IRON MOUNTAIN -?Dr. W.B. Carlson has attained national certification in wound care.

He is a member of Dickinson County Healthcare System’s medical staff and medical director of both its Occupational Medicine Clinic and The Center for Wound Healing and Hyperbaric Medicine.

With this certification, Dr. Carlson joins an elite group of physicians who have acquired this level of specialized wound care training.

The Certified Wound Specialist-Physician (CWS-P) is currently the highest level of certification in wound care for physicians. The knowledge base emphasized includes accurate diagnosis, types of diagnostic testing, prescriptions, and the determination of an appropriate treatment plan.

Dr. Carlson has been involved with wound healing since 2011, when Dickinson opened a center dedicated to the specialty.

“Most primary care physicians provide wound care. But like most medical specialties, the practice of wound care has undergone dramatic growth to include treatments not even developed five years ago. Keeping up with this expanding specialty now requires a commitment of time to acquire a knowledge base most primary care physicians do not have. We provide a great service and are a wonderful resource for our referring physicians who have patients with challenging wounds,” Dr. Carlson said.

“Most of my career in medicine has been administrative-based as I have concentrated on the development of a quality occupational medicine program since 1991, he added.

“I enjoy the field of wound care, because it has put me back into direct contact with the patient. It is a very hands-on specialty that involves direct healing. I must admit that my work in wound care has reinvigorated my interest in medicine; there is a lot of very interesting ‘space age knowledge’ that has impacted this field of medicine.”

“The wounds that we deal with at The Center are very challenging; they are not easy to heal but can easily reoccur. The victories for our patients are very hard fought,” Dr. Carlson said.

The Center for Wound Healing & Hyperbaric Medicine was established in 2011, and it employs a staff of well-trained and educated professionals who use the most advanced procedures available to heal wounds, including hyperbaric medicine.

The center’s ‘days to heal’ are currently at 45 compared to an average of 66 days at more than 700 other facilities nationwide.

“Challenges aside, professional wound care has saved our patients’ lives. That fact alone makes this specialty well worth all efforts to make it available and to continue to develop treatments,” he said.