About WOCNCB®

Founded in 1978, the Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nursing Certification Board (WOCNCB®) is a not-for-profit professional, international nursing organization certifying of more than 5,300 healthcare professionals who are experts in the field of wound, ostomy, incontinence and foot care. WOCNCB® has board certified nurses in Europe, Canada, South Korea, Japan, Malaysia, and have plans for testing foot care nurses in Saudi Arabia.

Our Mission Statement

Promoting the highest standard of consumer care and safety by providing credentialing in the areas of wound, ostomy, continence and foot care nursing.

Purpose

The purpose of WOCNCB® shall be:

to set, maintain, and evaluate national standards for certification and re-certification in wound, ostomy and continence care nursing.
to promote the certification program for wound, ostomy and continence nursing practice.
to encourage continued professional growth in specialized nursing practice.
to provide formal recognition of individuals who meet the certification requirements.
to provide identification of nurses who have achieved certification in WOC nursing to employing agencies, the public and other healthcare professionals.

Philosophy

The WOCNCB® endorses the concept of voluntary, periodic certification. WOCNCB® certification focuses specifically on the individual and is an indication of current knowledge in a specialized area of nursing practice. Certification provides formal recognition of wound, ostomy and/or continence (WOC) nursing knowledge.

The objectives of the WOCNCB® certification program are to promote excellence in wound, ostomy and/or continence nursing by:

Recognizing formally those individuals who meet all the requirements of the WOCNCB®.
Encouraging continued professional growth in the practice of wound, ostomy and/or continence nursing.
Establishing and measuring the level of knowledge required for certification in wound, ostomy and/or continence nursing.
Providing a standard of knowledge required for certification, thereby assisting the employer, public and members of health professions in the assessment of the Wound, Ostomy and/or Continence Care Nurse.

Statement of Nondiscrimination Policy

The WOCNCB® does not discriminate among certificants on any bases that would violate any applicable laws.