About Us | Diversity & Inclusion | Our Why | Mission, Vision & Values | History
About BCEN
The Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing (BCEN®) is an independent, not-for-profit organization that develops and delivers robust certification programs for emergency, transport and trauma nurses. As a part of BCEN’s commitment to lifelong learning, we also offer programs such as BCEN EDvantage and BCEN Learn to empower nurses from graduation to retirement.
Emergency nurses—whether they work in general or pediatric emergency care, flight and critical care ground transport, or trauma settings—must be at the peak of caregiving excellence. Board certification is a professionally recognized achievement and sought-after mark of excellence that validates specialty knowledge and expertise and empowers nurses to impact patient care, safety and outcomes.
Board certification from BCEN…
- Affirms you are the best you can be and delivers a constant, proven and critical confidence boost as you face healthcare’s most uncertain, demanding and dynamic environments.
- Lets patients and their families know that you possess a high level of clinical expertise and are on top of best practices.
- Distinguishes you among your peers, validates and helps ensure your ongoing competency, equips you to help your unit run safely, efficiently and productively, and positions you for maximum career success.
BCEN offers a robust portfolio of respected certifications:
Certified Emergency Nurse
Certified Flight Registered Nurse
Certified Pediatric Emergency Nurse
Certified Transport Registered Nurse
Trauma Certified Registered Nurse
Certified Burn Registered NurseIn addition to developing and awarding specialty certifications, BCEN:
- Provides emergency nurses with certification and recertification resources and tools, including continuing education offerings on BCEN Learn
- Helps healthcare institutions and health systems thrive with employer programs and resources
- Sets nursing students up for success through scholarships and career preparation with BCEN EDvantage
- Recognizes nurses and institutions who exemplify excellence and advance emergency nursing specialty certification
Our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion
At BCEN, we firmly believe that every nurse can benefit from the value of board certification. Our exams and services are accessible, inclusive and non-discriminatory — so that every nurse who wishes to pursue certification has the opportunity to do so. Certified success is not based on race, sex, orientation, cultural or societal influences — it is based on the drive, passion and determination of the individual. If you have questions about our diversity, equity and inclusion policies, or if you have concerns about bias in any of our exams or procedures, please contact us at 1-877-302-2236 or bcen@bcen.org.
Our Why
At BCEN we believe the why behind what we do is every bit as important as the what we do.
Our vision is to stand as the benchmark for certification across the emergency nursing spectrum. We offer a robust portfolio of certifications that are respected and sought after in throughout the healthcare industry. Nurses who hold a BCEN certification feel a sense of pride, honor and fulfillment in their calling, which results in better-functioning, highly efficient emergency departments, critical care ground transport and trauma programs and, most importantly, better outcomes for patients.
We believe in the power of continuing education. Lifelong learning never stops, and we support nurses in their pursuit of clinical excellence through earning and maintaining board certification. Whether it’s a desire for professional career advancement or the personal satisfaction of being the best of the best, our nurses are driven to excel.
The best healthcare providers and transport facilities require the best nurses. The best nurses require support, encouragement and motivation to excel and achieve. By laying the foundation for the highest quality and most compassionate caregiving, we are also helping to build better hospitals and emergency, trauma, flight and ground transport facilities.
It all boils down to this: better nurses equal better outcomes for patients. Emergency nurses, whether they’re in an ED, a trauma center or air or ground transport, deal frequently with the critical moments between life and death. Certification doesn’t just improve careers; it helps save lives.
Our Mission
The Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing supports nurses to achieve excellence by being the industry leader in professional credentialing while promoting the value of certification and lifelong learning.
Our Vision
Every patient across the emergency spectrum receives care from a BCEN-certified nurse.
Our Values
- Professional & Clinical Excellence
- Lifelong Learning
- Quality & Integrity
- Leadership
- Diversity & Inclusion
- Innovation
- Collaboration & Community
- Exceptional Customer Service
Our History
With our roots firmly entrenched in empowering nurses to deliver high-quality care that improves patient care, safety, and outcomes, BCEN’s 40-year history demonstrates a commitment to excellence, industry partnership and supporting nurses practicing across the emergency spectrum who are dedicated to achieving and maintaining board certification.
On Sept. 19, BCEN announces the 2024 National Certification Champion Award recipients. Throughout October, BCEN celebrates the one-year anniversary of the worldwide launch of the Certified Burn Registered Nurse (CBRN) credential.
BCEN Director of Professional Development Michael Dexter earns a GOLD Brandon Hall Group® HCM Excellence Award™ as a “Best Learning Leader,” alongside peers from Dell Technologies, KPMG India, L’Oreal USA, Salesforce, Tavant, and several other learning and development powerhouses. This is the 4th Brandon Hall Group Excellence Award for BCEN
BCEN publishes a new white paper, Sustaining Specialty Excellence: Why RNs Thrive Through Recertification, and announces the 2024 Distinguished Award recipients.
On Certified Nurses Day, BCEN launches the CEN Review Course: Essentials of Emergency Nursing, features new “RN-credible” nurse recognition items (downloadable note card & t-shirt), and honors the extraordinary commitment and dedication of the 50,000+ nurses across 28 countries who collectively hold over 60,000 BCEN credentials.
BCEN announces the 2024-2025 board of directors and publishes its 2023 Annual Report infographic, featuring new offerings, major milestones, key stats, and other happenings and celebrations of nursing specialty excellence across the emergency spectrum.
On October 17, BCEN announces the worldwide launch of the Certified Burn Registered Nurse (CBRN). This first ever burn nursing specialty credential validates burn nursing expertise across the burn care continuum.
The CTRN® (Certified Transport Registered Nurse) national critical care ground transport certification program earned initial accreditation from the Accreditation Board for Specialty Nursing Certification (ABSNC).1
ABSNC also granted reaccreditation of the TCRN® (Trauma Certified Registered Nurse) certification program.
BCEN celebrates the 30th anniversary of the Certified Flight Registered Nurse (CFRN) with a CFRN photo gallery, a walk back through CFRN history, and tributes from industry leaders and RNs who sat for the very first CFRN exam in 1993. Plus the July/August 2023 Air Medical Journal features BCEN’s 2023 Distinguished CFRN on the cover, commemorative images and history on the inside cover, and an original research article on the first ever CFRN value of certification study.
BCEN announces the 2023 Distinguished Award winners. Nurses seeking to be among the world’s first certified burn nurses apply to take the CBRN beta exam in July and August; the CBRN exam will be widely available in Q4 2023.
The first major value of certification research focusing on BCEN’s CFRN flight nursing credential—The 2022 Certified Flight Registered Nurse (CFRN) Pulse Survey—publishes ahead of print in Air Medical Journal.
BCEN launches a Certified Nurses Day webpage with free celebration resources for nurses and employers, as well as information about nursing specialty certification for patients, families and healthcare consumers and a new YouTube video with interviews of 3 Chicago-area ED nurses who hold the Certified Emergency Nurse (CEN) credential.
The 2022 Certified Transport Registered Nurse (CTRN) Pulse Survey, an original research article highlighting the findings of the first value of certification study focusing on BCEN’s CTRN critical care ground transport credential, publishes in the January/February 2023 issue of Air Medical Journal.
BCEN’s 2022 Annual Report publishes. Among the highlights: expanded offerings on the award-winning BCEN Learn continuing education platform, the first two BCEN Learn Live conferences, updates on the CBRN burn nursing certification, and the number of Trauma Certified Registered Nurses (TCRNs) topping 7,000.
BCEN launches updates for its award-winning online continuing education and professional development platform, BCEN Learn, including user experience enhancements and new practice exams with more questions and scoring breakdown by category.
BCEN celebrates Janie Schumaker’s fifth anniversary as head of the organization. In addition to her role as BCEN CEO, Janie is the immediate past president of the American Board of Nursing Specialties (ABNS), which represents dozens of specialty certification boards and more than 930,000 specialty certified nurses worldwide.
BCEN publishes the inaugural Certified Burn Registered Nurse (CBRN) exam content outline in advance of the anticipated summer 2023 launch of the world’s first burn nursing specialty credential, the CBRN.
The second BCEN Learn Live conference is held in Las Vegas. Over xxx specialty certified emergency, trauma and transport nurses attend advanced CE sessions, connect with peers, and recharge with self-care activities at the Red Rock Resort. The 2023 BCEN Learn Live conferences will be held in Dallas (in May) and Charlotte, North Carolina (in November).
BCEN announces the 2022 recipients of the BCEN National Certification Champion Award, which recognizes organizations that are committed to emergency, trauma and transport nursing excellence through nursing specialty certification. Get to know this year’s winners in our Meet the Winner series and winner video.
BCEN co-sponsors and participates in the “Certified Nurses Make a Difference” consumer awareness campaign featuring a public service announcement to promote specialty certification, based at certifiednurses.org.
BCEN convenes a national panel of esteemed pediatric emergency RNs to conduct the 2022 Certified Pediatric Emergency Nurse (CPEN) Role Delineation Study. Conducted every five years, this work ensures that that CPEN exam accurately reflects the current roles and responsibilities of pediatric emergency nurses and the current pediatric emergency nursing body of knowledge.
BCEN Board Chair Rebecca Steinmann and Vice Chair Allen Wolfe discuss new BCEN initiatives in the June issue of AirMed&Rescue.
BCEN’s certification program for flight nurses, the Certified Flight Registered Nurse (CFRN), is again reaccredited by ABSNC.
BCEN announces the 2022 Distinguished Award honorees. New this year, the nurse-winners will receive a commemorative Distinguished Award pin and one year of access to BCEN Learn continuing education content valued at $1,500. Get to know the winners in our Meet the Winner series.
BCEN announces plans to develop a burn nursing certification and reveals the name of what will be the world’s first burn nursing credential — the Certified Burn Registered Nurse (CBRN). BCEN also announces that the initial burn nursing Role Delineation Study (RDS) is underway.
BCEN is partnering with the American Burn Association (ABA) on the initial development of the burn nursing certification program. PSI Services is also providing support for the development of the CBRN, which is scheduled to launch in mid-2023. For updates, visit BCEN’s burn nursing certification page.
The March/April print issue of Air Medical Journal features Certified Transport Registered Nurses (CTRNs) on the cover and includes a feature article about the roles and contributions of CTRNs (also see February 2022 entry).
“The Roles and Contributions of Certified Transport Registered Nurses in Critical Care Ground Transport Today” is published online by Air Medical Journal. The authors of this extended feature article include CTRN-certified transport nurse Jennifer Esslinger, BCEN’s Director of Certification and Accreditation Amy Grand, veteran transport nurse and BCEN CFRN-CTRN ECRC Chairperson Sue Parrigin, and Air Medical Journal editor Jacqueline Stocking. (This article is open access until September 25, 2022.)
BCEN announces 2022-2023 board of directors with Rebecca Steinmann of Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago at the helm and releases its 2021 annual report.
To ensure BCEN-certified nurses have more options for specialty-specific advanced continuing education, BCEN announces the first BCEN Learn Live conference will take place in May 2022 in Orange Beach, Alabama (register here). The in-person conference also offers the opportunity to network, collaborate, recognize the contributions of BCEN nurses everywhere, and acknowledge the 2022 Distinguished Award and National Certification Champion Award honorees … plus a healthy dose of self-care. A second conference is planned for November in Las Vegas.
BCEN debuts a new video highlighting the interactive technologies featured in BCEN Learn’s CE courses. Just one year after its official launch, BCEN Learn features a variety of emergency specialty-specific CE courses plus monthly free-CEU webinars, full-length practice exams, biweekly podcast episodes and more.
BCEN and WeLearn were honored with 3 Brandon Hall Group Excellence in Learning Awards for their innovative learning strategies and advances in CE content as featured on BCEN Learn, BCEN’s professional development platform.
Validating BCEN’s commitment to certification excellence, the Certified Emergency Nurse (CEN) certification program was again reaccredited by the Accreditation Board for Specialty Nursing Certification.
BCEN’s recent transport nursing role delineation study pointed up the unique aspects of flight nursing versus ground transport nursing. As a result, an updated CFRN exam form and passing score went into effect on August 31. And for the first time, there are stand-alone exam content outlines for the CFRN and CTRN.
BCEN hosts its second virtual event, Certibration: A Celebration of Certified Success, to honor certified emergency, trauma and transport nurses everywhere and recognize the 2021 winners of BCEN’s annual Distinguished Awards for nurses and National Certification Champion Award for organizations. (Certibration is free and available on demand; viewers may earn 1 CE credit.)
BCEN unveils its new mission, vision and values.
15th anniversary celebrations of BCEN’s critical care ground transport certification, the CTRN, include a March/April 2021 Air Medical Journal cover feature and the release of Grounded in Excellence: The Certified Transport Registered Nurse (CTRN).
BCEN launches live remote proctoring for all five certification programs and announces that PSI Services will be the exclusive test provider for BCEN in-person and remote exams.
BCEN publishes its first ever annual report, “2020: Year in Review – Celebrating 40 Years,” and announces the promotion of Janie Schumaker to CEO.
BCEN proudly offers U.S. military RNs and APRNs a discount on initial certification, retesting and recertification. Active-duty service members, reservists and veterans are eligible.
The number of nurses who hold the Certified Emergency Nurse (CEN®) credential tops 40,000 for the first time. Earlier this year (in July), BCEN celebrated the 40th birthday of the CEN.
BCEN officially launches BCEN Learn, an all-in-one continuing education platform featuring CE courses, webinars, the BCEN & Friends podcast and more, on October 20.
In honor of BCEN nurses everywhere, BCEN hosts its first Tribute Event, Celebrating Certified Success. The virtual event features inspirational videos from all seven 2020 BCEN national award winners plus two top-notch motivational talks and heartfelt tributes from BCEN leaders.
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BCEN celebrates the 40th birthday of its Certified Emergency Nurse (CEN®) certification. The CEN is the most widely held emergency nursing specialty board credential. Its introduction in July 1980 marked the birth of emergency nursing specialty certification. (Update: As of November 2020, the number of CENs topped 40,000 for the first time.)
BCEN publishes its 4th white paper, Raising the Bar: Why Board Certification for RNs Matters. The free publication features commentary from a variety of nursing, physician and healthcare industry leaders on the value and benefits of board certification for nurses practicing in every specialty.
BCEN begins offering CEs for completing practice exams through the BCEN Learn platform.
BCEN introduces BCEN EDvantage, a certificate program designed to help prepare final-year nursing students, recent grads and RNs for a career in emergency nursing.
BCEN kicks off its year-long 40th anniversary celebration and also joins the global celebration of “The Year of the Nurse and the Midwife” as declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) in honor of the bicentenary of the birth of Florence Nightingale.
BCEN publishes third white paper, “Support Your Nurses to Board Certified Success: A Step-by-Step Guide.” The free, comprehensive guide offers dozens of practical tips and ideas for nurse leaders, nurse educators and anyone committed to creating a culture of certification support, plus expert insights and case studies from across the US.
The BCEN/HumRRO-authored open access original research article, “The Emergency, Trauma and Transport Nursing Workforce: Highlights of Benchmark 2019 Survey,” is featured on the cover of Nursing Management.
CPEN® is reaccredited by ABSNC.1
BCEN introduces the Make Your Case Kit for nurses and the Support Your Nurse Kit for nurse managers. These certification journey toolkits, together with the Nurse Recognition Kit and other BCEN certification resources, offer emergency, transport and trauma RNs seeking and holding board certification one of the most comprehensive portfolios of board certification resources in the nursing profession.
BCEN also expands the Yes You Can! Get Certified volume discount exam voucher program. Vouchers may now be used for either initial certification or recertification, and in addition to employers, groups of nurses may now purchase the vouchers.
BCEN Executive Director Janie Schumaker begins serving a two-year term as president of the American Board of Nursing Specialties (ABNS).
BCEN and research partners ASTNA, ENA, STN and the MedEvac Foundation International (MFI) announce preliminary findings from the first major emergency nursing workforce study. The 2019 Emergency/Trauma/Transport Nursing Workforce Study offers a comprehensive and in-depth look at the characteristics of the emergency nursing workforce.
BCEN introduces full-length practice exams for the CEN, CFRN, CPEN and TCRN.
The TCRN® certification program earns initial accreditation from ABSNC.1
Subsequently, the Trauma Certified Registered Nurse program was reaccredited by ABSNC in August 2023.
Over 50,000 BCEN certifications are held by RNs practicing across the emergency spectrum.
BCEN launches a new website (www.bcen.org) and a new brand identity.
BCEN publishes first white paper for emergency nurses, “5 Compelling Reasons to Get (and Keep) Your Emergency Nursing Specialty Certification.”
BCEN appoints Janie Schumaker as its new Executive Director.
Recertification by continuing education (CE) attestation and digital badges are introduced.
Results of BCEN’s rigorous, large-scale value of emergency nursing certification study—The Value of CEN® Certification Research Study—are announced. Reflecting the responses of over 8,800 certified and non-certified emergency nurses and 1,002 of their supervisors, the first-of-its-kind study in emergency nursing demonstrates significant positive correlations between emergency nursing certification and multiple nursing expertise, performance and career outcomes
CFRN® is reaccredited by ABSNC.1
TCRN® becomes a Magnet®-accepted certification program.
The BCEN Voucher Program is introduced, offering volume-based discounts on certification exam voucher purchases to employers who are committed to building and growing a board-certified nurse workforce.
BCEN becomes the sole owner of the CPEN® certification program.
TCRN® (Trauma Certified Registered Nurse) certification program launches.
CEN® is reaccredited by ABSNC.1
CPEN® is accredited by ABSNC.1 Subsequently, the CPEN certification program was reaccredited by ABSNC in December 2019.
BCEN and the Society of Trauma Nurses study the feasibility of a trauma nursing certification exam.
CFRN® is reaccredited by ABSNC.1
CEN® is reaccredited by ABSNC.1
BCEN opens new headquarters in Naperville, IL.
CEN®, CFRN®, CPEN®, and CTRN® become Magnet®-accepted certification programs.
CPEN® (Certified Pediatric Emergency Nurse) certification program launches in partnership with the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board
CFRN® is accredited by ABSNC.1 Subsequently, the CFRN was reaccredited by ABSNC in 2012 and 2017.
CEN® is reaccredited by ABSNC.1
CTRN® (Certified Transport Registered Nurse) certification program is introduced.
BCEN and the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board assess the need for pediatric emergency nursing certification.
BCEN and the Air & Surface Transport Nursing Association (ASTNA) fund a role delineation study of ground transport nursing.
CEN® is accredited by ABSNC.1 Subsequently, the CEN was reaccredited by ABSNC in 2007, 2012 and 2017.
CFRN® (Certified Flight Registered Nurse) certification program launches.
BCEN and the National Flight Nurses Association (now ASTNA) discuss the development of a certification exam for flight nurses.
The Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing (BCEN®) becomes a separate independent, not-for-profit corporation.
The Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing (BCEN) offers the first CEN® (Certified Emergency Nurse) exam at over 30 sites around the country, including Alaska. Over 1,400 RNs take the 4-hour, 250-item, pencil-and-paper exam. After waiting several weeks for notification by mail, 1,274 nurses receive the news they have passed! The world’s first CENs are honored with special festivities at the October EDNA Scientific Assembly and their names are published in the Nov/Dec 1980 issue of the Journal of Emergency Nursing
Judy Spinella begins her term as the founding chairman of the Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing (BCEN).
The newly-formed Certification Committee of the Emergency Department Nurses Association (today’s ENA) begins meeting to develop and implement what will eventually become the first emergency nursing certification exam. To ensure diverse professional and geographical representation, the committee, chaired by Judy Spinella, MS, RN, consists of practicing emergency nurses, educators and administrators from a wide range of regions across the US. The original Certification Committee members are: Mary Bailey, Marlene Jezerski, Nancy Parrish, Carol Rosauer, Diane Ruhle and Barbara Weldon.
As emergency care gains recognition as a medical specialty, visionary emergency nurses set a goal to create an emergency nursing certification. In the coming years, these early certification pioneers, under the leadership of Marion Dover, Pam Bourg, Peggy McCall, Vicki Patrick, Marta Prado, and many others, persist through funding challenges (eventually earmarking 7% of EDNA member dues to fund the development of a certification program) and keep the dream alive.
The CEN®, CFRN®, CPEN®, CTRN®, and TCRN® certification programs are accredited by the Accreditation Board for Specialty Nursing Certification (ABSNC).
The Accreditation Board for Specialty Nursing Certifications (ABSNC) is the only accreditation body specifically for nursing certification. Accreditation by ABSNC is a peer-review mechanism that signifies a certification program has demonstrated compliance with the highest quality standards available in the industry. The 18 standards established by ABSNC validate a certifying organization’s autonomy and ethical operations, sound governance, quality improvement efforts and excellence and rigor of certifying programs.1
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Volunteer exam item writers for the Certified Burn Registered Nurse (CBRN) certification meet at the first-ever CBRN Item Writer Workshop, September 2022.