum behind the initiatives Dave began with public awareness of our certifications, the Ambassador Program, and our international presence
- Improving and streamlining the test taking experience for our Diplomats sitting for their re-certifications and for new candidates sitting for our certification exams
- Focused effort on our marketing, branding, and PR initiatives
- Increasing the Board interaction with our Diplomats to brainstorm ideas and implement new strategies
- Developing partnerships with other medical professional organizations wishing to step into the wound certification arena
We have an incredible multidisciplinary Board of Directors ready to continue their service to you. Working with our American Board of Wound Management Foundation trustees, I truly believe there is nothing we can’t do in service to our current and future Diplomats as well as to the wound community. Please reach out to us with questions, suggestions, feedback or desire to serve via the ABWM and ABWM Foundation social media platforms or at [email protected].
In closing, it has never been more important for all of us to spread the word of the importance of the CWCA, CWS, and CWSP certifications and proudly promote them at every opportunity.This is YOUR organization, and your involvement and participation is vital to the continued success of our certifications! Consider this a call to action to let our patients, employers, and fellow clinicians know of our ongoing mission to certify multidisciplinary wound management professionals. Those ABWM Diplomats will in turn provide the best possible evidence-based care to those suffering from chronic and acute wounds. Our patients look to us for healing and a way to experience their best quality of life. Let’s show them and the other members of our healthcare communities what we can do!
Warm regards,
Gayle
Gayle Lindsey PT, MHSM, MBA, CWS
ABWM President
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The American Board of Wound Management is proud to unveil its newly redesigned logo!
The goal was to modernize the look and feel, while still maintaining the brand recognition of our previous logo.
We will be rolling out the new logo on our website, social media, educational materials etc. over the coming months, so watch this space!
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- ABWM will be at SAWC Spring in San Antonio, TX, Wednesday, May 8 2019 - Friday May 10 at booth #243. Swing by for some great giveaways and prizes and to meet some of our Board members.
- ABWM will be at the American Diabetes Association 79th Annual Scientific Sessions in San Francisco, CA from June 7 - 11, 2019.
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Changes to Eligibility Requirement for CWS
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ABWM has changed the eligibility requirements for the Certified Wound Specialist (CWS) certifying exam. Previously, licensed RNs required a Bachelor’s level degree in order to sit for the exam. As of January 1 2019, any licensed RN is now eligible to sit for the CWS exam.
This decision was made in light of the fact that all RNs pass the same state licensing board exam regardless of whether they have an associate or bachelor’s degree.
In light of these changes, any current CWCA that tested within the last three years can sit for the CWS exam for a reduced fee of $200. Simply fill out a
Re-Test Form
(checking the CWS box) and include a note highlighting the date you certified as CWCA.
CWCAs who certified more than three years ago are still welcome to sit for the CWS, but must fill out a
Re-Certification Form
(just tick the CWS box) and pay the standard $575 CWS recertification fee.
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Congratulations to those who were recently certified! The ABWM would like to recognize all newly certified Associates and Diplomates who received their CWCA®, CWS ®, or CWSP ® credentials from October 15, 2018 through February 15, 2019.
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ABWM Foundation Scholarship
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The ABWM Foundation recently announced the establishment of the
Harold L. Johnson Memorial Scholarship,
made possible through the generous support of the Save A Leg, Save A Life Foundation.
The Harold L. Johnson Memorial Scholarship will be given to health care providers who need financial support to earn wound certification through the American Board of Wound Management (ABWM), as a Certified Wound Case Associate (CWCA®), Certified Wound Specialist (CWS®) or Certified Wound Specialist Physician (CWSP®).
Candidates for this scholarship must demonstrate the highest character and the desire to serve others through a history of volunteerism. Preference will be given to those who have served honorably in the Armed Forces.
For additional information on The Harold L. Johnson Memorial Scholarship including eligibility and application process please visit
www.abwmfoundation.org
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Support The ABWM Foundation with Amazon Smile!
The ABWM Foundation was recently added to the list of charitable organizations supported by AmazonSmile!
AmazonSmile is a website operated by Amazon that lets customers enjoy the same wide selection of products, low prices, and convenient shopping features as on Amazon.com. The difference is that when customers shop on AmazonSmile (smile.amazon.com), the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the price of eligible purchases to the charitable organizations selected by customers.
With every
purchase made through AmazonSmile, a small percentage of your total purchase will go to the Foundation!
Simply head to
smile.amazon.com
, and select the ABWM Foundation option in the dropdown.
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American Board of Wound Management
1800 M Street NW, Suite 400S
Washington, DC 20036
202-457-8408
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