personal statement for wound care

Top 18 Wound Care Nurse Resume Objective Examples

Updated July 22, 2023 13 min read

A resume objective is a brief statement that communicates your career goals and summarizes your unique skills as they relate to the job position. For a wound care nurse, this should include your expertise in wound assessment, treatment, and prevention. Additionally, you should highlight any specific experience or certifications related to the job. To make your resume stand out, emphasize the value you can bring to the organization by focusing on accomplishments rather than responsibilities.

For example, instead of simply stating “Provided wound care for patients” you could say “Successfully managed complex wound cases resulting in improved patient outcomes.” Another example might be “Utilized evidence-based practices for wound care to ensure best patient results.” By showcasing how you have approached similar roles in the past, employers will gain insight into your capabilities and how you would handle similar tasks in their organization.

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Top 18 Wound Care Nurse Resume Objective Samples

• To utilize my extensive experience in wound care nursing to provide the highest quality of patient-centered care.
• To apply my knowledge and skills in wound care to ensure optimal patient outcomes.
• To contribute to a team-oriented environment by providing excellent wound care services.
• To use my expertise in wound management to improve patient comfort and satisfaction.
• To leverage my strong background in wound assessment and treatment to promote positive patient outcomes.
• To develop and implement effective protocols for wound prevention and healing.
• To collaborate with physicians, other healthcare professionals, and patients to deliver comprehensive wound care services.
• To use evidence-based practice guidelines to provide safe, effective, and efficient wound care.
• To utilize advanced techniques such as debridement, irrigation, dressing changes, and compression therapy for optimal results.
• Seeking an opportunity to apply my clinical expertise in the field of wound care nursing.
• Looking for a challenging role as a Wound Care Nurse where I can utilize my skills and experience to provide quality patient care.
• Aiming to join a reputed healthcare organization as a Wound Care Nurse where I can make use of my knowledge of advanced wound management techniques.
• Seeking an opportunity as a Wound Care Nurse where I can help improve the quality of life for patients with chronic wounds through compassionate care.
• Desire a position as a Wound Care Nurse that will allow me to utilize my education, training, and experience in providing holistic patient-centered care.
• Looking forward to joining a dynamic team of healthcare professionals as a Wound Care Nurse where I can make meaningful contributions towards improving patient outcomes through evidence-based practices.
• Eagerly looking for an opportunity as a Wound Care Nurse where I can use my expertise in assessing wounds accurately, developing treatment plans accordingly, and monitoring progress towards healing goals.
• Aiming for an entry level position as a Wound Care Nurse that will enable me to further develop my skills while providing high quality patient care services with compassion and empathy.

How to Write a Wound Care Nurse Resume Objective

A wound care nurse resume objective is an important part of any job application. It should be written to demonstrate your qualifications, experience and knowledge in the field of wound care nursing. The objective should also provide a clear picture of how you can contribute to the organization.

When writing a wound care nurse resume objective, it is essential to start with a statement that highlights your strengths and qualifications related to wound care nursing. This will help employers quickly identify what makes you stand out from other applicants. For example, you could write “I am an experienced wound care nurse with over five years of experience in providing comprehensive care for patients with wounds.”

In addition, it is important to include any certifications or specializations you have obtained in relation to wound care nursing. This could include any specific courses or trainings related to the field as well as any professional certifications such as Wound Care Certified (WCC). You may also want to list any research or publications related to wound care nursing that you have participated in or authored.

Finally, when writing a wound care nurse resume objective, it is important to state how you can bring value to the organization. This could include how your skills and experience can benefit the organization through improving patient outcomes or cost savings and efficiency improvements. Additionally, you could mention ways in which you can assist in training new staff members or developing protocols for effective treatment plans.

Overall, when crafting a compelling and effective wound care nurse resume objective, it is essential to highlight your qualifications and experience while also demonstrating how you can bring value and benefit the organization through your contributions. By doing so, employers will be able to quickly recognize why hiring you would be beneficial for their team and organization overall.

Related : What does a Wound Care Nurse do?

Key Skills to Highlight in Your Wound Care Nurse Resume Objective

In the competitive field of nursing, having a well-crafted resume is crucial to stand out among other candidates. Particularly for specialized roles like a Wound Care Nurse, it's essential to highlight specific skills in your resume objective that align with the job requirements. This section will delve into the key skills you should emphasize in your Wound Care Nurse Resume Objective to increase your chances of landing the job. We'll discuss both technical and soft skills that can demonstrate your proficiency and commitment to providing high-quality wound care.

1. Debridement

Debridement is a crucial skill for a Wound Care Nurse as it involves the removal of damaged tissue or foreign objects from a wound to promote healing. This skill demonstrates the ability to perform necessary procedures to aid in patient recovery, showcasing medical proficiency, attention to detail, and patient care. Including this skill in a resume objective can highlight the applicant's practical nursing abilities and their commitment to providing comprehensive wound care.

2. Dressing selection

A Wound Care Nurse needs to have the skill of dressing selection as they are responsible for treating patients with various types of wounds. This includes choosing the appropriate dressing materials and techniques to promote healing, prevent infection, and manage pain. Having this skill shows potential employers that the nurse is capable of providing effective wound care treatment, which is crucial in managing patient health and recovery. It also demonstrates a strong knowledge base in nursing care and an ability to make informed decisions based on each patient's unique needs.

3. Infection control

A Wound Care Nurse needs to have infection control skills as they are responsible for treating patients with various types of wounds, which can often be susceptible to infections. This skill is crucial in preventing the spread of bacteria and other harmful pathogens, ensuring the patient's wound heals properly, and maintaining overall patient health. Including this skill in a resume objective demonstrates a commitment to patient safety and highlights the candidate's ability to provide high-quality care.

4. Pressure ulcer prevention

A Wound Care Nurse is responsible for treating patients with various types of wounds, including pressure ulcers. Demonstrating a skill in pressure ulcer prevention is crucial as it shows the ability to not only treat existing wounds but also implement strategies to prevent future ones. This skill indicates a proactive approach to patient care, which can reduce hospital stays and improve overall patient health outcomes. It also showcases the nurse's knowledge in understanding risk factors and implementing appropriate interventions, which is an essential aspect of this role.

5. Negative pressure therapy

Negative pressure therapy is a crucial skill for a Wound Care Nurse as it involves using vacuum dressing to promote healing in acute or chronic wounds and enhance the healing of second and third degree burns. This skill demonstrates the nurse's ability to use advanced wound care techniques, which is essential in managing complex patient cases. Including this skill in a resume objective shows potential employers that the candidate has specific knowledge and expertise in effective wound management strategies, thus making them a valuable addition to any healthcare team.

6. Compression therapy

Compression therapy is a critical skill for a wound care nurse as it involves the use of pressure to promote healing and reduce swelling in wounds. This skill demonstrates the nurse's ability to effectively manage and treat patients with serious wounds, which is crucial for this role. Including this skill in a resume objective shows potential employers that the candidate has hands-on experience and knowledge in essential wound care techniques.

7. Moisture management

A wound care nurse needs to have expertise in moisture management because it is crucial for the healing process of wounds. They need to understand how to balance moisture levels to prevent infections and promote faster recovery. This skill shows potential employers that the candidate has a deep understanding of wound care and can effectively manage patient's wounds, reducing their discomfort and improving their overall health.

8. Pain assessment

A Wound Care Nurse needs to have pain assessment skills as they are responsible for evaluating and monitoring the pain levels of patients with various types of wounds. This skill is crucial in determining the appropriate treatment plan and ensuring the patient's comfort and recovery. Including this skill in a resume objective demonstrates a candidate's ability to provide comprehensive care for patients, which is a critical aspect of the role.

9. Nutritional support

Wound healing is a complex process that requires adequate nutrition to ensure successful outcomes. A Wound Care Nurse with nutritional support skills can provide appropriate dietary advice, manage nutritional supplements, and monitor patients' nutritional status to promote wound healing. This skill is crucial for a resume objective as it demonstrates the nurse's holistic approach to patient care and their ability to contribute to improved patient recovery rates.

10. Patient education

A Wound Care Nurse needs the skill of patient education to effectively communicate and educate patients and their families on wound care procedures, treatments, and preventive measures. This skill is crucial for a resume objective as it showcases the candidate's ability to not only perform medical procedures but also empower patients with knowledge about their conditions. It demonstrates that the nurse can foster better patient outcomes through education, which is an essential aspect of comprehensive care.

In conclusion, your wound care nurse resume objective should effectively communicate your key skills and competencies in a clear and compelling manner. Highlighting these skills is crucial in demonstrating your expertise and suitability for the position. This not only sets you apart from other candidates but also provides potential employers with an overview of your professional capabilities. Remember, this section of your resume serves as a brief introduction to what you can offer to the healthcare facility, so make it count by emphasizing your most relevant skills.

Related : Wound Care Nurse Skills: Definition and Examples

Common Mistakes When Writing a Wound Care Nurse Resume Objective

The resume objective is an important part of any nurse’s resume. It is the first thing that a potential employer will read and it should give them an idea of why they should consider you as a candidate for the position. As such, it is important to take time and craft a well-written objective statement that accurately reflects your skills and experience. Unfortunately, many nurses make some common mistakes when writing their wound care nurse resume objectives.

One of the most common mistakes that nurses make when crafting their resume objectives is using general language. A good objective should be specific and tailored to the job position you are applying for. Instead of simply stating that you are looking for a position in wound care, provide details about your experience or qualifications related to wound care nursing. This will show employers that you have the knowledge and skills necessary to excel in this field.

Another mistake nurses often make when writing their resume objectives is being too vague or generic in their statements. For example, instead of saying “seeking a challenging role in a healthcare setting”, say something like “seeking a challenging role as a wound care nurse in an acute care setting”. Being specific will help employers get an idea of what kind of role you are looking for and how you can fit into their team.

It is also important to avoid using clichés or stock phrases in your objective statement; instead, use unique language that reflects your individual qualifications and experiences related to wound care nursing. Additionally, be sure to keep your statement concise – employers don’t have time to read lengthy resumes so try to keep it under three sentences if possible.

By avoiding these common mistakes when crafting your wound care nurse resume objective statement, you can ensure that your application stands out from the rest and increases your chances of landing the job!

Related : Wound Care Nurse Resume Examples

A right resume objective for a wound care nurse should focus on qualities such as compassion, knowledge of the latest treatments, and dedication to patient care; whereas a wrong resume objective for a wound care nurse might emphasize personal career goals or unrelated skills.

Editorial staff

Brenna Goyette

Brenna is a certified professional resume writer, career expert, and the content manager of the ResumeCat team. She has a background in corporate recruiting and human resources and has been writing resumes for over 10 years. Brenna has experience in recruiting for tech, finance, and marketing roles and has a passion for helping people find their dream jobs. She creates expert resources to help job seekers write the best resumes and cover letters, land the job, and succeed in the workplace.

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By: David McCarthy, careers adviser, University of South Wales.​

Your CV is the first chance to impress a potential employer and get you that all important face-to-face interview — getting it right can be career changing.

Your CV is a snapshot of you. Most employers will not spend a huge amount of time looking at your CV, so you need to ensure that you capture their attention by making your content RELEVANT and ENGAGING. Consider whether your content is specific to the job in question, whether your writing is interesting, whether it clearly represents you and your skillset, and whether you yourself would want to read the document! It is a marketing document designed to illustrate and showcase your specific and relevant ‘offer’ to the job to which you are applying, so be sure to pay close attention to the requirements of the role. Relevance — if the information isn’t relevant to the position, then don’t include it in your CV. Impact — think about how you present your information – the layout of the document, choice of font, categorisation, etc. If you were to hold it at arms-length, what is the first thing that you see? Is it content that markets you most effectively and the information you would want to see first? Professionalism — your CV should demonstrate your professionalism, not just through its content but also through the way that your content is written and presented. Pay particular attention to spelling and grammar.   

Key considerations

• Take time out to reflect on your current offer — what have you done that is relevant to the job that you are applying to and where would this information ideally sit within your CV?
• Avoid being generic. Be specific to what you have done/can do and evidence this
• Always consider your audience — does it meet their needs and is the document engaging?
• Typically, your CV should be no more than two sides of A4
• Pay particular attention to your spelling and grammar. Spelling mistakes will immediately undermine your professionalism
• It is up to you whether you write in the first or third person (although don’t jump between the two). Writing in the first person can make your CV more personal (although potentially more wordy); writing in the third person will make the CV more succinct and immediate
• Use bullet points — large blocks of text can be offputting and make it more difficult for the reader to see immediately what you have to offer
• Be consistent in how you present your information. If, in your education section, you have the date on the left-hand side of the page, the degree title on the right-hand side and institution name underneath this, then in your experience section you should do the same, although instead of the degree title, have your job title and instead of the institution name, have the employer name
• Be consistent with your choice of font and font size. If you choose to have a larger font size for your headings, ensure this is the same throughout
• If you are applying to an advertised job that requires you to send a CV, pay particular attention to the job’s ‘essential requirements’, as this is the information that you must detail and evidence in your CV
• Present the information in your CV in order of importance — whatever markets you most effectively should come first. Your first page has far more impact, so this is where all of your key information should sit, enabling the reader to see it immediately. Don’t hide key information away on the second page of your CV
• Think carefully about how you categorise your information. The reader will be guided by your headings, so you need to be sure they are specific and immediately obvious, e.g. instead of using headings such as ‘Employment’ and ‘Key skills’, you could use ‘Clinical experience’ or ‘Nursing skills’
• It is your document, so you determine the look, style and content of your CV. Take pride in how you are representing yourself; be sure you are doing yourself and your personal brand justice.

Typical CV sections

Personal details.

• Use your name as a heading; don’t have ‘Curriculum vitae’, as it should be fairly obvious what the document is
• Use a larger font for your name to create impact
• Include your contact details — address, email address, contact number
• If you are on LinkedIn, you may also choose to include a link to your profile
• You do not have to include information such as your date of birth, gender, health, or marital status.

Personal profile/professional profile

• A well-written personal profile can be a valuable way to sell yourself in a few introductory lines
• If you find it difficult to write a profile, then don’t include one. It is better not to have one, than to have a poorly written one
•  Introduce your current situation
•  Highlight your specific area of expertise/interest and provide a brief example
•  Inform the reader why you are sending them your CV.

Nursing student example: 

Summary of achievements.

• You may wish to include a headline list of key professional achievements demonstrating your experience and skills.
• Reverse chronological order — most recent first
• Include the dates of study, the subject studied, place of study as well as degree classification
• Main focus should be on most recent study. The amount of detail that you go into is up to you, e.g. projects/modules/dissertation title and a brief synopsis may be included
• Provide limited information on pre-university education — a maximum of a couple of lines detailing GCSEs/A levels/BTecs. If space is of a premium, don’t include this information
• Someone who is recently qualified is likely to give more space to his or her education section due to not having as much work-based experience. Someone who has been a nurse for many years, will give far more space to his or her experience/employment section
• Only detail formal education in this section, i.e. university/school. Detail short specific work-based training elsewhere.

Nursing employment/nursing experience/placement experience

• Choose a heading that best suits your experience
• Detail your experiences in reverse chronological order — most recent first
• Include dates, job title and place of employment
• Be specific, don’t just describe what you did, write about the process and the skills that you developed
• Use action words/action verbs to help effectively illustrate the skills that you have developed and to demonstrate the specifics of the job
• Ensure that you are relating your experiences to the job to which you are applying. Refer to any essential requirements and evidence them.
• Assisted in new approaches to wound management in surgery, including…
• Liaised with occupational therapists and social services in the transition of elderly patients from wards to home care. This involved…
• Accurately completed pre-operative assessments and checklist in surgery ward
• Participated in multidisciplinary team meetings with nursing staff and healthcare professionals in the planning and delivery of patient care. This led to…
• Demonstrated high standards of cleanliness and adherence to infection control procedures.

Nursing skills/key skills

This section allows you to demonstrate how you meet the requirements of the job. Choose some of the key skills that the job demands and use these as headings for this section. You can then briefly evidence how you have the skill in place. Typical skills to demosntrate could include:  

• Verbal/written communication
• Observation skills
• Organisational skills
• Flexibililty
• Attention to detail

Communication

• Confident communicator verbally and in written form. Can communicate effectively with patients, carers, families and other healthcare professionals. Ability to write reports, undertake assessments, complete patient, and ward documentation

Organisation and planning

• Excellent time management and organisational capabilities with proven ability to work under pressure in busy ward environments.

Continuing professional development/additional training

• Use this section to detail any training courses attended including the dates, course provider and qualification achieved
• You can also detail information such as conferences attended/presented at, as well as publications/articles to which you may have contributed.

Additional employment

• You may have undertaken employment in a non-healthcare setting. You can detail this under an ‘Additional employment’ heading. If you choose to do this, focus on the transferable skills gained, e.g. teamwork, communication, problem-solving, project management, leadership, customer care, as opposed to the specifics of the position(s)
• It may be useful to include this section if you are new to the role/don’t have a huge amount of experience/are recently qualified.

Interests and achievements/additional information

• This allows you to give a little more detail about yourself
• If possible, focus on interests and achievements that have some relevance to the profession, e.g. language skills.

Referees available upon request

• Include this statement at the end of your CV. If you have space, you may choose to include their contact details — name, job title, address, email, telephone — ensure you get their permission before doing so.

Example action words

• Address your cover letter to a named person. Avoid ‘Dear sir/madam’
• It should look like a letter — have your contact details in the top right corner, the person’s details that you are sending it to slightly lower on the left-hand side and date the letter
• Keep your style consistent — use the same font/font size etc as your CV
• If addressed to a named person, sign off ‘Yours sincerely’; if addressed ‘Dear sir/madam’ (try not to!), sign off ‘Yours faithfully’
• Your cover letter should be no more than one side of A4 and should be well written, succinct and to the point
• Follow a four-paragraph structure and make it interesting!

First paragraph

• Tell the reader your current situation, why you are writing to them, the job that you are applying to and where you saw it advertised.

Second paragraph

• Write about two or three of your key achievements/experiences or skills that are relevant to the job
• For example, ‘As detailed in my CV, I have five years of experience working as… at… . As part of this role, I have been able to develop a number of skills within …’. Be specific
• Try and relate these experiences to the role and its essential requirements.

Third paragraph

• Talk about why you want to work for the specific organisation/service/ward/company
• Show an understanding of what the job involves, what they do as a team, how they work and why you would be a good fit
• Massage their ego — tell them how great you think they are!

Fourth paragraph

• A prompt for action
• Thank them for their time and inform them when you are available for interview/to meet/to continue the conversation.
• Enter reference here

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How To Cleanse, Irrigate, Debride, and Dress Wounds

, MD, San Antonio Uniformed Services Health Education Consortium

• Indications
• Contraindications
• Complications
• Additional Considerations
• Positioning
• Step-by-Step Description of Procedure
• Warnings and Common Errors
• 3D Models (0)
• Calculators (0)

Wound hygiene (eg, cleansing, irrigation, and debridement), including thorough examination of the wound and surrounding tissues, promotes uncomplicated healing of traumatic skin wounds and is required prior to wound closure.

Wound healing is impaired by various factors (eg, bacterial contamination, foreign bodies, wound ischemia, host factors). All traumatic wounds are assumed to be contaminated. The goal of wound hygiene is to reduce the contaminant burden without causing further tissue damage or introducing more contaminants.

Diagnosis and management of foreign bodies in wounds are a critical part of wound hygiene. Occasionally, identified or suspected foreign bodies are deeply seated, requiring referral to a surgical specialist.

(See also Lacerations Lacerations Lacerations are tears in soft body tissue. Care of lacerations Enables prompt healing Minimizes risk of infection Optimizes cosmetic results read more . )

Indications for Wound Care

Traumatic skin wounds

Contraindications for Wound Care

Absolute contraindications

Relative contraindications

Wounds of highly vascularized skin (eg, scalp and face) may not need irrigation.

Deep wounds or those with sinuses or fistulas should be carefully evaluated* before irrigation to avoid causing deeper seeding of bacteria or foreign material.

Puncture wounds should be irrigated and debrided at the surface, particularly if secondary to cat bites, given their high likelihood of infection. However, the value of deep probing, irrigation, and coring is not certain.

Actively bleeding wounds should not be irrigated, because irrigation may disturb clot formation; hemostasis must precede irrigation.

Wounds involving deep structures (eg, nerves, blood vessels, ducts, joints, tendons, bones) and those covering large areas require specific repair techniques that may necessitate referral to a surgical specialist. Hand lacerations or injuries, particularly high-pressure injections or those requiring microscopic repair procedures, need surgical evaluation. Facial lacerations, deep or complex wounds, or wounds involving the eyelids also need specialist consultation or evaluation.

Complications of Wound Care

Infection, the risk of which is increased by insufficient cleansing or debridement, foreign body retention (especially wood splinters or other organic material), or overly aggressive debridement of viable tissue

Further tissue damage or deeper inoculation of bacteria and foreign material due to overly aggressive wound hygiene

Equipment for Wound Care

Wound hygiene and closure techniques need not be sterile procedures. Although instruments that touch the wound (eg, forceps, needles, suture) must be sterile, clean nonsterile gloves as well as clean but not sterile water may be used in immunocompetent patients. Some operators prefer the better fit and better barrier protection of sterile gloves.

Clean procedure, barrier protection

Face mask and safety glasses (or a face shield), head cap, gown, gloves (sterile if preferred, but these are nonsterile procedures)

Sterile drapes, towels (for wound debridement and suturing)

Wound cleansing, inspection, debridement (not all items are required for simple repairs)

Overhead procedure light

Antiseptic solution (eg, chlorhexidine , povidone-iodine )

Sterile gauze squares (eg, 10 cm × 10 cm [4 inch × 4 inch])

Pneumatic tourniquet (or blood pressure cuff), commercial hemostatic agent, as needed to assist hemostasis

Local anesthetic (eg, 1% lidocaine with epinephrine 1:100,000, 25-gauge needle): Do not use epinephrine in extremities affected by peripheral vascular disease, in digits, the penis, or tip of the nose, or at distal sites when a compression tourniquet is also being used. Local anesthetics are discussed in Lacerations Lacerations Lacerations are tears in soft body tissue. Care of lacerations Enables prompt healing Minimizes risk of infection Optimizes cosmetic results read more .

For certain patients (eg, children), topical anesthetic (eg, proprietary emulsions of 2.5% lidocaine plus 2.5% prilocaine )

Sterile saline for irrigation (sterile water or clean, potable water are permissible substitutes)

35-mL and/or 60-mL syringes

Irrigation shield (syringe attachment to block splashing)

Plastic catheter (eg, 18- or 19-gauge standard catheter) or commercially available splash guard device

Fine-pore sponge (eg, 90 pores per inch)

Tissue forceps (eg, Adson forceps), tissue hook, probe, hemostat, splinter forceps (fine-tipped), and suture scissors (single blunt-tip, double sharp edge)

Scalpel (#10 for large incisions, #15 for precise incisions, #11 for small stab incisions), iris scissors, or curette

Wound dressing

Antibiotic ointment: Topical antibiotic ointments continue to be recommended for sutured wounds because they help keep wound edges moist and prevent dressings from sticking. However, they have not been proven to reduce infection or enhance healing.

Sterile nonadherent, absorbent, and/or occlusive dressing

Gauze roll and tape or gauze sleeve

Sometimes splints or other materials to restrict motion or skin tension that may pull on the wound

Additional Considerations for Wound Care

Adequate anesthesia is important because these procedures may be painful, and insufficient anesthesia may result in insufficient cleansing, inspection, and debridement. Always do the neurovascular examination (distal to the wound) before giving anesthesia.

Intradermal anesthetic injection itself is painful. Subdermal (subcutaneous) injection causes less pain and is preferred.

Nerve blocks Local anesthesia for laceration treatment and procedural sedation Sedation Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are often agitated, confused, and uncomfortable. They can become delirious (ICU delirium). These symptoms are unpleasant for patients and often interfere with... read more and analgesia Analgesia Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are often agitated, confused, and uncomfortable. They can become delirious (ICU delirium). These symptoms are unpleasant for patients and often interfere with... read more should be used as needed for wounds that are difficult to anesthetize using local anesthesia (eg, very painful or large wounds) and for agitated or uncooperative patients. Very large or complicated wounds may need to be repaired in the operating room under general anesthesia if wound exploration, cleansing, debridement, and repair could be too painful.

Hair removal is generally not recommended, except when closure using adhesive strips is anticipated. To remove hair, clip rather than shave it. Eyebrows must remain intact to achieve accurate alignment of wound edges during suturing.

Wound tissue can be vulnerable to further injury during cleansing and closure. Do not use excessive force during irrigation and scrubbing. To avoid crushing tissue, never grasp it with a hemostat.

A retained foreign body in a wound is suggested by pain or foreign-body sensation (enhanced by motion) in the absence of infection.

Some foreign bodies (eg, small fragments of glass or metal in a puncture wound) may be allowed to remain in a wound if removal would incur additional tissue damage and further impair healing. Patients should be told that a retained foreign body is possible and given wound care instructions that include watching for signs of infection.

Dressings should keep wounds moist—but not too moist. Typically, a nonstick porous dressing is placed directly over the wound, followed sometimes by an absorbent dressing sufficient to absorb the wound's secretions, followed lastly by an occlusive dressing. The dressing contacting the wound must not dry and adhere to the wound because fragile granulation tissue would be ripped from the healing wound bed when the dressing is removed for changing. A dressing that may be adherent to the wound can be soaked with water or saline for several minutes and then removed with gentle traction; this will minimize the removal of granulation tissue with the dressing.

Positioning for Wound Care

Position the patient comfortably reclined or supine. Allow space for a basin to be placed under the wound during irrigation.

Adjust the stretcher height so that you will be comfortable either sitting or standing at the bedside.

The wound should be well lit, preferably with an overhead procedure light.

Step-by-Step Description of Wound Care

(See Lacerations Lacerations Lacerations are tears in soft body tissue. Care of lacerations Enables prompt healing Minimizes risk of infection Optimizes cosmetic results read more for detailed discussions of the treatment and healing of skin wounds.)

Preliminary tasks

Place all equipment on a tray within your reach.

Wear gloves and a face shield or protective eyewear and a mask.

Initially wash heavily contaminated wounds, eg, using tap water and a gentle hand soap. Depending on wound location, patients can do this themselves; local anesthesia may be needed.

Hemostasis: Direct pressure to the site is the primary technique. Use finger pressure or gauze pads (may be moistened with sterile saline) to hold external pressure on the wound. Elevate the area if possible, and, if needed, use other means (eg, inflated blood pressure cuff, brief application of a proximal tourniquet, injected or topical 1% epinephrine with lidocaine ) to attain hemostasis. Elevation and use of a proximally placed compression tourniquet are often helpful in achieving hemostasis of hand wounds. Avoid clamping blood vessels to avoid inadvertently clamping tendons, nerves, or other important structures.

Wound evaluation Evaluation Lacerations are tears in soft body tissue. Care of lacerations Enables prompt healing Minimizes risk of infection Optimizes cosmetic results read more : Document the wound's history, location, size, degree of contamination, foreign bodies, associated injuries (eg, fractures and muscle and tendon disruptions), and neurovascular status distal to the wound. Check range of motion in all appropriate joints, particularly if a tendon injury is possible.

Skin cleansing: Proceed from the wound edges outward, wiping in concentric circles with chlorhexidine or povidone-iodine solution followed by alcohol solution. Do not introduce a cleansing agent directly into the wound because many are toxic to tissues and may interfere with wound healing.

Local infiltration anesthesia

Hold the local anesthetic syringe at a shallow angle to the skin. Insert the needle directly into the exposed subdermal layer of the wound edge (ie, do not insert the needle percutaneously) and advance the needle to the hub. Pull back on the plunger to exclude intravascular placement. Then inject the anesthetic, minimizing the pressure of injection while slowly withdrawing the needle.

Continue to anesthetize the circumference of the wound, subdermally inserting the needle into regions already anesthetized, advancing the needle into contiguous unanesthetized tissue, and injecting while withdrawing the needle. Repeat around the entire wound.

Wound cleansing

Dirty wounds may require scrubbing (as described below) before irrigation.

Irrigate the laceration using sterile saline in a 35- or 60-mL syringe (preferably with a splash guard attached but otherwise via a plastic catheter).

Use a tissue forceps or probe to expose the tissue, and irrigate the entire depth and full extent of the wound.

Press down on the plunger with the thumbs of both hands in order to produce enough pressure to remove particulate matter and bacteria. The volume of the fluid required varies with the size of the wound and the degree of contamination. Typically, 50 to 100 mL per centimeter of wound length is used, but for relatively clean wounds, 30 to 50 mL per centimeter is usually adequate.

Continue irrigation until the wound is visibly clean. If irrigation is ineffective in removing visible particles, scrubbing (described below) is required.

Scrub gently, using a fine-pore sponge (if available) to minimize tissue abrasion.

Use a portion of the sponge to first scrub the skin surface around the wound to remove foreign material that could enter the wound.

Use the remaining sponge to scrub the internal surface of the wound. Use care when scrubbing because the sponge may damage the internal tissues and provoke inflammation.

After scrubbing, irrigate the wound as described above.

Wound exploration

Place a fenestrated drape over the wound.

Examine the wound under good lighting and after bleeding has been controlled.

Use a tissue forceps or probe to expose the wound tissue, and explore the entire depth and full extent of the wound to locate foreign bodies, particulate matter, bone fragments, and injuries to underlying structures. Do not explore the wound with your finger, because sharp foreign bodies may cause injury.

Use the forceps or #15 scalpel to remove visible objects from the wound. Use gauze to remove particulate matter.

Sometimes you may need to extend the wound edges or occasionally its depth to see adequately.

After inspecting and removing matter from the wound, irrigate the wound.

Wound debridement

Debride all devitalized and necrotic tissue: Stabilize the wound edge with forceps, then cut away the devitalized tissue with a scalpel or iris scissors. Make the cuts perpendicular to the skin surface, not on an angle (to maximize dermal apposition during closure).

Wound edge contamination that cannot be removed by irrigation and scrubbing (eg, grease and grit from power tool injury) may need to be removed by debridement.

To debride a fistula or through-and-through puncture wound, moisten some gauze and gently pull it through the tract in the direction opposite to the puncture using a forceps or hemostat.

After debridement, irrigate the wound again to remove any remaining debris.

The wound is now prepared for closure and dressing. (See Lacerations Lacerations Lacerations are tears in soft body tissue. Care of lacerations Enables prompt healing Minimizes risk of infection Optimizes cosmetic results read more regarding which wounds may benefit from delayed closure or no closure.) For wounds that require closure, the closure can be done using simple interrupted sutures How To Repair a Laceration With Simple Interrupted Sutures Uncomplicated epidermal closure is most often done using simple interrupted sutures. Each suture consists of a single, roughly circular (ie, simple) loop of suture material, individually tied... read more , buried deep dermal sutures How To Do Plastic Surgical Repair With Buried Deep Dermal Sutures Deep dermal sutures (which begin and end at the bottom of the wound so that the knot is deeply buried) can be used to appose the dermis and hypodermis of wounds under tension in cosmetically... read more , horizontal mattress sutures How To Repair a Laceration With Horizontal Mattress Sutures The horizontal mattress suture uses a simple suture bite followed by a reverse bite adjacent to the first to create a single broad suture that achieves wound approximation and epidermal eversion... read more , vertical mattress sutures How To Repair a Laceration With Vertical Mattress Sutures The vertical mattress suture accomplishes, in a single suture, both dermal and subdermal approximation using a wide-deep (“far-far”) loop, followed by epidermal approximation and eversion using... read more , a subcuticular running suture How To Repair a Laceration With a Subcuticular Running Suture Placed intradermally, the subcuticular running-type suture is used for cosmetic closure of a straight, clean laceration under no tension, typically of the face or neck and using absorbable suture... read more , glue How To Repair a Laceration With Glue Wound glue or adhesives—or biodegradable bonding agents—can be used to close small, straight, superficial, low-tension wounds. Simple superficial wounds that do not require deep-layer closure... read more , or stapling How To Repair a Laceration With Stapling Stapling devices are used to rapidly close straight, sharp-edged lacerations when cosmetic closure is not needed. Relatively straight, sharp-edged lacerations of the trunk or an extremity, and... read more , depending on the nature of the wound.

Wound dressing*

Gently wipe away any remaining cleansing agent and dried blood or skin debris using moistened gauze.

If the wound has been closed with sutures, many operators apply topical antibiotic to keep the sutures from adhering to the dressing.

Place a nonadherent dressing on the wound.

If significant oozing or bleeding seems possible, apply a sterile absorbent dressing over the nonadherent dressing. Use a thick layer if considerable drainage is anticipated. Follow wounds at risk of heavy bleeding closely.

For wounds in locations subject to significant soilage, apply a sterile occlusive dressing.

Apply adhesive tape or a circumferential gauze wrap to keep the dressing in place. Be careful not to place circumferential wraps too tightly, which may lead to excessive compression and subsequent ischemia.

* Some wounds typically are not dressed (eg, facial lacerations and those within areas that have hair).

Aftercare for Dressing Wounds

Instruct the patient to keep the dressing dry and in place and to return in 2 days for a wound check or, if delayed closure is anticipated, in 3 to 5 days.

Prophylactic oral antibiotics may be given to prevent infection of dirty (especially organically contaminated) wounds, particularly for diabetic and immunocompromised patients.

Warnings and Common Errors for Wound Care

Proper wound care must include thorough examination regardless of anticipated closure method; a common error is to do cursory exploration and no debridement because a noninvasive closure not requiring local anesthesia is planned.

Wounds with possible retained foreign bodies, joint penetration, or damage to underlying structures such as tendons require full wound exploration and observation through the range of motion of adjoining joints.

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Effective wound care

• Wound causes and special considerations for these different types
• Assessment and dressings
• Encouraging effective healing at different stages
• The tissue in the wound is dead and presents as dry, leathery material from the destruction of cells and blood vessels, which may completely cover the wound and make assessment impossible.
• Aim of management: to rehydrate the tissue, stimulate autolysis and prevent infection.
• Dressings: the most commonly used is the amorphous or hydrogel dressing together with a semi-permeable secondary dressing, which is designed to release moisture to soften and ‘dissolve’ dead tissue. Alternatively, hydrocolloid dressings are also designed to create a warm, clean, moist environment in which autolysis will occur, and protect the wound. Autolysis relies on the inherent ability of the body through its enzymes, immune system and moisture to liquefy and eliminate necrotic and sloughy tissue. It is painless and only necrotic tissue or slough is liquefied when appropriate dressings are used; however, it can take a long time and may cause maceration of the wound and wound edges. Alternatively, the wound may be debrided surgically by a suitably qualified clinician, if this can be tolerated.
• The wound is covered or partially covered in soft, moist, dead tissue, mainly yellow in colour but possibly ranging from white through to dark grey or brown. This tissue is composed of dead cells accumulated in exudate and should be removed to reduce the risk of infection.
• The exudate levels must be accurately assessed before choosing the most suitable product.
• Aim of management: to de-slough, prevent infection.
• Dressings: after determining the exudate levels, hydrogel or hydrocolloid dressings to encourage autolysis should be used.
• The wound must be monitored for signs of infection and managed with dressings containing honey (eg Activon) or silver (eg Aquacel AG, Acticoat), and a decision made as to whether systemic antibiotics are required if there is a host response to the wound infection.
• Alternative methods may include larval therapy (biological debridement), in which sterilised maggots (available on prescription) work quickly and selectively to digest necrotic material by secreting bactericidal enzymes. Larval therapy has been demonstrated to be effective against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and beta-haemolytic streptococcus. Although larval therapy has been widely practised throughout the UK for almost 20 years, it does make many feel squeamish. Debrisoft, as endorsed by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), 8 is a more recent innovation. It is a pad made of soft, polyester fibres secured and knitted together and cut at a special angle, length and thickness to effectively cleanse and debride skin and the wound bed. The product is quick and simple to use and is effective on acute wounds such as gravel rash and for mechanically removing slough from chronic wounds prior to assessment. The European Wound Management Association has published useful guidance on debridement. 9
• This indicates a confirmed infection with host response, classic signs of inflammation plus the extended criteria of tracking, bridging and excess exudate. 10
• Aim of management: control infection and achieve healing.
• Dressings: anti-microbials, silver-containing or honey dressings, dressings containing polyhexamethylene biguanide hydrochloride (PHMB), topical negative pressure (TNP) therapy, larval therapy; antibiotics if clinically indicated. 
• Granulation tissue consists of fine, tiny, fragile capillaries growing in an extracellular matrix.
• Aim of management: protection and support for healing.
• Dressings: assessment of the wound depth, extent and exudate level. All dressings must minimise the risk of trauma to the wound, eg non-adherent dressings for flat wounds. Foam dressings, cavity fillers, fibrous and alginate dressings (absorbent or non-absorbent) may be used depending on exudate level. 11 TNP therapy can be cost-effective, efficacious and convenient, and is well accepted by patients and clinicians despite limited scientific proof of its usefulness. Many newer variations on the original foam dressing have been introduced, for example, an irrigation facility and specialised abdominal dressings. A recent mini-review highlights some of the infrequently encountered complications of TNP. 12
• Re-epithelialisation occurs with the migration of cells from the periphery of the wound and exudate levels are very low. The new skin is fragile.
• Aim of management: the same rules apply as for managing granulation wounds. 
• A cover of semi-permeable film or thin hydrocolloid is recommended and left in place until re-epithelialisation is complete.

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The process of tissue repair or healing is extremely complex and unpredictable, particularly in older patients suffering from multiple co-morbidities and with the effects of aging on the tissues.

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WOCNCB credentials are viewed as The Gold Standard for Certification ® , and it is our goal to maintain our high standards by requiring both clinical and classroom education for certification.

These position statements reflect WOCNCB's mission to promote the highest standard of consumer care and safety by providing credentialing in the areas of wound, ostomy, continence and foot care nursing. Print and share them with your employer, patients, legislators, regulators, and other stakeholders in the healthcare field.

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Summary: The WOCNCB states that although certification is voluntary, nurses who hold WOCNCB credentials have demonstrated their commitment to and knowledge of WOC nursing practice by meeting stringent, predetermined standards and passing a rigorous comprehensive wound, ostomy, and/or continence examination. This position statement also outlines eligibility requirements for certification by the WOCNCB.

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Summary: The WOCNCB acknowledges the higher degree of professional accountability to which Advanced Practice Registered Nurses, Clinical Nurse Specialists, and Nurse Practitioners are held. This position statement emphasizes the importance of measurement of advanced practice competency in the wound, ostomy, and continence specialty. It also states the belief that measurement of competency in a generalist scope of knowledge (e.g. via a Medical - Surgical CNS or Adult NP examination) does not assure advanced nursing competency in wound, ostomy, and continence care.

WOCN ® Society and WOCNCB Joint Entry Level WOC Practice Position Statement

Summary: In this joint statement, the Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nurses Society and the Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nursing Certification Board take this position: A nurse who is responsible for the management of the nursing care of patients with wound, ostomy or continence needs can best demonstrate competency by completion of a WOCN Society-accredited, Wound, Ostomy and/or Continence Nursing Education Program (WOCNEP) and/or certification by the WOCNCB in all of the specialty areas in which they practice. Supporting evidence is cited in the References section of the position statement.

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The Only 3 Medical School Personal Statement Examples You Need to Read

Posted in: Applying to Medical School

Table of Contents

The personal statement is one of the most important parts of the med school application process because t his mini-essay is a critical opportunity for you to stand out from other prospective medical students by demonstrating your passion and personality, not just your grades.

Admissions committees receive hundreds or more AMCAS medical school applications , so yours should be unique and captivating. Your medical school personal statement shows admissions officers who you are beyond your high school or pre-med GPA , extracurriculars , and MCAT score . 

The best personal statements are… well, personal . This is your chance to share what life experiences have compelled you toward a career in healthcare or the medical field , and how those experiences shape the picture of your ideal future.

MedSchoolCoach has crucial advice for writing your personal statement . 

Read these examples of personal statements for prospective med students.

Writing a great medical school personal statement is a lot easier with the right support. We’ve helped numerous med school applicants craft top-notch personal statements and can do the same for you.

But first: 7 steps to writing an engaging personal statement.

Before you read these excellent examples, you need to understand the process of writing a personal statement.  

Include these in your medical school personal statement:

• Why you’re passionate about becoming a doctor
• Your qualities that will make you a great physician
• Personal stories that demonstrate those qualities
• Specific examples of the communities you want to serve as a member of the medical field

What are the most important things to remember when writing a medical school personal statement ?

• Begin the writing process early: Give yourself plenty of time for brainstorming and to revisit your first draft, revising it based on input from family members and undergrad professors. Consult the application timeline for your target enrollment season.
• Choose a central theme: An unfocused essay will leave readers confused and uninterested. Give your statement a clear thesis in the first paragraph that guides its formation.
• Start with a hook: Grab the reader’s attention immediately with your statement’s first sentence. Instead of opening with a conventional introduction, be creative! Begin with something unexpected.
• Be the you of today, not the you of the future: Forecasting your future as a physician can come across as empty promises. Don’t get caught up in your ambitions; instead, be honest about your current situation and interest in the field of medicine.
• Demonstrate your passion: It’s not enough to simply state your interest in becoming a doctor; you have to prove it through personal stories. Show how your perspectives have been shaped by formative experiences and how those will make you an effective physician.
• Show, don’t tell : Avoid cliches that admissions committees have heard hundreds of times, like “I want to help people.” Make your writing come alive with dynamic, persuasive storytelling that recounts your personal experiences.
• Tie everything together: Conclude by wrapping up your main points. Reiterate your passion for the medical profession, your defining personal qualities, and why you’ll make a good doctor.

You can read more about our recommended method in our step-by-step guide , but those are the major points.

Example 1 — From the Stretcher to the Spotlight: My Journey to Becoming an Emergency Medicine Physician

Another siren shrieks as the emergency room doors slide open and a team of EMTs pushes a blood-soaked stretcher through the entrance. It’s the fifth ambulance to arrive tonight — and only my first clinical shadowing experience in an emergency medicine department since my premed education began.

But it wasn’t my first time in an emergency room, and I knew I was meant to be here again.

In those crucial moments on the ER floor, many of my peers learned that they stumble in high-pressure environments. A few weeks of gunshot wounds, drug overdoses, broken bones, and deep lacerations in the busiest trauma bay in the region were enough to alter their career path.

They will be better practitioners somewhere predictable, like a pediatrician in a private practice where they choose their schedules, clients, and staff.

Every healthcare provider has their specialties, and mine are on full display in those crucial moments of lifesaving care. Why am I pursuing a career in Emergency Medicine? Because I’ve seen firsthand the miracles that Emergency Medicine physicians perform.

12 years ago, I was in an emergency room… but I was the one on the stretcher.

A forest-green Saturn coupe rolled into my parent’s driveway. The driver, my best friend Kevin, had just passed his driving test and was itching to take a late-night run to the other side of town. I had ridden with Kevin and his father many times before when he held his learner’s permit. But this time, we didn’t have an adult with us, and the joyride ended differently: with a 40-mph passenger-side collision, T-boned by a drunk driver.

I distinctly recall the sensation of being lifted out of the crumpled car by a paramedic and laid onto a stretcher. A quick drive later, I was in the care of Dr. Smith, the ER resident on call that night. Without missing a beat, he assessed my condition and provided the care I needed. When my mom thanked him for saving my life, he simply responded, “It’s what he needed.”

Now I’m watching other doctors and nurses provide this life-saving care as I observe as a premed student. I see the way the staff works together like a well-oiled machine, and it reminds me of my time in high-school theater.

Everyone has a role to play, however big or small, to make the show a success. All contributions are essential to a winning performance — even the technicians working behind the scenes. That’s what true teamwork is, and I see that same dynamic in the emergency department.

Some actors freeze during performances, overcome by stage fright. Other students are too anxious to even set foot in front of an audience; they remain backstage assisting with split-second costume changes.

Not me. I felt energized under the spotlight, deftly improvising to help my co-stars when they would forget their lines. Admittedly, I wasn’t the best actor or singer in the cast, but I provided something essential: assurance under pressure. Everyone knew me as dependable, always in their corner when something went awry. I had a reputation for remaining calm and thinking on my feet.

My ability to stay unruffled under pressure was first discovered on stage, but I can use it on a very different platform providing patient care. Now, when other people freeze under the intensity of serving public health on the front lines, I can step in and provide my calm, collected guidance to see them through.

As an ER doctor, I will have to provide that stability when a nurse gets flustered by a quarrelsome patient or shaken from an irreparably injured infant. When you’re an Emergency Medicine physician, you’re not following a script. It takes an aptitude of thinking on your toes to face the fast pace and unpredictable challenges of an emergency center.

During my time shadowing, I saw experienced physicians put those assured, gentle communication skills to use. A 13-year-old boy was admitted for a knife wound he’d received on the streets. He only spoke Spanish, but it was clear he mistrusted doctors and was alarmed by the situation. In mere minutes, one of the doctors calmed the patient so he could receive care he needed.

Let me be clear: I haven’t simply gravitated toward Emergency Medicine because I liked it most. It’s not the adrenaline or the pride that compel me. I owe Emergency Medicine my life, and I want to use my life to extend the lives of other people. Every person brought into the trauma bay could be another me , no matter what they look like.

People are more than their injury, health record, or circumstances. They are not just a task to complete or a challenge to conquer.

My childhood injury gave me an appreciation for the work of ER doctors and a compassion for patients, to foster well-being when people are most broken and vulnerable. I already have the dedication to the work and the heart for patients; I just need the medical knowledge and procedural skills to perform life-saving interventions. My ability to remain calm, think on my toes, be part of a team, and work decisively without making mistakes or overlooking critical issues will serve me well as an Emergency Medicine physician.

Some ER physicians I spoke with liked to think that they’re “a different breed” than other medical professionals — but I don’t see it that way. We’re just performing a different role than the rest of the cast.

Breaking It Down

Let’s look at what qualities make this a great personal statement for med school.

• Engaging opening: The writer painted a vivid scene that immediately puts the reader in their shoes and leaves them wanting more.
• Personal examples: The writer demonstrated his ability to stay calm, work as a team, and problem-solve through theater experience, which he also uses as a comparison. And, he explained his passion for Emergency Medical care from his childhood accident.
• Organized: The writer transitions fluidly between body paragraphs, connecting stories and ideas by emphasizing parallels and hopping back and forth between time.
• Ample length: Makes full use of the AACOMAS and AMCAS application personal statement’s character limit of 5,300 characters (including spaces), which is about 850-950 words.

Unsure what traits and clinical or research experience your preferred medical school values ? You can research their admissions requirements and mission statement using the MSAR .

Example 2 — Early Clinical Work For Empathetic Patient Care

The applicant who wrote this personal statement was accepted into University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine, University of Central Florida College of Medicine, and Tufts University School of Medicine.

As I walked briskly down the hall to keep up during our daily rounds in the ICU, I heard the steady beeping of Michelle’s cardiac monitor and saw a ruby ornament twinkling on the small Christmas tree beside her. She was always alone, but someone had decorated her room for the holidays.

It warmed my heart that I wasn’t the only one who saw her as more than a patient in a coma. I continually felt guilty that I couldn’t spend more time with her; her usual companions were ventilators, IV bags, and catheters, not to mention the golf ball-sized tumors along her spine. Every day, I thought about running to Michelle’s bedside to do anything I could for her.

Thus, I was taken aback when my advisor, who was visiting me that day, asked me if I was okay. It never crossed my mind that at age 17, my peers might not be able to handle the tragedies that healthcare workers consistently face. These situations were difficult, but they invoked humanity and compassion from me. I knew I wanted to pursue medicine. And I knew I could do it.

From my senior year of high school to my senior year of college, I continued to explore my passion for patient interaction.

At the Stepp Lab, I was charged with contacting potential study participants for a study focusing on speech symptoms in individuals with Parkinson’s Disease. The study would help future patients, but I couldn’t help but think: “What are we doing for these patients in return?” I worried that the heart and soul behind the research would get lost in the mix of acoustic data and participant ID numbers.

But my fears were put to rest by Richard, the self-proclaimed “Parkinson’s Song & Dance Man,” who recorded himself singing show tunes as part of his therapy. Knowing that he was legally blind and unable to read caller ID, I was always thrilled when he recognized my voice. The spirit in his voice indicated that my interest in him and his journey with Parkinson’s was meaningful. Talking with him inspired me to dive deeper, which led to an appreciative understanding of his time as a sergeant in the U.S. military.

It was an important reminder: my interest and care are just as important as an effective prescribed treatment plan.

Following graduation, I began my work as a medical assistant for a dermatologist. My experience with a patient, Joann, validated my ability to provide excellent hands-on patient care. Other physicians prescribed her painkillers to relieve the excruciating pain from the shingles rash, which presented as a fiery trail of blisters wrapped around her torso. But these painkillers offered no relief and made her so drowsy that she fell one night on the way to the bathroom.

Joann was tired, suffering, and beaten down. The lidocaine patches we initially prescribed would be a much safer option, but I refused for her to pay $250, as she was on the brink of losing her job. When she returned to the office a week later, she held my hand and cried tears of joy because I found her affordable patches, which helped her pain without the systemic effects.

The joy that pierced through the weariness in her eyes immediately confirmed that direct patient care like this was what I was meant to do. As I passed her a tissue, I felt ecstatic that I could make such a difference, and I sought to do more.

Since graduation, I have been volunteering at Open Door, a small pantry that serves a primarily Hispanic community of lower socioeconomic families. It is gut-wrenching to explain that we cannot give them certain items when our stock is low. After all, the fresh fruits and vegetables I serve are fundamental to their culturally-inspired meals.

For the first time, I found myself serving anguish rather than a helping hand. Usually, uplifting moments strengthen one’s desire to become a physician, but in this case, it was my ability to handle the low points that reignited my passion for aiding others.

After running out of produce one day, I was confused as to why a woman thanked me. Through translation by a fellow volunteer, I learned it was because of my positivity. She taught me that the way I approach unfavorable situations affects another’s perception and that my spirited attitude breaks through language barriers.

This volunteer work served as a wake-up call to the unacceptable fact that U.S. citizens’ health suffers due to lack of access to healthy foods. If someone cannot afford healthy foods, they may not have access to healthcare. In the future, I want to partner with other food banks to offer free services like blood pressure readings. I have always wanted to help people, but I now have a particular interest in bringing help to people who cannot afford it.

While the foundation of medicine is scientific knowledge, the foundation of healthcare is the word “care” itself. I never found out what happened to Michelle and her Christmas tree, but I still wonder about her to this day, and she has strengthened my passion to serve others. A sense of excitement and comfort stems from knowing that I will be there for people on their worst days, since I have already seen the impact my support has had.

In my mind, becoming a physician is not a choice but a natural next step to continue bringing humanity and compassion to those around me.

How did this personal statement grab and sustain attention so well?

• Personalization: Everything about this statement helps you to understand the writer, from their personal experiences to their hope for how their future career will look.
• Showing, not telling: From the first sentence, the reader is hooked. This prospective medical student has plenty of great “on paper” experience (early shadowing, clinical experience, etc.), but they showed this with storytelling, not by repeating their CV.
• Empathy: An admissions committee reading this personal statement would know beyond a shadow of a doubt that this student cares deeply about their patients. They remember first names, individual details, and the emotions that each patient made them feel.
• A clear path forward: The writer doesn’t just want to work in the medical field — they have a passion for exactly how they want to impact the communities they serve. Outside of strictly medical work, they care about the way finances can limit access to healthcare and the struggle to find healthy food in food deserts around the US .

Read Next: How Hard Is It to Get Into Medical School?

Example 3 — Beyond the Diagnosis: The Importance of Individualized Care in Medicine

The applicant who wrote this personal statement was accepted into Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine and Nova Southeastern University College Of Osteopathic Medicine.

Dr. Haywood sighs and shakes her head upon opening the chart. “I was worried about her A1C. It’s up again. Hypertension, too. Alright, let’s go.”

As we enter the patient’s room, I’m expecting the news about her blood sugar and pressure to fill the room. Instead, Dr. Haywood says, “Roseline! How are you doing? How’s your girl, doing well?”

Dr. Haywood continues to ask questions, genuinely interested in Roseline’s experience as a new mother. If not for the parchment-lined examination chair and anatomy posters plastered to the wall, this exchange could be happening in a grocery store. What about her A1C? Her blood pressure? Potential Type II diabetes?

As I continue to listen, Dr. Haywood discovers that Roseline’s mother moved in with her, cooking Haitian meals I recognize as high on the glycemic index. Dr. Haywood effortlessly evolves their conversation to focus on these. Being Haitian herself, she knows some traditional dishes are healthier than others and advises Roseline to avoid those that might exacerbate her high blood sugar and blood pressure. Dr. Haywood also suggests Roseline incorporate exercise by bringing her baby on a walk through her neighborhood.

During my shadowing experience, I observed one of the core components of being a physician through several encounters like this one. By establishing a relationship with her patient where Roseline was comfortable sharing the details of new motherhood, Dr. Haywood was able to individualize her approach to lowering the patient’s A1C and hypertension. Inspired by her ability to treat the whole person , I began to adopt a similar practice as a tutor for elementary kids in underserved areas of D.C.

Shaniyah did not like Zoom, or math for that matter. When I first met her as a prospective tutee online, she preferred to keep her microphone muted and would claim she was finished with her math homework after barely attempting the first problem. Realizing that basing our sessions solely on math would be fruitless, I adapted my tutoring style to incorporate some of the things for which she had a natural affinity.

The first step was acknowledging the difficulties a virtual environment posed to effective communication, particularly the ease at which distractions might take over. After sharing this with Shaniyah, she immediately disclosed her struggles to share her work with me. With this information, I found an online platform that allowed us to visualize each other’s work.

This obstacle in communication overcome, Shaniyah felt more comfortable sharing details about herself that I utilized as her tutor. Her love of soccer gave me the idea to use the concept of goal scoring to help with addition, and soon Shaniyah’s math skills and enthusiasm began to improve. As our relationship grew, so did her successes, and I suspect the feelings I experienced as her tutor are the same as a physician’s when their patient responds well to prescribed treatment.

I believe this skill, caring for someone as a whole person , that I have learned and practiced through shadowing and tutoring is the central tenet of medicine that allows a doctor to successfully treat their patients.

Inspired by talking with patients who had received life-altering organ transplants during my shadowing experience, I created a club called D.C. Donors for Georgetown University students to encourage their peers to register as organ donors or donate blood. This experience taught me that to truly serve a person, you must involve your whole person, too.

In starting this club to help those in need of transplants, I had to dedicate my time and effort beyond just my physical interactions with these patients. For instance, this involved reaching out to D.C.’s organ procurement organization to inquire about a potential partnership with my club, to which they agreed. In addition, I organized tabling events on campus, which required significant planning and communication with both club members and my university.

Though exciting, starting a club was also a difficult process, especially given the limitations the pandemic imposed on in-person meetings and events. To adapt, I had to plan more engaging meetings, designing virtual activities to make members more comfortable contributing their ideas. In addition, planning a blood drive required extensive communication with my university to ensure the safety of the staff and participants during the pandemic.

Ultimately, I believe these behind-the-scenes actions were instrumental in addressing the need for organ and blood donors in the D.C. area.

From these experiences, I have grown to believe that good medicine not only necessitates the physician cares for her patient as a whole, but also that she fully commits her whole person to the care of the patient. Tutoring and starting D.C. Donors not only allowed me to develop these skills but also to experience such fulfilling emotions: the pride I had in Shaniyah when her math improved, the gratefulness I felt when she confided in me, the steadfast commitment I expressed to transplant patients, and the joy I had in collaborating with other passionate club members.

I envision a career as a physician to demand these skills of me and more, and I have confirmed my desire to become one after feeling so enriched by practicing them.

Here’s what makes this personal statement such a good example of what works:

• Desirable qualities: The student clearly demonstrates qualities any school would want in an applicant: teachability, adaptability, leadership, organization, and empathy, to name a few. This again uses the “show, don’t tell” method, allowing the readers to understand the student without hand-holding.
• Personalized storytelling: Many in the healthcare profession will connect with experiences like the ones expressed here, such as addressing patient concerns relationally or the lack of blood donors during the recent pandemic. The writer automatically makes a personal link between themselves and the admissions committees reading this statement.
• Extensive (but not too long): Without feeling too wordy, this personal statement uses nearly all of the 5,300 characters allowed on the AMCAS application. There’s no fluff left in the final draft, only what matters.

Avoid These Common Mistakes

You can learn a lot from those personal statements. They avoid the most common mistakes that med school applicants make when writing the medical school personal statement.

Here are some things you should avoid in your personal statement if you want to be a doctor:

• Name-dropping: Admissions counselors won’t be impressed when you brag about your highly regarded family members, associates, or mentors. You need to stand on your own feet — not someone else’s.
• Dishonesty: Lies and exaggerations can torpedo your application. And they’re bad habits for anyone entering the medical field. Don’t do it.
• Unedited AI content: Artificial intelligence can help you edit and improve your writing, but don’t let it do the work for you. Your statement needs to be authentic, which means in your voice! A chatbot can’t feel or adequately convey your own empathy, compassion, trauma, drive, or personality.
• Grammatical errors and typos: Have someone reliable proofread your essay and scour it for typos, misspellings, and punctuation errors. Even free grammar-checking apps can catch mistakes!
• Telling without showing: I’ll reiterate how important it is to prove your self-descriptive statements with real-life examples. Telling without showing won’t persuade readers.
• Too many examples: Have 3-4 solid personal stories at most; only include a few that are crucial for providing your points. The more experiences you share, the less impact they’ll make.
• Fluff and filler: Cut all fluff, filler words, and irrelevant points. There are many other places you can include information in your application, such as secondary essays on your clinical experience, volunteer work, and research projects . 

You can find more valuable do’s and don’ts in our in-depth guide to writing your best personal statement .

Need extra help? We’ve got you covered.

Schedule a meeting with medschoolcoach for expert support on writing and editing your personal statement. we’re here to help you impress medical school admissions committees .

Renee Marinelli, MD

Dr. Marinelli has practiced family medicine, served on the University of California Admissions Committee, and has helped hundreds of students get into medical school. She spearheads a team of physician advisors who guide MedSchoolCoach students.

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How to Apply for an ABWM Exam

For first-time candidates, please read through the entirety of the guide below before proceeding (steps 1 – 5)., step 1 of 5.

Download and review the Candidate Handbook for the appropriate ABWM certification. If you are not sure which application to complete, please view the  Certification Eligibility Page .

• Certified Wound Care Associate™ (CWCA®) Candidate Handbook
• Certified Wound Specialist® (CWS®) Candidate Handbook
• Certified Wound Specialist Physician® (CWSP®) Candidate Handbook

If you wish to sit for an exam outside of the United States, please reach out to the ABWM via email at [email protected] to pay the appropriate International Testing Fee. An additional fee is required based on your geographic location in the USA and Canada, or outside these countries.

Step 2 of 5

Create an account via Certemy (ABWM uses the Certemy platform to administer our applications) and complete your application online. Applications in your online account will time out after a period of 1 year so please do not enroll in the application until you are ready to apply. Click on the relevant link below to get started.

• Certified Wound Care Associate™ (CWCA®)- $375
• Certified Wound Specialist® (CWS ® )- $595
• Certified Wound Specialist Physician® (CWSP®)- $995

*Your Email Address to Use It is preferable and strongly suggested that applicants use a personal email address, as opposed to a business email address. Corporate firewalls, policies, and spam filters may limit the email one receives at a business email address. Also, should your employment situation change in the future, your certification will stay linked to you via a personal email. ( NOTE: Applicants, Associates and Diplomates are able to change their email address within the certification platform, however a best practice is to start with a personal email address.)

*Verification Email An initial verification email is sent from the certification platform to your email, and IT MAY GO TO YOUR PROMOTIONS OR SPAM FOLDER. Please check there if you start the process and do not receive a verification email. The email will come from “[email protected]” which you may wish to whitelist or add to your contacts prior to starting the application process.

Upon approval, you will be able to schedule your examination at a local testing center for any time in the following 90 days, based on availability. Your three-month eligibility window will begin immediately upon application approval. Do not submit your application until you are prepared for your three-month eligibility window to begin. Window extensions will not be granted.

Step 3 of 5

Once your application to sit for the certification examination has been approved, you will receive an email notification directly from our testing company, Pearson VUE, within 3-5 business days.  The notification will include information on how to schedule your exam.

Step 4 of 5

Once you have received your approval notifications, you may schedule your exam for any time in the following 90 days, based on availability at your local testing center. Candidates will not receive a refund and may have to apply for a new exam authorization with ABWM if exam changes are made within 48 hours of their appointment. Please note that a no show for a scheduled exam will result in the loss of application fees as we are charged for the open seat.

• For more information about selecting the date, time, and location of your exam, please view the  Exam Scheduling page.
• To view available test centers, visit PearsonVUE.com/ABWM and log in to your account or click “Find a test center” on the right sidebar.

Step 5 of 5

Upon completing the exam , a score report will be generated immediately. Candidates can also access score reports by logging in to their Pearson VUE accounts.  

• If you pass the exam, you will be considered either an Associate or a Diplomate of the ABWM. You will be issued a certificate bearing the seal of the American Board of Wound Management with your name inscribed. You will receive a Welcome Packet from ABWM approximately two to four weeks after passing the exam. The Welcome Packet will include: a letter congratulating you on your accomplishment, an immediate press release, and an employer advocacy letter. ABWM will also send a pin and patch for you to proudly display your new designation.  Associates and Diplomates of the ABWM will be required to renew their certification annually by paying a $175 renewal fee, and by completing six hours of Continuing Education Units (CEUs) in order to maintain their certification. Associates and Diplomates of the ABWM will be required to recertify after ten years by sitting for the appropriate examination again.
• If you do not pass the exam and would like to re-test, please submit a CWCA, CWS or CWSP Re-Test Application online. Candidates who wish to retake an exam must wait 30 days after their previous exam date before their new three-month eligibility window begins. Candidates may submit a Re-Test Application prior to the end of the 30-day waiting period; the new three-month eligibility window will start 30 days after their previous exam date. Candidates who wish to re-test more than three times will need to provide documentation of 20 CEUs in wound care for each exam attempt. Candidates may submit a Re-Test Application to retake an exam for up to 2 years from their original exam date. Click here for more information about Re-Testing and to access the application links .

For 10-Year Recertifying Candidates

Create or log-in to your account and complete your application online. Click on the relevant link below to get started:

• CWCA® 10 Year Recertification Application
• CWS® 10 Year Recertification Application
• CWSP® 10 Year Recertification Application

Candidates who fail to recertify 10 years after their initial certification will have their Associate or Diplomate status revoked, and will no longer be permitted to use their credential. For more information regarding recertification, please view the Renewal & Recertification Handbook .

Submit your application online. 

Your application must be received a minimum of 15 business days prior to your desired exam date. Upon approval, you will be able to schedule your examination at a local testing center for any time in the following 90 days, based on availability. Your three-month eligibility window will begin immediately upon application approval. Do not submit your application until you are prepared for your three-month eligibility window to begin. Window extensions will not be granted.

10 Year Recertification candidates must meet the following criteria:

• Complete the online application with all fields filled in.
• Provide payment for the required application fee.

Once your application to sit for the certification examination has been approved, you will receive an email notification directly from our testing company, Pearson VUE.   The notification will include information on how to schedule your exam.

Upon completing the exam, a score report will be generated immediately. Candidates can also access score reports by logging in to their Pearson VUE accounts.

• If you pass the exam, you will maintain either your Associate or Diplomate status. You will be issued a certificate bearing the seal of the American Board of Wound Management with your name inscribed. You will receive a Recertification Welcome Packet from ABWM approximately two to four weeks after passing the exam. The Welcome Packet will include: a letter congratulating you on your accomplishment, an immediate press release, and an employer advocacy letter. ABWM will also send a pin and patch for you to proudly display your maintained designation.  Associates and Diplomates of the ABWM will be required to renew their certification annually by paying a $175 renewal fee, and by completing six hours of Continuing Education Units (CEUs) in order to maintain their certification. Associates and Diplomates of the ABWM will be required to recertify after ten years by sitting for the appropriate examination again.
• If you do not pass the exam and would like to re-test, please submit a CWCA, CWS or CWSP Re-Test Application online. Candidates who wish to retake an exam must wait 30 days after their previous exam date before their new three-month eligibility window begins. Candidates may submit a Re-Test Application prior to the end of the 30-day waiting period; the new three-month eligibility window will start 30 days after their previous exam date. Candidates who wish to re-test more than three times will need to provide documentation of 20 CEUs in wound care for each exam attempt. Candidates may submit a Re-Test Application to retake an exam for up to 2 years from their original exam date.  Click here for more information about Re-Testing and to access the application links .

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