Ostomy Management Specialist Recertification 

Once you are certified as an ostomy management specialist, you have three pathways to renew your certification which you must do every 5 years.  The National Alliance of Wound Care and Ostomy (NAWCO) provides three pathways to complete your recertification: examination, continuing education or training course.  We will review each pathway below.  But, if you would like to review the information in the student handbook on the NAWCO website, you can do so by clicking here.

Examination

All clinicians have the option of retaking the certification exam to renew.  In my opinion, this is the riskiest of options.  You could be an expert in ostomy management but tend to not do well on testing.  The domain of questions covers a large area, and requires a lot of memorization.  Without studying and reviewing all areas that are fair game for the exam, you could run the risk of scoring below 80% and not passing.  If you do not pass, you would lose your certification until you took the exam again or renewed with a different pathway.  If you are choosing this route, I highly recommend preparing by studying all course material and taking a practice test to test your knowledge before scheduling the actual certification exam.  For those that would like to take a practice test, you can do so by clicking here.

Continuing Education

If you choose to recertify with continuing education, you must complete 60 contact hours of continuing education in 5 years.  The classes can be a mix of ostomy and wound care however you must have a minimum of 20 hours specific to ostomy and the rest can be specific to skin and wound care.  Unfortunately, this is difficult for most to achieve in a 5 year period.  There are not many continuing education companies that offer at least 20 hours of content specific to ostomy.  If you are not consistently taking at least 12 hours of continuing education classes every year, which most clinicians do not do, it can be very difficult from a time and financial standpoint to get 40 hours of continuing education all within the last year or two.

On average, a 1-hour continuing education class costs $30.  This amounts to $1,800 to get 60 hours worth of classes.  Yes, there are occasional opportunities for clinicians to access free courses during ostomy awareness month.  But, on average most clinicians will spend over $1,000 to get the total 60 contact hours.  Keep in mind that this does not include the fees set by NAWCO for renewing.  For this reason, we recommend the third pathway which is completing a recertification training course.

Training Course

NAWCO allows clinicians to recertify as an ostomy management specialist by completing a recertification course.  The course only needs to be 20 hours in length and specific to ostomy management.  With this route, you do not need to retake the certification exam.  Also, you do not have to worry about getting 60 hours of continuing education.  This pathway is perhaps the best in terms of saving time and money.  For those that plan on recertifying using a training course, it is important you complete your renewal application with NAWCO ahead of time.  In this way you ensure that you are eligible to renew with this pathway.  To learn more about our recertification course which can be completed at your own pace online, please click here.

Recertification Benefits

Achieving certification is not just about passing a test or adding letters after your name. It represents a commitment to maintaining high standards in patient care. Certification benefits include recognition as a qualified expert, improved job prospects, and the satisfaction of knowing that you are providing the highest quality of patient care.  Ostomy Management Specialists play a crucial role in enhancing patient outcomes and quality of life through specialized knowledge and skills.

If you have questions about recertifying, reach out to our team at admin@appletreeceu.com.

Best wishes!

Jeffrey Despommier, OTR, OMS, CUA, ATP

About the author – Jeffrey is an occupational therapist with over 16 years of rehabilitation experience. He is board certified as a urologic associate and ostomy management specialist.  He also specializes in complex rehab technology and is board certified as an assistive technology professional.