On May 2, BCEN was proud to announce our 2024 Distinguished CPEN Award winner:
Jordan McAdam, BSN, RN, CPEN
Emergency Department RN & Clinical Coach
Northern Navajo Medical Center
Shiprock, NM
What does this award mean to you?
To me, being selected and recognized for this award is an unbelievably high honor. Not only does it reinforce my passion for emergency care of pediatric patients, it also empowers me to continue my education in order to provide the best possible care to pediatric patients and their families.
How does earning and maintaining the CPEN credential make a difference in your practice and roles?
Obtaining the CPEN has improved my skills, expertise and understanding of the pediatric population, especially in emergency situations. It has improved my ability to care for patients across different developmental stages, as well as provide nursing care in a variety of situations like pediatric trauma, disease processes, family dynamics, pediatric mental health and so much more.
What difference has being a CPEN made for your patients and their families?
I work in a community with limited pediatric services, and the CPEN has given me the confidence to provide excellent emergency nursing care to pediatric patients and their families. I believe that the CPEN has provided me with a vast knowledge base and competence in caring for pediatric emergencies in an underserved population.
How does the CPEN advance pediatric emergency nursing and emergency care for patients of all ages?
Becoming a board certified emergency nurse exemplifies an advanced knowledge and understanding of a specialty such as pediatric emergencies. Acquiring the CPEN truly raises the bar and encourages nursing excellence in pediatric emergency care.
Northern Navajo Medical Center ER Supervisory Nurse Richard Morales, RN, said:
“Jordan is an exceptional emergency room nurse who cares deeply for her patients and has a passion for giving the highest quality care possible to this community. She truly embodies what a nurse should strive to be, and winning this award only reinforces the way we feel about her in our department. We are blessed to have her as our clinical coach, educating the nurses in the ER.”
Here’s what Sara Daykin, University of New Mexico College of Nursing, had to say in her nomination of Jordan:
“Working in a rural Northern New Mexico facility and seeing the need to improve pediatric care within her facility and region when completing her hospital’s EMSC pediatric readiness scoring, Jordan became a pediatric champion. She saw the need and started by taking and passing the CPEN. With her newfound passion, Jordan set about increasing her ED’s score.
Jordan not only saw the need to gain certification herself but saw that if others in the department got certification it would improve pediatric outcomes as staff became more confident in their ability to care for emergency patients. This rural facility has limited resources, but Jordan ensured those with ER experience were given the opportunity not only to receive specialized education but worked with facility leadership to ensure staff are supported to take the CPEN or CEN exam. This has resulted in multiple staff getting certified to support excellence in a rural community.
Jordan has seen many needs within the facility and has taken on multiple new roles to ensure improved patient outcomes, including PECC (Pediatric Emergency Care Coordinator) working closely with the New Mexico EMSC group. With Jordan in this role, the facility’s score went from 64 to 96 within a 3-year period, ensuring that NNMC was the first facility in the state to be recognized as Pediatric Ready.
Jordan identified that specialty certification, especially the CPEN, not only supports and identifies pediatric experts, but provides a level of confidence in the team dynamics. With Jordan as the lead, the facility has built a team of nurses with certifications identifying them as experts to be used as resources for new team members, setting the bar for certification as an expectation.
Jordan exemplifies what a certified nurse should be—an example of excellence, a mentor, and a champion for patient care.”
Read about all of BCEN’s 2024 Distinguished Award honorees here.
