OAK BROOK, IL (January 31, 2025) – The Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing (BCEN), the benchmark for specialty certification across the emergency nursing spectrum, has published its 2024 annual report, “2024 Year in Review: Helping Certified Nurses Thrive Across the Emergency Spectrum.”
“It’s a privilege to report that the dedication and accomplishments of nurses certified through BCEN and the leadership of our staff and volunteers truly set the pace for nursing specialty excellence,” said 2024-2025 BCEN Board of Directors Chairperson Allen Wolfe Jr., MSN, CNS, APRN, CFRN, CCRN, CTRN, TCRN, CMTE, FAASTN. “Nurses who hold a BCEN credential are recognized, respected, and sought after at the very highest levels of nursing.”
Six World-Class Credentials, Emergency Specialty CEs & Support for Organizations That Value Board Certification for RNs
Accomplishments included:
- Annual growth across all six emergency nursing specialty certification programs
- Strong double-digit growth for BCEN’s nationally accredited flight and critical care ground transport programs, the CFRN (17%) and CTRN (16%)
- Expanded specialty-specific CE offerings and a 35% increase in digital learners on BCEN’s award-winning BCEN Learn professional development platform
- 25% rise in sales of BCEN volume discount vouchers, which offer 50% savings on initial certification and 34% savings on renewals to both organizations and nurses
BCEN Voucher Program Unlocks Success
Highlighting the impact of the BCEN Voucher Program, BCEN Employer Relationships Manager Kathy Mace, RN, CEN, said: “BCEN vouchers unlock success for organizations and nurses alike by creating a clear path to specialty certification at a significant savings.” In fact, individuals or groups of nurses may participate in the program by purchasing as few as three vouchers.
For example:
- This year’s 17% growth in CFRN certifications was driven in part by a doubling of flight programs purchasing BCEN vouchers in recent years.
- In 2024, BCEN voucher customers saved a combined $918,435 on initial certifications, retests and recertifications.
Innovating, Advancing & Recognizing Specialty Expertise
Also in 2024, BCEN:
- Introduced its first online certification review course, the “CEN Review Course: Essentials of Emergency Nursing”
- Published its fifth white paper, “Sustaining Specialty Excellence: Why Nurses Thrive Through Recertification”
- Earned a fourth Brandon Hall Group Excellence Award—a Best Learning Leader Gold Medal
- Sponsored $155,000 in academic scholarships for RNs, nursing students and medics-to-RNs
- Recognized specialty excellence with the annual BCEN Distinguished Awards & the BCEN National Certification Champion Award programs
Nearly 63,000 BCEN Credentials Held by Nurses in 29 Countries
At 2024 year end, 40,690 nurses held the Certified Emergency Nurse (CEN), 5,612 held the Certified Pediatric Emergency Nurse (CPEN), 8,075 held the Trauma Certified Registered Nurses (TCRN), 7,179 held the Certified Flight Registered Nurse (CFRN), 614 held the Certified Transport Registered Nurse (CTRN), and 538 held BCEN’s newest credential, the Certified Burn Registered Nurse (CBRN), which launched worldwide in fall 2023.
While most of the more than 50,000 nurses who are board certified through BCEN practice in the United States, BCEN credential holders deliver expert, high quality care in a total of 29 countries around the world including Canada, the Republic of Korea, the United Arab Emirates, Guam and Australia.
“We are proud of the tremendous commitment and contributions of every single RN and APRN we certify,” said BCEN CEO Janie Schumaker, MBA, BSN, RN, CEN, ICE-CCP, CENP, CPHQ, FABC.
About BCEN
Founded in 1980, the independent, not-for-profit Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing (BCEN®) offers robust nursing specialty certification programs fostering empowered nurses across the emergency spectrum who contribute noticeably to patient care, safety and outcomes. Over 60,000 BCEN credentials are held by registered nurses (RNs) who specialize in emergency, pediatric emergency, flight, critical care ground transport, trauma, and burn nursing. BCEN offers the Certified Emergency Nurse (CEN®), Certified Pediatric Emergency Nurse (CPEN®), Certified Flight Registered Nurse (CFRN®), Certified Transport Registered Nurse (CTRN®), Trauma Certified Registered Nurse (TCRN®), and Certified Burn Registered Nurse (CBRN). The CEN, CPEN, CFRN, CTRN and TCRN certification programs are accredited by the Accreditation Board for Specialty Nursing Certification (ABSNC) and are ANCC Magnet-accepted. Learn more at bcen.org.
# # #
CONTACT: Maris Panjada, Director of Marketing & Communications | mpanjada@bcen.org | 630-339-4530
