On April 29, BCEN was proud to announce our 2026 Distinguished CFRN Award winner:
Christine Muszalski, MSN-Ed, RN, EMT-B, CFRN, CEN, CCRN, CNPT
Clinical Orientation Manager/Critical Care Transport Nurse
Boston MedFlight
Bedford, Massachusetts
What does this award mean to you?
Receiving the BCEN Distinguished CFRN Award is incredibly meaningful to me because critical care transport has truly been the privilege of my career. I have been a nurse for 35 years, including 28 years in critical care transport and 25 years at Boston MedFlight. Throughout those years, I have had the honor of caring for some of the sickest patients alongside remarkable clinicians whose dedication, skill, and compassion inspire me every day. The work we do is never done alone—it is always a team effort.
What has meant the most to me over the course of my career is the opportunity to care for critically ill patients while also developing and supporting the next generation of transport clinicians. Watching nurses grow in confidence, pursue certification, and become exceptional critical care transport providers has been one of the most rewarding parts of my professional life. When we invest in education and certification, we strengthen our teams, advance our specialty, and ultimately provide safer care for our patients.
To be recognized by BCEN and by colleagues within this specialty that I care so deeply about is truly a tremendous honor, and one I accept with deep gratitude. Critical care transport has given me the opportunity to care for patients at their most vulnerable moments, and I remain grateful every day to be part of a profession dedicated to showing up when it matters most.
How has holding the Certified Flight Registered Nurse (CFRN) credential impacted your daily practice and your nursing career path?
Holding the CFRN credential has shaped both my daily practice and my career path throughout my 28 years in critical care transport. Certification represents a commitment to clinical excellence, accountability, and lifelong learning in a specialty where decisions directly impact patient outcomes in high-risk environments. It strengthens my clinical decision-making and reinforces a culture of safety during transport.
As both a practicing transport nurse and educator at Boston MedFlight, certification has also allowed me to mentor and encourage nurses to pursue board certification, helping develop confident clinicians and elevating the standards of care across our specialty.
What difference has being board-certified in flight nursing made for your patients and their families?
Being board certified as a CFRN helps ensure that the patients and families I care for receive the highest level of specialized critical care during some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives. Certification reflects advanced knowledge, clinical judgment, and a commitment to maintaining the highest standards of practice in a complex and high-risk environment. For patients, it means that the clinician at the bedside—or in the aircraft—has demonstrated expertise in managing life-threatening illness and injury. For families, it offers reassurance that their loved one is being cared for by a nurse dedicated to excellence, safety, and compassionate care.
Boston MedFlight Vice President for Clinical Care Michael Frakes nominated Christine. Here’s what he had to say:
“Christine exemplifies the clinical excellence and professionalism of a CFRN through sustained expert practice in critical care transport combined with leadership that elevates the safety and performance of an entire clinical system. For more than a quarter century, she has remained an actively flying transport nurse, delivering advanced critical care to the highest-acuity adult, pediatric, and neonatal patients across helicopter, fixed-wing, and ground platforms.
Christine models professionalism through calm leadership in high-consequence environments, clear communication with multidisciplinary teams, and unwavering advocacy for patient safety. She balances technical excellence with compassion for patients, families, and colleagues, and she supports crew resilience as a trained peer supporter following critical incidents. Her professionalism is visible not only in crisis moments but in daily practice: preparation, debriefing, respectful teamwork, and accountability.”
