On May 2, BCEN was proud to announce our 2024 Distinguished CEN Award winner:
Tina Owens, BS, RN, CEN, CCRN, CRSN, CNML, MEDSURG-BC, NHDP-BC
Administrative Director of Clinical Quality
Buchanan General Hospital
Grundy, VA
What does this award mean to you?
I am humbled and honored to receive BCEN’s Distinguished Award because it is a testament to the support and encouragement that I have received and strive to provide to other nurses by mentoring and encouraging them to seek emergency nursing certification. ED nursing is more than just a profession to me. It is a calling, and I consider this my mission field. We provide care to patients during some of the worse times in their lives when compassion and expertise must come to the forefront. Obtaining and maintaining my CEN credential is a key part of my goal to be my best while serving others and striving to make a difference.
How does earning and maintaining the CEN credential make a difference in your practice and roles?
I have maintained my emergency nursing certification for over 30 years. It is a demonstration of my commitment to strive to give my best for my patients, their families and my emergency nursing team here at Buchanan General Hospital. This commitment is magnified in our small community emergency department because our patients are our family and friends. Also, my membership in the Emergency Nurses Association has provided me with educational resources and support that not only increase my knowledge and skills but also is something I can pass along to my emergency nursing team. Ultimately, certification and continuing education result in better advocacy and outcomes for the patients we serve.
What difference has being a CEN made for your patients and their families?
The Certified Emergency Nurse (CEN) demonstrates a commitment to continuous learning and staying up to date in emergency nursing care. The knowledge and skills obtained through certification translate directly to the care I provide. When asked what the CEN on my badge means, whether by a patient or a nursing student, I am proud to tell them: “A Certified Emergency Nurse (CEN) demonstrates a commitment to providing a standard of care that is the same at Buchanan General Hospital as it is at any major medical center in Chicago, New York, or anywhere—The Best of Care.”
How does the CEN advance emergency nursing and emergency care for patients of all ages?
Emergency nursing is very dynamic and requires continuous learning, skills mastery, and confidence to maintain best practices. Obtaining the CEN emergency nursing specialty certification allows me and other nurses to validate our expert knowledge and skills, thereby positioning ourselves for appropriate recognition and advancement. Ultimately, our patients, their families, and the community we serve care to is enhanced. I proudly wear my CEN credential and strive to promote this certification.
Buchanan General Hospital Chief Nursing Officer Patty Dorton, MSN, MBA, RN, CWCN, had this to say about Tina:
“Tina is truly a blessing to the facility, her patients, her co-workers and community. Tina gives 100%+ for her patients and the hospital, and is always happy to help anyone in the community that needs help. She is always willing to jump in and help wherever and whenever needed. There is no task too small or too large for Tina to take on.
Tina is a hometown girl who believes patients here in our small town deserve and should expect the same care they would receive at larger facilities. She is constantly studying and learning, and she works hard to share and impart knowledge to others and instill this same attitude in the staff she works with.”
Here’s what Tina’s nominator and colleague Ashley Skeens, MSN, RN, said:
“Tina is the absolute definition of dedicated critical care nurse. She has spent her entire career exemplifying the standard of care to new heights and educating underserved areas to improve global health. Her relentless determination for continuing education and leadership in this community has had the greatest impact on the culture of healthcare for southwest Virginia. There is no better role model for the nurses of this generation or the next generation to come than Tina.
She tirelessly defends the idea of clinical excellence in emergency and critical care nursing with her continuing education efforts, performance improvement initiatives, and unwavering support for her staff members. Whether she is working directly with patients providing bedside critical care or working behind the scenes to ensure policies are up-to-date and beneficial for the patient as well as staff and the facility, she always has a positive attitude that creates an atmosphere of truly holistic patient healthcare.
Compassion is ever-flowing from her in every patient situation, and I have personally experienced the life-altering care and unbiased treatment she effortlessly gives to all. I can confidently conclude she has sacrificed herself for the benefit and security of emergency medicine for decades and is so very deserving of this prestigious award.”
Read about all of BCEN’s 2024 Distinguished Award honorees here.
