WOUND CARE CIRTIFICATION EXAM|VERIFIED QUESTIONS
AND ANSWERS|GRADED A+|LATEST 2026/2027
Vesicle - ANSWER✔ Similar to pustule but may be a cavity or filled with clear, serous, hemorrhagic, or
pustular fluid
Pustule - ANSWER✔ Elevation of skin containing pus, <0.5 cm
Macule - ANSWER✔ Flat area different in color from surrounding tissue (<0.5 cm)
Papule - ANSWER✔ small, solid, raised lesion on surface of the skin
Yeast infection key characteristics - ANSWER✔ Tender, pruritic maculopapular rash with
characteristic satelite lesions
May be caused by exposure to moisture (e.g. diaphoresis, incontinence, skin folds), poor glcyemic
control, steroid or abx use, immune compromise
What are the phases of wound healing? - ANSWER✔ Hemostasis (blood clot formation)
Inflammatory phase (chemotaxis, migration of WBCs, macrophages, fibroblasts)
Proliferation (formation of provisional matrix, synthesis of collagen and collagen matrix, migration and
proliferation of keratinocytes)
Maturation/Remodeling (wound closure, scar formation)
Partial thickness vs full thickness - ANSWER✔ Partial = epidermis or dermis involved
Full = adipose tissue or deeper
, How do you treat a patient with pressure injuries to both trochanters and sacrum? - ANSWER✔ Use
pressure redistribution mattress or lateral rotation low air-loss mattress
Role of protein in wound healing - ANSWER✔ Protein is necessary for formation for collagen,
connective tissue that is critical to wound healing
Role of hydration in wound healing - ANSWER✔ Maintains skin barrier, enables epithelial migration
during epithelialization phase of wound healing, improves perfusion and reduces blood viscosity
Role of zinc in wound healing - ANSWER✔ Collagen formation, protein synthesis, cell membrane and
host defenses
How and when is a wound culture performed? - ANSWER✔ - How: 5-second swab (Levine technique--
currently the most commonly recommended technique): wound bed flushed with normal saline to
remove exudate and normal skin flora (e.g. staph epidermidis); sterile swab moistened with saline;
one-square centimeter area of viable tissue swabbed for 5 seconds with enough force to produce
exudate. Provides organism identification and sensitivity data.
Punch biopsy culture: #3 dermal punch or sterile scissors used to obtain tissue sample that is sent to
lab—lab grinds the sample and mixes it with diluent to form fluid that is used to determine colony
counts as well as to ID organisms and sensitivities.
Advantage: quantitative and qualitative data so can use to diagnose infection. Disadvantage: more
expensive; many nurses not covered to do this type of culture; many labs unable to process this type of
specimen
- When: wounds associated with S/S of soft tissue infection (erythema, especially erythema extending
>2 cm beyond wound edge; induration; foul-smelling exudate; pain); clean wounds that show no
progress in healing for 2 consecutive weeks despite appropriate management (quantitative culture
recommended) prior to skin graft/flap/placement human skin equivalent
How are malignant wounds managed? - ANSWER✔ Odor, exudate control, and control of bleeding;
strategies shown in limited studies to be beneficial in odor control include topical metronidazole,
AND ANSWERS|GRADED A+|LATEST 2026/2027
Vesicle - ANSWER✔ Similar to pustule but may be a cavity or filled with clear, serous, hemorrhagic, or
pustular fluid
Pustule - ANSWER✔ Elevation of skin containing pus, <0.5 cm
Macule - ANSWER✔ Flat area different in color from surrounding tissue (<0.5 cm)
Papule - ANSWER✔ small, solid, raised lesion on surface of the skin
Yeast infection key characteristics - ANSWER✔ Tender, pruritic maculopapular rash with
characteristic satelite lesions
May be caused by exposure to moisture (e.g. diaphoresis, incontinence, skin folds), poor glcyemic
control, steroid or abx use, immune compromise
What are the phases of wound healing? - ANSWER✔ Hemostasis (blood clot formation)
Inflammatory phase (chemotaxis, migration of WBCs, macrophages, fibroblasts)
Proliferation (formation of provisional matrix, synthesis of collagen and collagen matrix, migration and
proliferation of keratinocytes)
Maturation/Remodeling (wound closure, scar formation)
Partial thickness vs full thickness - ANSWER✔ Partial = epidermis or dermis involved
Full = adipose tissue or deeper
, How do you treat a patient with pressure injuries to both trochanters and sacrum? - ANSWER✔ Use
pressure redistribution mattress or lateral rotation low air-loss mattress
Role of protein in wound healing - ANSWER✔ Protein is necessary for formation for collagen,
connective tissue that is critical to wound healing
Role of hydration in wound healing - ANSWER✔ Maintains skin barrier, enables epithelial migration
during epithelialization phase of wound healing, improves perfusion and reduces blood viscosity
Role of zinc in wound healing - ANSWER✔ Collagen formation, protein synthesis, cell membrane and
host defenses
How and when is a wound culture performed? - ANSWER✔ - How: 5-second swab (Levine technique--
currently the most commonly recommended technique): wound bed flushed with normal saline to
remove exudate and normal skin flora (e.g. staph epidermidis); sterile swab moistened with saline;
one-square centimeter area of viable tissue swabbed for 5 seconds with enough force to produce
exudate. Provides organism identification and sensitivity data.
Punch biopsy culture: #3 dermal punch or sterile scissors used to obtain tissue sample that is sent to
lab—lab grinds the sample and mixes it with diluent to form fluid that is used to determine colony
counts as well as to ID organisms and sensitivities.
Advantage: quantitative and qualitative data so can use to diagnose infection. Disadvantage: more
expensive; many nurses not covered to do this type of culture; many labs unable to process this type of
specimen
- When: wounds associated with S/S of soft tissue infection (erythema, especially erythema extending
>2 cm beyond wound edge; induration; foul-smelling exudate; pain); clean wounds that show no
progress in healing for 2 consecutive weeks despite appropriate management (quantitative culture
recommended) prior to skin graft/flap/placement human skin equivalent
How are malignant wounds managed? - ANSWER✔ Odor, exudate control, and control of bleeding;
strategies shown in limited studies to be beneficial in odor control include topical metronidazole,
