Credential Review and Appeals

The WOCNCB® is a nonprofit organization which provides board certification and recertification for wound, ostomy, continence and foot care nurses. The members of the WOCNCB® comprise a diverse group of experts representing all the specialties in which they certify individuals. The Board is national in scope and blends academic and clinical practice for the purpose of establishing excellence in the profession of wound, ostomy, and continence care nursing through development, maintenance, and protection of the certification process.

Certification is offered to the baccalaureate prepared and advanced practice level nurses who exhibit high standards of practice. It is the aim of the WOCNCB® to be inclusive and not restrictive to any adequately prepared applicant for certification. Maintenance of board certification will require independent effort to meet the every 5-year requirements of the chosen track for certification and the maintenance of nursing licensure. Individuals who fail to meet these requirements will not have their certification renewed. Individuals who misrepresent or commit fraud with regard to any of the WOCNCB's Credentials may have their certification suspended or revoked. The WOCNCB® does not guarantee job performance of any individual.

Maintenance of Professional Licensure

As part of any code of nursing professional practice, it is expected that there will be no lapse of professional licensure during the five-year certification period. Any appearance of licensure revocation, including those due to any misdemeanor or felony charges, will immediately be reported to the WOCNCB® resulting in the revocation of certification. Reapplication for certification will be considered on an individual basis following reinstatement of RN licensure by the appropriate State Board of Nursing. Proof of a current RN license must accompany all applications.

Purpose of the Credential Review and Appeals Committee

The WOCNCB® Credential Review and Appeals Committee was established to oversee candidate certificant eligibility compliance.
The committee will be comprised of a WOCNCB® member as Chair, the PGP Committe Chair, the WOCNCB® Public Member, Examination Committee members, and certified members of the certificant group. The members will be thoroughly familiar with the three tracks for certification: examination, graduate studies and experiential tracks.
In administering the WOCNCB® handling of the Formal Review process, the Credential Review and Appeals Committee must exist as an impartial review body with confidentiality for the individual case review in mind. Committee action shall be determined by majority vote.
The process for conclusion of a Formal Report Form process shall be 37 days, with notification back to the individual in question in a written form.

Review and Appeals Procedure

Submission of Formal Report Forms

When the WOCNCB® becomes aware of an incident that may fall into one of the proceeding categories, the WOCNCB® begins a structured investigation to determine whether or not any disciplinary action will be taken. The review process is designed to give the individual alleged to have committed a violation of WOCNCB® policies a fair opportunity to refute the allegation and/or explain the situation fully before any action is taken by the committee. In each instance which comes to the Credentialing Review and Appeals Committee's attention, the following steps are taken to quickly complete the investigation and resolve the complaints:

Investigation Notice: The Credential Review and Appeals Committee Chair will respond to the initial complaint by providing written notice of the potential problem to the individual, or the "charged party." The individual will be given an opportunity to respond in writing to clarify the matter or provide other pertinent information.
Hearing Decision: Based upon the individual's response to the Chair's inquiry about the complaint, the committee will meet by conference call or electronic communication [e-mail] to determine a) if the complaint has merit and b) if it falls within the scope of the committee's responsibilities. The committee will then determine if an official hearing, in which testimony may be presented by the charged party and others, will be conducted. If the decision is that a hearing is unwarranted, the complaint is dropped and the individual is notified that no action will be taken by the WOCNCB. Complaints which appear to fit the scope of the committee's responsibilities may be sent to:

WOCNCB Credential Review and Appeals Committee 555 East Wells St., Suite 1100 Milwaukee, WI 53202

Only signed, written complaints will be considered. Anonymous correspondence will not be acted upon. The WOCNCB will protect the confidentiality of those who provide information to every possible extent. However, the WOCNCB will become involved only in matters that can be factually determined, while providing the charged party with every opportunity to respond in a professional and legally defensible atmosphere.
Hearing Notice/Information Gathering: If the complaint appears to have merit and is within the purview of the committee, the charged party will be notified by certified mail that a formal hearing will be conducted via a conference call, teleconference or face-to-face meeting. The specific alleged violation will be identified and the charged party will be given 30 days in which to provide information to the committee regarding the complaint. The charged party may decline to participate in the hearing. At the same time, the WOCNCB may contact other individuals about the matter and develop other facts that may help the committee decide if a violation of WOCNCB policies has occurred. The individual will have the right to review information gathered as well as to be personally present and/or represented by legal counsel at the formal hearing. All travel expenses for the charged individual and his/her attorney will be the responsibility of that individual. The WOCNCB also has the right to have legal counsel present during the hearing.
Formal Hearing: All of the information gathered during the investigation or provided by the charged party will be reviewed by the committee. Any personal testimony from the individual or other witnesses will be taken during the hearing, and a transcribed record of the proceedings will be made.
Case Decision: Based on the record of the hearing, including all information submitted by the charged party, the Credential Review and Appeals Committee will determine if the individual has violated WOCNCB policies and, if so, what disciplinary action the WOCNCB will take. Written notice of the committee's decision is provided to the individual by certified mail.
- The charged party will be notified by certified mail and no further action will take place.
- The charged party will be notified by certified mail of the decision and shall have the opportunity to appeal (see below for Appeal process)
- Unless the charged party appeals the committee's decision, his/her credential shall be revoked for a minimum of two years, with the committee determining the length of time the credential will be in revocation. During the revocation period the individual may not apply for any of the WOCNCB's credentials
- Unless the charged party appeals the decision, the committee shall determine if the charged party's employer should receive notification of the credential revocation
Appeal: Upon receipt of the notice of the Credential Review and Appeals Committee's decision, the charged party has 30 days to file a written appeal of the decision to the WOCNCB. When an appeal is made, the voting members of the Board, minus the Credential Review and Appeals Committee Chair and the Public Member, review the record of the case and determine whether to affirm or modify the committee's decision. It is the responsibility of the individual charged with the policy violation to initiate the appeal process.
If the voting members of the Board, minus the Credential Review and Appeals Committee Chair, disagree with the committee's ruling to revoke the credential:
The charged party will be notified by certified mail and no further action will take place.
- The charged party will be notified by certified mail of the decision.
- The charged party's credential shall be revoked for a minimum of two years, with the committee determining the length of time the credential will be in revocation. During the revocation period the individual may not apply for any of the WOCNCB's credentials.
- The committee shall determine if the charged party's employer should receive notification of the credential revocation.
Possible outcomes:
1. If the charged individual is found not to be in violation of WOCNCB policies, then no further action is required. The individual will be notified by certified mail.
2. If the individual is found to be in violation of WOCNCB policies, his/her credential and/or eligibility for certification will be revoked for minimum of two years. The period of revocation will be determined by the Credentialing Review and Appeals Committee.

Reporting Responsibilities

To protect the validity of WOCNCB® credentials, the WOCNCB® depends upon WOCNCB® certificants, WOCN members and the public to report incidents that may require action by the Credential Review and Appeals Committee. Click here to submit a formal complaint.