Scholarships & Awards

Distinguished CEN Award

• Honors a Certified Emergency Nurse (CEN)

• 2025 Winner
  

  Marvin Delfin

  MSN, MAN, RN, CNRN, CPEN, CEN, CCRN, TCRN, CFRN, CTRN, CBRN The Marc and Laura Andreessen Adult and Pediatric Emergency Departments, Stanford, CA

  About Marvin

  As a Clinical Nurse IV/Unit Educator in the Marc and Laura Andreessen Adult and Pediatric Emergency Departments at Stanford Health Care, “Nurse Marvin” is a respected clinician and a sought-after mentor who inspires a community of RNs supporting RNs in his corner of Northern California and around the world.

  In 2019, with just 61 certified nurses in the EDs, Marvin and his Stanford Health Care colleagues formed a certification champions team to identify certification barriers and focus on motivation and preparation. Next came review courses, “Testy Tuesday” emails, study groups and shared resources, plus tackling financial barriers with the BCEN Voucher Program. Third, and most importantly, during ED downtimes, they instituted “Certification Rounding”—a dedicated time to listen to and understand each RN’s unique study habits, learning styles, and fears, followed by encouragement and tailored study approaches. The results to date: empowered RNs who have overcome self-doubt and embrace their potential—and 185 certified nurses, the highest number in his facility.

  Intent on amplifying the certification movement beyond the borders of his facility, Marvin is also active on social media, podcasts and online support groups, sharing his journey to inspire internationally education nurses (IENs) to pursue certification.

  Read more about Marvin in our Meet the Winner interview.

• Previous Winners

  2024
  Tina Owens, BS, RN, CEN, CCRN, CRSN, CNML, MEDSURG-BC, NHDP-BC
  Buchanan General Hospital, Grundy, VA

  2023
  Calee Muldrow, BSN, RN, CEN
  Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas, Dallas, TX

  2022
  Nicholas Jazdzewski, BSN, RN, CENFroedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin Froedtert Hospital, Milwaukee, WI

  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).

• 2025 Winner
  

  Katarzyna "Kasia" Wolan

  MSN, RN, CEN, CCRN, CPEN, CTRN, EMT The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children's Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (an RWJBarnabas Health facility), New Brunswick, NJ

  About Kasia

  A Clinical Nurse Educator in the Pediatric ED, Pediatric ICU and Pediatric/Neonatal Transport Team at the Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, and a member of the New Jersey State Pediatric Committee, Kasia is regarded as one of the foremost pediatric emergency practitioners at her facility and in her home state.

  Fueled by her passion and advocacy for the specialty care of children, her expansive pediatric emergency expertise, and a consummate ability to teach and collaborate with a diverse range of healthcare professionals, Kasia’s contributions have improved pediatric patient care—impacting the lives of countless numbers of children and their families—while inspiring and mentoring hundreds of colleagues.

  Instrumental in supporting a new graduate nurse mentorship environment in the pediatric ED, where she fosters a powerful, bidirectional relationship with the new RNs, Kasia does for novice nurses what she says her mentors did for her—see potential in them that they don’t see in themselves.

  Read more about Kasia in our Meet the Winner interview.

• Previous Winners

  2024
  Jordan McAdam, BSN, RN, CPEN
  Northern Navajo Medical Center, Shiprock, NM

  2023
  Dawn Tasche, BSN, RN, CPEN
  Aurora Health Care in Sheboygan County, Sheboygan, WI

  2022
  Jessica Evins, BSN, RN, CPENin NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital, New York, NY

  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).

• 2025 Winner
  

  Michael D. Gooch

  DNP, APRN, CCP, ACNP-BC, FNP-BC, ENP-C, CEN, CFRN, CTRN, TCRN, NRP, FAASTN, FAANP, FAEN Vanderbilt LifeFlight at Vanderbilt University Medical Center & Vanderbilt University School of Nursing, Nashville, TN

  About Michael

  In the air and in the classroom, Michael is lifting flight and transport teams, advanced practice nursing students and the flight specialty to new heights in his current positions as a Flight Nurse Practitioner for Vanderbilt LifeFlight at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and as an Assistant Professor of Nursing at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing. But that’s only part of his story that began in rural Tennessee where he became an RN at 19 as a first generation college student.

  When Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s transport program, Vanderbilt LifeFlight, was challenged with ensuring that every nurse obtained the CFRN or CTRN in order to retain its CAMTS accreditation, Michael was instrumental in that success, teaching review courses and personally mentoring and coaching many of the dozens of nurses sitting for the CFRN and CTRN through their fear and anxiety of taking on a new certification.

  Michael’s ongoing pursuit of evidence-based knowledge, his exceptional ability to teach, and his years of experience inspire and provide nurses at Vanderbilt and everywhere he travels with just what they need to excel at their practice and earn and maintain the privilege of wearing the CFRN wings.

  Read more about Michael in our Meet the Winner interview.

• Previous Winners

  2024
  Tyler Reeves, RN, NRP, CFRN, CEN
  EagleMed, Great Bend, KS

  2023
  Stacey Dock, MSN, RN, CFRN
  LifeFlight Eagle, Kansas City, MO

  2022
  Abigail Harvey, BSN, RN, CFRN, NREMT-PLutheran Health Network, Fort Wayne, Indiana

  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).

• 2025 Winner
  

  Justin Rodriguez

  RN, CEN, CCRN, CFRN, CTRN, CPEN, TCRN, MICN Inspira Health, Millville, NJ

  About Justin

  As the SCTU (Specialty Care Transport Unit) Coordinator for Inspira Health’s Ground Transport/EMS, a vital role for ground critical care transport services in New Jersey, Justin spends a great deal of time focusing on clinical management in the form of clinical education, QA/QI, and assists with the development of clinical protocols and annual skills competencies.

  Justin’s love of his specialty is apparent just by being around him. In his drive to succeed in ground transport nursing, he has earned multiple advanced certifications including the CTRN. He challenges peers and newer nurses to not just obtain certifications, but to incorporate the concepts and understanding of pathophysiology into their daily practice, sharing how certification has contributed to his growth as a well-rounded clinician and effective clinical leader.

  On truck as often as he’s behind the desk, Justin practices what he preaches as a proactive transport nurse who ensures his patients receive the best care they can during their time with him.

  Read more about Justin in our Meet the Winner interview.

• Previous Winners

  2024
  Austin Johnson, BSN, RN, EMT-P, C-NPT, CBRN, CCRN, CEN, CFRN, CPEN, CTRN, TCRN
  AdventHealth Orlando, Orlando, FL

  2023
  George Olschewski, BSN, RN, CFRN, CTRN, CEN, TCRN
  Hackensack University Medical Center Specialty Care Transport Unit, Hackensack, NJ

  2022
  Mackenzie Alexander, BSN, RN, CEN, TCRN, CTRN, CPENHarris Health System, Houston, Texas

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

Distinguished TCRN Award

• Honors a Trauma Certified Registered Nurse (TCRN).

• 2025 Winner
  

  Kristi Bonny

  BSN, RN, CPHQ, TCRN, EMT-P Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Plano, Plano, TX

  About Kristi

  As a Trauma Clinician in Texas Health Plano Hospital’s Level II Trauma Department, and throughout her almost 20-year career, Kristi has been a role model by setting an example of excellence. Responding to trauma activations, as a mentor for other RNs pursuing advanced certification (including her own mentor), and as a contributing member of five hospital-level councils, committees and teams, Kristi leads with professionalism, a strong work ethic, kindness and compassion.

  A TCRN since 2018 and a former firefighter/paramedic, Kristi designed and maintains Texas Health Plano’s trauma scorecard and develops and implements trauma quality improvement initiatives to improve the care of trauma patients from pre-hospital through discharge. Her primary focus is on medical staff and overall trauma performance improvement. Among her many contributions, she established the Level I blood cooler, which decreased time to transfuse whole blood from 40 minutes to often less than 10.

  Kristi advocates for nurses and encourages and mentors her peers to take on leadership roles. A   clinical excellence task force she chaired tripled the participation in the hospital’s poster fair. Connecting care teams, patients and families, she founded her hospital’s Honor Walk to honor organ donors and initiated her facility’s first Trauma Survivors Day Celebration.

  Read more about Kristi in our Meet the Winner interview.

• Previous Winners

  2024
  Jamin Rankin, BSN, RN, CEN, CFRN, TCRN, CPEN, CTRN
  Ochsner LSU Health Monroe Monroe, LA

  2023
  Jordan Tyczka, MSN, RN, CEN, TCRN
  Inova Loudoun Hospital, Leesburg, VA

  2022
  Shayna Stevens, BSN, RN, TCRNTexas Health Presbyterian Hospital Plano, Plano, TX

  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

Distinguished CBRN Award

• Honors a Certified Burn Registered Nurse (CBRN).

• 2025 Winner
  

  Amanda Kumar

  BSN, RN, CBRN UC San Diego Health Regional Burn Center, San Diego, CA

  About Amanda

  Inspired by her own experience of being one of the world’s first board certified burn nurses, Amanda is forging a bright future as a nurse at the UC San Diego Health Regional Burn Center, the region’s only burn unit, by helping her colleagues highlight their burn specialty knowledge, experience the pride of being certified, and elevate patient care.

  Because Amanda took (and unfortunately didn’t pass) the CBRN exam during the beta testing phase when CBRN certification prep resources were still under development, she had a unique perspective on just how vital robust study resources and support can be when studying for a specialty board exam. After passing on her second attempt, she decided to encourage other nurses on the burn team to become certified and worked to remove any barriers they might face.

  Garnering the support of the burn center’s medical director, nurse managers and unit educators, and with the encouragement of her unit managers, she embarked on a special project that increased the number of certified nurses in the Burn Unit at UC San Diego Health from three to 14 in just four months.

  Read more about Amanda in our Meet the Winner interview.

• Previous Winners

  The Distinguished Certified Burn Registered Nurse (CBRN) Award debuted in 2025, following the October 2023 worldwide launch of the CBRN certification program.

National Certification Champion Award

BCEN’s National Certification Champion Award recognizes healthcare facilities and health systems that:

• Exemplify excellence in supporting emergency RNs who pursue BCEN certifications
• Show achievement in designing effective and innovative programs supporting emergency nursing specialty certification 
• Demonstrate the impact of board certified emergency nurses on patient, nurse and organizational outcomes through data-based examples

.NEW in 2025: BCEN invites burn centers and burn center networks to apply.

Nominations for the 2025 award cycle are now closed.

Category Criteria

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

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

Eligibility Requirements 

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

• Currently employ BCEN-certified emergency, trauma, transport and/or burn nurses
• Be actively engaged in supporting their nurses in obtaining and maintaining one or more of BCEN’s specialty certifications, with data provided to demonstrate growth in the number of specialty certified nurses, plus practices and policies showing the facility’s or organization’s commitment to supporting specialty certification.
• 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

Health System

• 2024 Winner
  

  ChristianaCare

  Headquartered in Wilmington, DE

  Across the ChristianaCare emergency service system that includes its Newark, Wilmington, Middletown and Union campuses, the nursing team doesn’t just recommend advancing professional practice through advanced certification, they are committed to it. As a result its EDs, including Level I and III trauma centers, and flight/transport teams are shining examples of a specialty certification culture as they pursue and hold a CEN, CPEN, TCRN, CTRN or CFRN credential.

  Read our Meet the Winner interview with ChristianaCare.

• Previous Winners

  2023
  RWJBarnabas Health Emergency Departments
  Throughout New Jersey
  2022
  Centura Health
  Centennial, CO

  2020
  Life Link III
  Minneapolis, MN

  2019
  Northeast Georgia Health System  
  Gainesville, GA

  2018
  UCHealth Emergency Care  
  Fort Collins, CO

Large Healthcare Organization

• 2024 Winner
  

  Marc and Laura Andreessen Adult and Pediatric Emergency Departments at Stanford Health Care

  Stanford, CA

  Stanford Health Care recognizes certified nurses for upholding their professional commitment, nationally validating their clinical expertise, and promoting the highest standards of nursing. The Marc and Laura Andreessen Adult Emergency Department has a record-breaking 168 certified nurses, 131 of which are certified by BCEN, thanks to dozens of programs, daily practices and resources that encourage, support and recognize RNs committed to specialty excellence.

  Read our Meet the Winner interview with the Marc and Laura Andreessen Adult and Pediatric Emergency Departments at Stanford Health Care.

• Previous Winners

  2023
  Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital
  Roanoke, VA

  2022
  Harris Health Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital Emergency Center
  Houston, TX

  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

• 2024 Winner
  

  Phelps Health Emergency Department

  Rolla, MO

  Phelps Health Hospital is part of Phelps Health, a small health system serving 200,000 residents in south-central Missouri located 1.5 hours from St. Louis, Springfield and Columbia. The organization’s emergency care improvements are driven by a surge in advanced certifications attained by its emergency department nurses.

  For the past few years, only 1 of the 27 full-time emergency nurses in this 240-bed hospital (30 of which are ED beds) was a Certified Emergency Nurse (CEN). After boosting educational and financial resources for 2024, that number jumped to 8 (30%) just this spring, with over 55% of ED RNs expected to be CENs by year-end.

  Read our Meet the Winner interview with Phelps Health ED.

• Previous Winners

  2023
  WellSpan Ephrata Community Hospital
  Ephrata, PA

  2022
  Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – Centennial Emergency Department
  Frisco, TX

  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