Health System Winner
Inova Health System
A BCEN 2026 National Certification Champion
On October 6, BCEN was pleased to announce our 2026 National Certification Champion Award – Health System category recipient:
Inova Health System
Fairfax, Virginia
Here’s how Inova Health System created a multi-facility network of certification support that’s built to last:
- Certification growth is a strategic priority—empowers Professional Practice and Nursing Education teams to dedicate time, resources and infrastructure to RNs’ certification journeys, with certified RN growth now a 2026 system-wide KPI.
- Community-funded hospital foundation support funds review courses and CEs for initial certification and renewals, reflecting a shared commitment to exceptional patient care.
- $1,500 annual certification bonus among the professional and financial incentives honoring RNs’ dedication to earning and maintaining credentials, and affirming the value board-certified RNs bring to patients and the organization.
- Culture that deeply values board-certified RNs—recognizes their expertise and clinical judgment are essential to organization-wide achievements and sustaining prestigious designations, including TCRNs’ role in supporting the system’s trauma centers.
- 175% increase in certified RNs over 3 years—450 emergency RNs hold the CEN, TCRN, CPEN and/or CFRN credential.
What does being named a BCEN National Certification Champion mean to your organization and the community or communities you serve?
Being named a BCEN National Certification Champion represents a significant honor for the Inova Health System and recognition of our commitment to nursing excellence and specialty practice. As a health system serving Northern Virginia and the greater Washington, D.C. region, Inova provides highly specialized emergency, trauma, and pediatric emergency care, including the region’s only Level I Trauma Center and two designated pediatric emergency departments. Our communities depend on Inova to provide expert care during some of their most critical and vulnerable moments, making the advanced knowledge and clinical expertise of our emergency nurses essential to our mission.
This recognition also validates the dedication of our bedside nurses who have invested significant time, effort, and personal commitment into achieving and maintaining BCEN specialty certifications. For Inova’s nursing and organizational leaders, the award is an opportunity to recognize those accomplishments and demonstrate the tremendous pride and respect we have for our nurses’ continued pursuit of clinical excellence.
Most importantly, being named a BCEN National Certification Champion reinforces to our community that Inova’s investment in specialty-certified nurses is an investment in the quality, safety, and expertise of the care they receive.
What sets nurses who have earned the CEN, CPEN, TCRN, CFRN, CTRN and/or CBRN apart in their daily practice and in their professional development and career trajectories?
Achieving specialty certification requires nurses to demonstrate comprehensive knowledge across a broad range of topics within their specialty, reinforcing the clinical judgment and expertise necessary to care for complex and critically ill patients. Maintaining these credentials also requires ongoing continuing education, which encourages certified nurses to remain current with evolving evidence, standards of care, and best practices.
Within Inova, specialty-certified nurses are recognized as experienced clinical resources who bring an advanced level of knowledge to daily practice and are positioned to support their colleagues through education, mentorship, precepting, and clinical leadership. This commitment to lifelong learning not only strengthens individual nursing practice but also creates opportunities for continued professional growth, expanded leadership responsibilities, and advancement throughout a nurse’s career.
As your organization’s nurses earn an emergency, trauma, transport or burn specialty credential, what changes do you notice in them and the teams they work with?
As Inova nurses earn emergency, trauma, and transport specialty certifications, we see a noticeable increase in their confidence and engagement in clinical practice. Certified nurses are more comfortable advocating for evidence-based best practices and contributing their expertise during interdisciplinary discussions and patient care decisions. Achieving certification also creates a strong sense of professional pride and accomplishment, motivating nurses to remain engaged in their own development while serving as knowledgeable resources and role models for their colleagues.
What do you most want other healthcare organizations to know about why and how to support nursing specialty certification?
Inova believes that healthcare organizations should view nursing specialty certification as an investment not only in the individual nurse, but also in the quality and strength of the organization. Earning a specialty certification creates a sense of professional pride and recognizes the advanced knowledge, dedication, and clinical expertise nurses bring to their practice. Organizations can build upon this achievement by incorporating certification into opportunities for clinical advancement, expanded responsibilities, and leadership within departments.
However, encouraging certification must be accompanied by meaningful organizational support. Inova has found that providing accessible certification review courses, financial assistance for examination fees and preparation materials, and recognition following successful certification helps reduce barriers and demonstrates that the organization values nurses’ professional growth. Support should also continue beyond the initial examination by providing robust continuing education opportunities that allow nurses to remain current with evidence-based practice and meet certification renewal requirements.
By supporting nurses throughout the entire certification journey—from preparation and achievement to recognition, advancement, and maintenance—healthcare organizations can create a culture where specialty certification is both attainable and valued as an important component of nursing excellence.
For nurses, BCEN certification has strengthened professional identity, increased confidence in clinical decision-making, and expanded opportunities for leadership, mentorship, and participation in quality improvement initiatives.
Through sustained support of specialty certification, Inova has created a positive cycle in which investment in nurses translates directly into improved patient outcomes, stronger team performance, national recognition, and organizational excellence.
These achievements demonstrate that supporting BCEN certification is not only an investment in individual nurses, but also a strategic commitment to delivering the highest quality emergency care to the communities Inova serves.”
Being named a BCEN Certification Champion affirms our deep commitment to nursing excellence.
Specialty-certified nurses bring advanced clinical expertise, confidence and leadership to every shift—raising the bar for patient care and team performance. We’re proud to support certification as a strategic investment in quality, professional growth and the health of the communities we serve.”
See how all three of this year’s National Certification Champions built and sustain a culture of certification support.
Meet the 2026 NCC Award Recipients
Learn more about CEN, CPEN, TCRN, CFRN, CTRN and CBRN certification.