On September 17, BCEN was pleased to announce our 2025 National Certification Champion Award – Small Healthcare Facility category winner:
UCHealth Emergency Room – Harmony Campus
Fort Collins, Colorado
What does being named a BCEN National Certification Champion mean to your organization and the communities you serve?
The BCEN National Certification Champion Award is a tremendous honor that reflects the unwavering commitment of our freestanding emergency department (FSED) to deliver the highest-quality care to our community.
As a high-acuity FSED, our nurses routinely manage complex, high-stakes situations with the expertise and confidence that board certification brings. This recognition also highlights how deeply we invest in our people, from advanced trauma, pediatrics, and emergency certifications to robust peer support programs.
Ultimately, this award affirms our promise to our patients and community: that we are ready for anything, and that every person who walks through our doors will be cared for by nurses who lead with excellence, compassion, and professionalism.
What sets nurses who are board certified through BCEN apart in their daily practice and in their professional development and career trajectories?
Nurses who hold BCEN credentials stand apart because they consistently demonstrate mastery of complex clinical knowledge, rapid decision-making under pressure, and unwavering dedication to their specialty.
Earning certifications like the CEN, CPEN, and TCRN validates their expertise and fuels their growth as clinical leaders, preceptors, and mentors. Many of our nurses pursue multiple certifications, pushing themselves to broaden their skills from pediatric emergencies to trauma resuscitation and interfacility transport.
This commitment opens doors to advanced practice roles, leadership positions, and greater professional visibility, setting a clear trajectory for career advancement while ensuring that our patients benefit from the safest, most up-to-date care.
As your nurses earn an emergency, trauma, transport or burn specialty credential, what changes do you notice in them and the teams they work with?
When nurses achieve specialty certification, we see a visible boost in their confidence, clinical judgment, and sense of accountability. Certified nurses bring that energy back to their teams, share knowledge, raise the standard of practice, and often become informal mentors to newer staff.
This creates a culture where continuous learning and peer support are the norm. In our department, this culture extends beyond technical skills; it builds resilience and trust within the team, which is especially vital when managing high-acuity emergencies or supporting each other through critical incidents. Certification transforms individual nurses and strengthens the collective readiness of the entire team.
What do you most want other healthcare organizations to know about why and how to support nursing specialty certification?
We want other organizations to know that investing in nursing specialty certification is one of the most impactful ways to strengthen clinical excellence, patient safety, and staff engagement.
Supporting certification demonstrates to nurses that their expertise is valued and that professional growth is not only encouraged but expected. To make this possible, we believe in covering exam fees, celebrating achievements, and building mentorship pathways so experienced nurses can guide others through the process. In return, certified nurses elevate care standards, inspire their peers, and contribute to a culture of accountability and pride that directly benefits patients and communities.
In nominating his workplace for this award, UCHealth Emergency Room – Harmony Campus Clinical Nurse Manager Kory Scheideman, RN, BSN, CEN, CPEN, TCRN, FAEN, said:
“Certification is not only encouraged, it is an embedded part of our departmental culture and professional expectations. In our resource-limited environment, certified nurses are essential in ensuring safe, skilled, and confident care for every patient, every time.”
“Our FSED stands as a beacon of excellence and resilience in a unique environment. Despite operating without many of the typical hospital resources, we deliver advanced, high-acuity emergency care, and we do so with compassion, precision, and pride.
Certification has empowered us to meet extraordinary demands with confidence and care. It’s not just what we do, it’s who we are.”
Tammy Piccone, MSN, BSN, BA, NE-BC, Chief Nursing Officer at Poudre Valley Hospital (which supports UCHealth – Harmony with shared services) said:
“Being named a BCEN National Certification Champion reflects our Harmony ED team’s commitment to excellence, professional growth, and high-quality emergency care. This honor aligns with Poudre Valley Hospital’s Magnet culture, where innovation, shared leadership, and continuous learning thrive. I’m incredibly proud of our nurses for setting the standard in emergency nursing and making a lasting impact on our community.”
