Awards & Scholarships

Distinguished CEN Award

• Honors a Certified Emergency Nurse (CEN)

• 2022 Winner
  

  Nicholas Jazdzewski

  BSN, RN, CEN Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin Froedtert Hospital, Milwaukee, WI

  About Nicholas

  Nicholas is an emergency department staff RN with Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee, WI.

  Colleagues in Froedtert Hospital’s ED know Nicholas for taking every opportunity to improve his knowledge and practice and as “one of the most well-rounded ED nurses you will meet.” He’s an approachable and positive leader, a trusted resource and advocate, and “the one I look to to get things done.”

  Nicholas has knocked down barriers to certification, set up an internal social media site for CEN test prep, and ensures colleagues are recognized when they earn the CEN. Altogether, he is a huge part of why a significant number of Froedtert & MCW’s ED nurses obtained their CEN in 2021.

  Read more about Nicholas in our Meet the Winner series.

• Previous Winners

  2021
  Heidi Cote, BSN, RN, CEN, CPEN
  Maine Medical Center, Portland, ME

  2020
  Jude Lark, BSN, RN, CEN, CCRN
  Overlook Medical Center, Summit, NJ

  2019
  Heather Linsalata, BSN, RN, CEN
  University Hospital, Newark, NJ

  2018
  Wilmar Flores, BSN, RN, CEN
  La Jolla Emergency Department, University of California, San Diego (UCSD) Health Systems, La Jolla, CA

  2017
  Kathy Ingersoll, BSN, RN, CEN
  Harford Memorial Hospital, Havre de Grace, MD

  2016
  Kara Bauman, MN, RN, CEN, CPEN, TCRN
  Inova Fairfax Medical Campus, Falls Church, VA

  2015
  Diane Branson, RN, CEN, OR-SANE-A
  Salem Hospital, Albany, OR

Distinguished CPEN Award

• Honors a Certified Pediatric Emergency Nurse (CPEN).

• 2022 Winner
  

  Jessica Evins

  BSN, RN, CPEN in NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital, New York, NY

  About Jessica

  A clinical nurse III in NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital Pediatric ED, Jessica is known as “a consummate professional with patients and staff across multiple disciplines and departments.” In addition to providing high-level quality care to a high acuity and chronic patient population, she educates other nurses, students and medical staff to give them the tools they need to provide exceptional care and holds multiple committee leadership roles.

  After earning the CPEN, Jessica created a guidebook for nurses new to pediatric emergency care that features unit-specific tips plus comprehensive clinical best practice guidelines, policies and procedures for pediatric-specific emergencies. It’s now SOP for every nurse in her ED to get a copy and the guide is regularly used for nurses studying for their CPEN.

  Read more about Jessica in our Meet the Winner series.

   

   

• Previous Winners

  2020
  Lisa Chambers, MSN, MPS, RN, CEN, CPEN, TCRN
  CHOC Children’s Hospital, Orange, CA

  2019
  Cara Szeglin, BSN, RN, CPEN
  New York-Presbyterial Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital, New York, NY

  2017
  Jodi Cregger, RN, MICT, CEN, CFRN, CPEN
  LifeTeam, Hutchinson Regional Medical Center, Hutchinson, KS

  2016
  Brian Johnson, RN, CEN, CPEN
  NorthBay Medical Center, Fairfield, CA

  2015
  Kristen Cline, BSN, RN, CEN, CPEN, SANE-A
  Sanford AirMed, Sioux Falls, SD

Distinguished CFRN Award

• Award honors a Certified Flight Registered Nurse (CFRN).

• 2022 Winner
  

  Abigail Harvey

  BSN, RN, CFRN, NREMT-P Lutheran Health Network, Fort Wayne, Indiana.

  About Abigail

  Abby keeps up on best practices and challenges teammates to be the best clinicians they can be. She’s compassionate and dedicated and a leader among her coworkers and in the flight nursing profession. She has excellent clinical skills, yet is always open for improvement and learning from others. She empowers her coworkers and sets them up for success, including inspiring her fellow flight nurses to work toward obtaining the CFRN too.

  Among her major accomplishments, Abby helped expand Lutheran Health Network from a one-aircraft flight program to three aircraft. “Abby is the true definition of leading by example. She actively listens and communicates with her teammates, which undeniably encourages and motivates them to succeed.”

  Read more about Abigail in our Meet the Winner series.

• Previous Winners

  2021
  Kevin Kissner, MSN, RN, CEN, CFRN
  VCU Health & Virginia State Police Med-Flight I , Richmond, VA

  2020
  Tonya Barnard, BSN, RN, CEN, CFRN, CPEN, CTRN, TCRN, CCRN, EMT-B
  Pafford Air One, Orlando, FL

  2019
  Carlos Tavarez, RN, CEN, CFRN, CTRN, TCRN, NREMT-P, FP-D, CCEMT-P, EMT-T, WEMT
  Orlando Health Orlando Regional Medical Center, Orlando, FL

  2018
  Teresa Elder, MEd, BSN, RN, CFRN
  Flight for LIfe Colorado, St. Anthony Hospital, Denver, CO

  2017
  Bambi Pish-Derr, DNP, CFRN, CCRN
  Angel MedFlight, Scottsdale, AZ

  2015
  Mick McCallum, TNS, RN, CFRN, CCRN, EMT-P, FP-C, CMTE
  Topeka, KS

Distinguished CTRN Award

• Award honors a Certified Transport Registered Nurse (CTRN).

• 2022 Winner
  

  Mackenzie Alexander

  BSN, RN, CEN, TCRN, CTRN, CPEN Harris Health System, Houston, Texas

  About Mackenzie

  Mackenzie transports some of the most critical patients out of Harris Health System’s emergency center and ICUs. In fact, she helped create and was an initial member of the Critical Care Transport Team at Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital. As the team’s education chair, she educates other RNs, EMT-Bs and EMT-Ps, leads and develops critical scenarios for training, and runs the mock drills and codes.

  Mackenzie mentors new and experienced nurses, supporting them on their journey to achieve certification. She created a year-long education calendar for the team based on BCEN exam content outlines, secures monthly expert speakers, and helped her transport program institute certification as a requisite to joining the team to ensure excellence and expertise. “With her knowledge and training, Mackenzie is a sought-out resource and delivers quality care to critical patients during transports and on site. Her dedication to education exemplifies clinical excellence.”

  Read more about Mackenzie in our Meet the Winner series.

• Previous Winners

  2016
  Kimberly Lacina, MSN, ARNP-C, CTRN, CEN, EMT-P
  Sunstar Paramedics, Largo, FL

Distinguished TCRN Award

• Honors a Trauma Certified Registered Nurse (TCRN).

• 2022 Winner
  

  Shayna Stevens

  BSN, RN, TCRN Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Plano, Plano, TX

  About Shayna

  At Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Plano in Plano Texas, a Level II trauma center, Shayna has been instrumental in building collaboration between the trauma and emergency departments. Her commitment to improving patient care and staff satisfaction includes developing and refining the intro to trauma care and advanced trauma care classes for ED staff, being a TNCC instructor and teaching in the Society of Trauma Nurses trauma lecture series, and doing just-in-time education before, during and after trauma activation. Simply put, Shayna is known as a trauma expert across the hospital.

  As her nominator wrote: “As a leader in a small department, Shayna served as a guiding light these last few years. Her focus on what is best for the patient and how to help support her coworkers so they also focus on what’s best for the patient and their family is a shining example of what professionalism in nursing should be about.”

  Read more about Shayna in our Meet the Winners series.

• Previous Winners

  2021
  Julie Donnelly, MSN, RN, TCRN
  Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, PA

  2020
  Lt. Mariah Pruett, NC, BSN, RN, CEN, CFRN, CPEN, TCRN, CCRN
  David Grant USAF Medical Center, Fairfield, CA

  2019
  Travis Beebe-Woodard, BSN, RN, CEN, CPEN, TCRN
  University of Vermont Medical Center, Burlington, VT

  2018
  June Guadalupe, MSN, BSN, RN, CEN, CCRN, CMC, CNRN, TCRN 
  R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD

  2017
  Andrea Wright, MSN, RN, CEN, TCRN
  Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital Level I Trauma Center, Roanoke, VA

National Certification Champion Award

• Scroll down to meet our 2022 National Certification Champions! 
• Awarded in three categories.
• 2023 BCEN National Certification Champion Award nominations will be accepted beginning June 1, 2023.

BCEN’s National Certification Champion Award (formerly Honorary Certification Recognition Award) recognizes health care facilities and health systems that:

• Exemplify excellence in supporting emergency RNs who pursue BCEN certifications
• Show achievement in designing and implementing effective and innovative practices and programs that encourage, support, and recognize emergency nursing specialty certification
• Demonstrate the impact of a board certified emergency nurse workforce on patient, nurse and organizational outcomes

One national winner will be recognized in each of the following categories:

• Small Healthcare Organization: single hospital emergency department, trauma program or freestanding emergency center with less than 30,000 visits per year, or a single critical care ground transport and/or flight base
• Large Healthcare Organization: single hospital emergency department, trauma program or freestanding emergency center with more than 30,000 visits per year
• Healthcare System: a group or system of 2 or more hospital emergency departments, trauma programs, freestanding emergency centers, or critical care ground transport and/or flight bases

Eligibility Requirements 

To be eligible for the National Certification Champion Award, a facility or organization must:

• Currently employ BCEN-certified emergency, transport and/or trauma nurses
• Be actively engaged in supporting their nurses in obtaining and maintaining one or more of BCEN’s certifications
• Serve as a model for advancing board certification for the nursing profession

Nomination Requirements

In order to be considered, nominations must include the following:

• Completed nomination form
• Two (2) letters of reference from individuals with relevant professional positions or qualifications

Healthcare System

• 2022 Winner
  

  Centura Health

  Centennial, CO

  How does Centura Health instill valuation of specialty certification across an entire health system?

  It starts at the executive leadership level, where a belief that professional board certification is the “highest indicator of professionalism in the nursing field” that “helps advance the profession by recognizing and rewarding individuals for their clinical expertise and experience” is put into action every day and every shift.

  At Centura, committing significant resources to support and encourage associates to obtain and maintain certification includes funded exam prep, paid time off to take the exam, reimbursement for successful certification, CE credit and certification differential with wages. Recognition on the units, in daily huddles and system wide. Consideration of certification within the career ladder, promotions and extensive ongoing special projects. The result is a 44% certification rate.

  Inspiring Confidence in Patients: Certified nurses at Centura have a large ‘certified nurse’ sign added to their badge hanger for recognition, which patients comment conveys confidence to them and their care.

  The Bottom Line: “Our certified nurses exceed expectations.”

  Read our Meet the Winner interview with Centura Health.

• Previous Winners

  2020
  Life Link III
  Minneapolis, MN

  2019
  Northeast Georgia Health System  
  Gainesville, GA

  2018
  UCHealth Emergency Care  
  Fort Collins, CO

Large Healthcare Organization

• 2022 Winner
  

  Harris Health Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital Emergency Center

  Houston, TX

  How did Harris Health LBJ Emergency Center make valuing emergency, trauma and transport certification part of its culture?  

  Bonuses, free prep resources and onsite review courses with paid time off, and advancement opportunities, for sure. Where LBJ EC really impresses and achieves is through integration and interdisciplinary participation, including: Full engagement from clinical resources nurses and educators. Frequent impromptu “shock talks” hosted by MDs, bedside nurses and ancillary departments. Specialty certification required for clinical ladder advancement and promotions, required for nursing leadership within two years of their promotion, and strongly preferred for all leadership candidate new hires.

  Certified Success Worth Noting: Home to the only adult ground transport specialty team in greater Houston (which was formed by its own emergency nurses), LBJ EC requires all nurses to have at least one BCEN certification to join the team and three certifications (CEN or TCRN, plus CFRN and CTRN) within two years. LBJ EC directly links the interdisciplinary specialty team and the certifications they hold to positive patient outcomes.

  The Bottom Line: “In February 2022, our patient satisfaction scores reached an all-time high score which was >90^th percentile of all EDs within the same category.”

  Read our Meet the Winner interview with Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital EC.

• Previous Winners

  2021
  Yale New Haven Hospital
  New Haven, CT

  2020
  University of Vermont Health Network – Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital   
  Plattsburg, NY

  2019
  Oak Hill Hospital  
  Brooksville, FL

  2018
  Chilton Medical Center 
  Pompton Plains, NJ

  2017
  Houston Methodist Hospital System 
  Houston, TX

  2016
  Avera McKennan Hospital Emergency Department
  Sioux Falls, SD

  2015
  Indiana University Health Methodist Hospital EMTC
  Indianapolis, IN

Small Healthcare Organization

• 2022 Winner
  

  Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – Centennial Emergency Department

  Frisco, TX

  What fueled the Baylor Scott & White – Centennial Emergency Department’s remarkable two-year jump in certification rates from 6% to 56.5%?

  Free exam prep materials, free onsite review courses with paid time off to attend, study groups, daily huddle review questions, and voucher-covered exam fees. Executive team-attended personal celebrations for every newly certified nurse. Recertification supported by a wide range of funded CE options and a renewal bonus.

  The ROI: Increased nurse engagement and satisfaction. Certified nurses can level-up the clinical ladder. Nurse-led process and research initiatives leading to significant quality improvements. A top Press Ganey score and trauma and stroke center zero-deficiency surveys.

  The Bottom Line: “As a facility, the care delivery to our patients has continued to improve in alignment with our certification rates.”

  Read our Meet the Winner interview with Baylor Scott & White.

• Previous Winners

  2020
  Childress Regional Medical Center
  Childress, TX

  2019
  Rush Foundation Hospital ED
  Meridian, MS

  2018
  USC Verdugo Hills Hospital
  Glendale, CA

  2017
  Bristol Hospital
  Bristol, CT

  2016
  Angel MedFlight
  Scottsdale, AZ

  2015
  IU Health Saxony Hospital Emergency Department
  Fishers, IN