BCEN Names Top National Board Certified Emergency, Trauma, Transport and Burn Nurses

2025 Distinguished Awards Honor RNs for Clinical Excellence, Professionalism and Advocacy

OAK BROOK, IL (April 23, 2025) – The Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing (BCEN), the benchmark for specialty certification across the emergency spectrum, today announced the 2025 winners of the BCEN Distinguished Awards. The annual, national awards recognize top board certified emergency, transport, trauma—and, for the first time, burn—nurses who demonstrate an exceptional commitment to clinical excellence and professionalism in their specialty, as well as leadership and innovation in supporting their peers to join the esteemed ranks of board certified RNs.      

“At the bedside, in the pre-hospital environment, in academia, and as educators and leaders, the 2025 BCEN Distinguished Award honorees elevate patient care, safety and outcomes across the emergency spectrum,” said BCEN CEO Janie Schumaker, MBA, BSN, RN, CEN, ICE-CCP, CENP, CPHQ, FABC. “This year, we are particularly excited to recognize the first Distinguished Certified Burn Registered Nurse (CBRN) following the October 2023 worldwide launch of the CBRN certification program.”  

The 2025 BCEN Distinguished Award honorees are:

• Distinguished CEN Award (adult/mixed emergency): Marvin Delfin, MSN, MAN, RN, CNRN, CPEN, CEN, CCRN, TCRN, CFRN, CTRN, CBRN, Clinical Nurse IV/Unit Educator with the Marc and Laura Andreessen Adult and Pediatric Emergency Departments at Stanford Health Care in Stanford, California
• Distinguished CPEN Award (pediatric emergency): Katarzyna “Kasia” Wolan, MSN, RN, CEN, CCRN, CPEN, CTRN, EMT, Clinical Nurse Educator, Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (an RWJBarnabas Health facility) in New Brunswick, New Jersey
• Distinguished TCRN Award (trauma): Kristi Bonny, BSN, RN, CPHQ, TCRN, EMT-P, Trauma Clinician, Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Plano in Plano, Texas
• Distinguished CFRN Award (flight): Michael D. Gooch, DNP, APRN, CCP, ACNP-BC, FNP-BC, ENP-C, CEN, CFRN, CTRN, TCRN, NRP, FAASTN, FAANP, FAEN, Flight Nurse Practitioner for Vanderbilt LifeFlight at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Assistant Professor of Nursing at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing, in Nashville, Tennessee
• Distinguished CTRN Award (critical care ground transport): Justin Rodriguez, RN, CEN, CCRN, CFRN, CTRN, CPEN, TCRN, MICN, Specialty Care Transport Unit (SCTU) Coordinator, Inspira Health, Millville, New Jersey
• Distinguished CBRN Award (burn): Amanda Kumar, BSN, RN, CBRN, Clinical Nurse III, UC San Diego Health in San Diego, California

Get to know the recipients and their accomplishments in our Meet the Winner interviews. In the coming months, BCEN will present each winner with a Distinguished Award pin and trophy at individual workplace celebrations.

About Nursing Specialty Certification and BCEN’s Six Certification Programs

Nursing specialty certification is a rigorous and voluntary process that independently validates advanced knowledge, clinical judgment and professionalism across an entire nursing specialty based on standards identified by the specialty to promote optimal health outcomes. Research links nursing specialty certification with improved patient, nurse and healthcare organization outcomes. 

Well over 50,000 RNs and advanced practice registered nurses in 29 countries hold one or more BCEN credential as follows: over 41,000 hold the Certified Emergency Nurse (CEN), over 5,600 hold the Certified Pediatric Emergency Nurse (CPEN), over 8,200 hold the Trauma Certified Registered Nurse (TCRN), over 7,300 hold the Certified Flight Registered Nurse (CFRN), over 600 hold the Certified Transport Registered Nurse (CTRN), and over 600 hold the Certified Burn Registered Nurse (CBRN). The CBRN, BCEN’s newest certification, was introduced worldwide in October 2023.

Nominations Open May 2 for BCEN’s National Award for Organizations

BCEN also recognizes organizations committed to supporting nurses’ professional development through national specialty certification with its annual BCEN National Certification Champion Award. Nominations for the 2025 National Certification Champion Award (in three categories) will be accepted from May 2 – June 16. Hospital adult and pediatric emergency departments, freestanding EDs, trauma programs, flight and ground transport bases, health systems—and for the first time, burn centers—are invited to apply.

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.

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CONTACT: Maris Hammons, BCEN Director of Marketing & Communications | mhammons@bcen.org | 630-339-4530