BCEN’s Critical Care Ground Transport Nursing Certification Earns Accreditation

CTRN Now Accredited by the Accreditation Board for Specialty Nursing Certification

OAK BROOK, IL (August 10, 2023) – The Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing (BCEN), the benchmark for specialty excellence across the emergency nursing spectrum, today announced that its Certified Transport Registered Nurse (CTRN) national board certification program for critical care ground transport nurses has been accredited by the Accreditation Board for Specialty Nursing Certification (ABSNC). Accreditation by ABSNC means that the CTRN certification program has met or exceeds the nursing certification industry’s most rigorous standards based on an independent, peer-reviewed process.

RNs play a major role in delivering crucial and often life-preserving or life-saving care to critically ill or injured patients in the dynamic, autonomous and high stakes ground transport environment. To earn the CTRN credential, nurses must demonstrate mastery of advanced ground transport nursing-specific clinical knowledge as well as safety, survival, disaster preparedness, scene operations management, communications, and equipment and vehicle knowledge.

“Excellence in ground transport nursing is crucial to the public emergency response and successful interfacility transfers of critically ill and injured patients,” said BCEN CEO Janie Schumaker, MBA, BSN, RN, CEN, CPHQ, CENP, FABC. “ABSNC accreditation of the CTRN ground transport specialty certification is an important signal to nurses, healthcare teams, institutions, and patients and their families alike.”

The CTRN is BCEN’s fastest growing certification program, increasing by 19% in 2020, 29% in 2021, and 24% in 2022 as well as in 2023 year-to-date. According to a peer-reviewed January/February 2023 Air Medical Journal article, the top three perceived benefits of holding the CTRN are critical thinking in the ground transport environment (88%), confidence as a ground transport nurse (88%), and a sense of accomplishment and pride (95%). Over half (51%) of survey respondents reported doing more ground transports since the start of the pandemic, and nearly two-thirds (62%) said being a CTRN “contributed to their ability to deliver the best possible care” to patients with COVID-19.

“To earn initial accreditation, a certification body must provide detailed data that demonstrates a particular certification program adheres to ABSNC’s 18 accreditation standards including organizational autonomy, basis in a body of research-based knowledge, nondiscrimination, test development, validity, reliability, test administration, test security, fairness of passing score, recertification, and confidentiality,” said BCEN Director of Certification and Accreditation Amy Grand, MSN, RN, ICE-CCP . “We are proud to say that all five of BCEN’s currently available certification programs are now accredited.” BCEN’s new burn nursing credential will launch in Q4 2023.

Additionally:

The CTRN has been ANCC Magnet-accepted since 2009.
The Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems (CAMTS) has recognized the CTRN since 2006 and now requires that RNs hold a transport-specific credential.
While the number of CTRNs has grown steadily since the credential was introduced in 2006, the number of CTRNs has doubled in just the past three years. Today, over 500 nurses hold the CTRN.

For more on the CTRN and ground transport nursing, read “The Roles and Contributions of Certified Transport Registered Nurses in Critical Care Ground Transport Today” in the March 2022 Air Medical Journal and Grounded in Excellence: The CTRN.

For more about ABSNC, the only accrediting body specifically for nursing certifications, and to read ABSNC’s announcement regarding initial accreditation of the CTRN, please visit absnc.org.

About BCEN

Founded in 1980, the independent, not-for-profit Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing (BCEN®) offers robust certification programs fostering empowered nurses across the emergency spectrum who contribute noticeably to patient care, safety and outcomes. Over 59,000 BCEN board certifications are held by registered nurses (RNs) who specialize in emergency, flight, critical care ground transport, pediatric emergency, and trauma nursing. BCEN offers the Certified Emergency Nurse (CEN®), Certified Flight Registered Nurse (CFRN®), Certified Pediatric Emergency Nurse (CPEN®), Certified Transport Registered Nurse (CTRN®) and Trauma Certified Registered Nurse (TCRN®) certifications, all of which are accredited by ABSNC. BCEN’s newest certification, the Certified Burn Registered Nurse (CBRN), will be widely available in Q4 2023. Learn more at bcen.org. Follow BCEN on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.

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CONTACT: Hilde Marnul, Director of Marketing & Communications | hmarnul@bcen.org | 630-352-0811