On May 2, BCEN was proud to announce our 2024 Distinguished CTRN Award winner:
Austin Johnson, BSN, RN, EMT-P, C-NPT, CBRN, CCRN, CEN, CFRN, CPEN, CTRN, TCRN
Critical Care Transport Nurse
AdventHealth Orlando
Orlando, FL
What does this award mean to you?
I am honored. This award feels like the culmination of nearly 10 years of being a nurse. I can’t help but feel pride in the years I’ve spent bolstering my critical care nursing knowledge and skills, and there’s also an incredible sense of nostalgia when I reflect on some of the patients I spent moments with that changed both of our lives forever.
How does earning and maintaining the CTRN credential make a difference in your practice and roles?
The CTRN credential was created to test nurses like me. The process of earning the credential equates to time studying and working on your confidence. It can be a personally transformative process, and when I succeeded, I felt like a stronger clinician and a stronger person on the other side. I felt worthy of the role I was chosen for with AdventHealth.
What difference has being a CTRN made for your patients and their families?
AdventHealth has four service standards that guide all decisions: Love me, own it, keep me safe and make it easy. The high level of care represented by the CTRN credential is also a reflection of those core values we strive to uphold. I wear my credential proudly on my badge so that my patients and their families can see what I’ve accomplished. They ask: “What does CTRN mean?” I explain that just like AdventHealth’s emergency medicine physicians, I am also board certified, in critical care transport nursing. You, your family member, or your loved one are in the right hands for the job. The calm and confidence spreads easily, especially when they’re uncertain of what’s happening next, because I have the knowledge and experience to guide them.
How does the CTRN advance critical care transport and transport nursing?
The specialty of Ground Transport Nursing is small and has a hard requirement of advanced knowledge and skills. The CTRN credential is a mark of validation and recognition that my skills meet and exceed those requirements. The preparation and the exam are as rigorous as our job, which pushes you. The CTRN raises the standard on what critical care transport nurses need to know to a new level.
Kevin Wall, AdventHealth Central Florida Division Director of Emergency Medical Services, Flight 1, said this about Austin:
“As Director of AdventHealth EMS, I am beyond proud to see Austin Johnson receive the 2024 Distinguished CTRN Award. Austin’s exceptional whole person patient care, his innovative approaches to critical care transport, and his unwavering dedication to our team truly set him apart as a Critical Care Transport Nurse.”
Here’s what Austin Hopps with Duke University Health System, who nominated Austin, had to say:
“I believe clinical excellence and professionalism should be in every nurse’s vocabulary. There have been numerous times where I have reached out to Austin for job advice and insight into the field of critical care transport. Through his experience and our conversations, I was able to decide which critical care transport program would best fit me. Without his help, I do not think I would have made the best decision when it came to this field.
Although I do not work alongside Austin, I see his passion and desire to help a fellow nurse—and how he pushes to advance the field of nursing through achieving certification—through networking and social media. Austin uses his social media platform to show his daily work as a transport nurse, and he challenges his followers by providing quizzes and learning activities.
Austin is the perfect candidate for the CTRN Distinguished Award.”
Read about all of BCEN’s 2024 Distinguished Award honorees here.
