Well, here we are again my friends. The holiday season is upon us! How quickly this year has flown by! It seems like just yesterday that I began my term as President of the WOCNCB and here I am writing my final President’s message. Let me just say how proud I am of this organization and everyone involved who helps us to continue to do great things for patients and our certified nurses! Our office staff are top notch and keep things running so that our amazing volunteers who serve on committees and our Board of Directors can continue to make our certifications the Gold Standard in Wound, Ostomy, Continence and Foot Care nursing.

Serving as President of the Board has been the honor of a lifetime for me. Throughout my years serving on the board and different committees I have had the privilege of getting to know and work with some amazing and inspiring nurses from all over the country. I have made lifelong friends and have had some great mentors along the way. Although this is a bittersweet moment for me personally, I can confidently ride off into the sunset of my time on the board and as president knowing that we have been able to make some truly monumental differences in people’s lives. I will transition into the role of Immediate Past President at the end of the year and hand over the reins to the very capable Linda McKenna, MSN, RN, CWOCN. Linda has been a dedicated and valued member of the Board and was instrumental in the revamping of the PGP program among many other accomplishments. I have great confidence in her leadership, and I know she will continue to advocate for our nursing specialists and the patients we ultimately serve. Welcome Linda! You will be a great President to lead the board!

On that note, I would like to extend a very big THANK YOU to our board members who will be leaving at the end of this year. George Salamy and Jonathon Smith were both gracious enough to step in and fulfill vacant positions on the board this year. Sarah Erslev will also be leaving us at the end of the year. Sarah has been a valued member of the board and has served as our Financial Officer for the past two years. We will miss her greatly! At our recent Fall board meetings we welcomed three new board members who will begin their terms in January 2026. Amanda Cronin, BSN, RN, CWOCN, Rachel Weske, BSN, RN, CWOCN and Jayne Nelson, DNP, APRN, FNP-C, CWCN-AP. These nurses were elected in the recent board elections and after meeting them I am confident that they will be great additions to the leadership of the WOCNCB as we move forward.

Our new testing vendor PSI did an amazing job with the transition and testing restarted in June. And now we are excited to announce that Practice Exams are now available for Wound, Ostomy, Continence, Foot Care and all AP exams.  These exams are intended to aid test takers in becoming comfortable with the test formats and not as a measure of determining pass or fail performance. Go check them out when you are preparing for your exam. In other exciting news, we have partnered with The Award Group for certificates to newly certified and renewal certificates. The Award Group also offers some beautiful custom framing options at very reasonable prices, see below for details to request replacement or duplicate certificates. I have ordered mine and am excited to see the new certificate design and frames and will proudly display them in my office. We have also updated the WOCNCB Shop with new apparel and they look great! And one final piece of new news, we have recently update the Employer Discount Voucher Program, making it easier for employers to purchase vouchers and offering savings up to 50% off! Tell your employers about the new opportunities to save money and support their WOCNCB certified nurses.

If you are preparing to recertify via the PGP program and have questions I encourage you to tune in to the next Live PGP Office Hours call on Zoom which will be held on November 12, 2025 from 4 – 5:30 PM CST/5-6:30 PM EST. Office hours are hosted by WOCNCB volunteers who are available to answer questions and offer assistance in real time. So go check it out! 

And in upcoming news, make sure you save the date for the Desert Foot Conference December 10-13, 2025 in Phoenix, Arizona where two of our board members, Cathy Harmon and Lynette Gunn will be presenting two great sessions on Tips, Tricks and Techniques for Preventing Heel Pressure Injuries and Active Collaboration between Podiatry and WOCNCB Certified Foot Care Nurses. 

Well folks, that wraps it up for me and my last President’s message. I thank each and every one of you for the dedication and hard work you put in every day to improve patients’ lives. Again, a big thank you to all of our amazing volunteers, and if you haven’t applied to volunteer to serve on one of our committees, I encourage you to do so! You won’t regret the experience. I hope you have a great Thanksgiving and happy holidays! Until we meet again, Happy trails pardner.

Warm regards,

Clay E. Collins, MSN, APRN, FNP-BC, CWOCN, CFCN
WOCNCB^® President

Board Service Recognition

During the WOCNCB Fall Board Meeting Clay Collins presented outgoing Board members with  board service recognition plaques. WOCNCB appreciates Sarah, Jonathan and George for volunteering their time to the Wound, Ostomy, Continence and Foot Care nursing specialties!

Welcome New WOCNCB® Board Members!

Amanda Cronin, BSN, RN, CWOCN from New York; Jayne E. Nelson, DNP, APRN-NP, FNP-C, CWCN-AP from Nebraska; and Rachel Weske, BSN RN, CWOCN from Oklahoma will start four year terms on the WOCNCB Board in January 2026!

Did You Know?

PSI to be new full-service testing vendor for WOCNCB

In June, PSI Services opened scheduling and testing for all WOCNCB certification exams. Visit our FAQs page for additional details.

New partnership with the Award Group for Certificates

Certificates/Wallet Cards

WOCNCB is excited to announce its new partnership with the Award Group for certificate fulfillment. In addition to sending out certificates and wallet cards, certificants will have the option to purchase a frame for their certificate. No purchase is necessary to receive your certificate and wallet card without a frame.

Individuals who recently certified or recertified will receive an email from WOCNCB Certificates certificates@wocncb.org. This email contains a link to www.theawardgroup.co/WOCNCB, a username, and password, which you can use to confirm your mailing address and order your complimentary certificate and wallet card. (You must await this email as your method of confirmed registration and cannot register in advance.) 

Certificates are issued the month following your last completed exam and/or PGP portfolio, once you have completed all the specialties you applied for. If you encounter any trouble ordering your certificate, please contact Certification@theawardgroup.com.

For replacement or duplicate certificate requests: Email info@wocncb.org with request. Please include your Name, Address and Certification information. Replacement certificates cost $15.00.

Fall WOCNCB Logo Items!

Celebrate your achievement of certification with WOCNCB® logo items. Click here to order from the new WOCNCB® collection! Order today; the Fall shop closes November 16th!

Desert Foot offers nurses a special $149.00 registration rate for 20 CE/CME!

All WOCNCB official announcements are sent via email

Update your contact information in one simple step!

Remember, your certifications are with WOCNCB. Don't risk a certification lapse! All WOCNCB official announcements are sent via e-mail only. If you have changed your e-mail address in the last 5 years, please contact the WOCNCB office at info@wocncb.org. Help us help you to keep your contact information up-to-date to receive recertification reminders! 

The WOCN^® Society and WOCNCB do not share contact databases to prevent any perceived or actual conflict of interest on the part of the certification board.

To learn more regarding the WOCN^® Society and the benefits of membership please visit wocn.org.

Please keep your email address up-to-date!