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TOP CERTIFIED EMERGENCY FLIGHT NURSE NAMED BY BCEN, ASTNA
Colorado Flight Nurse Named 2018 Distinguished CFRN/CTRN Award Winner
SAN ANTONIO (April 10, 2018) – The Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing (BCEN), the benchmark for nursing certifications across the emergency spectrum, today announced that Teresa Elder, MEd, BSN, RN, CFRN, a flight nurse with Flight For Life Colorado at St. Anthony Hospital in Denver, is the 2018 recipient of the Distinguished CFRN/CTRN Award. The annual award recognizes a Certified Flight Registered Nurse (CFRN)or a Certified Transport Registered Nurse (CTRN) who has shown outstanding support of the certification process in flight or critical care ground transport nursing. The award was presented by BCEN and the Air & Surface Transport Nurses Association (ASTNA) this morning during the Air Medical Physician Association’s 26th annual Critical Care Transport Medicine Conference at the Wyndham San Antonio Riverwalk.
Elder, who is among 3,700 elite flight nurses in the United States who have earned the Certified Flight Registered Nurse certification from BCEN, has been CFRN certified and has served as a primary nurse in rotor wing, fixed wing and critical care ground vehicles caring for critically ill and injured patients for over 23 years.
“Teresa exemplifies the best in flight nursing,” said BCEN Executive Director Janie Schumaker, MBA, BSN, RN, CEN, CPHQ, CENP, FABC. “Her extraordinary work in support of specialty certification, including designing a CFRN exam preparation program with a 100 percent pass rate, is elevating patient care and safety and empowering nurses who work in the dynamic environment of critical care transport.”
The value of national board certification has long been recognized by the emergency transport profession. To be accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems (CAMTS), medical transport agencies must ensure that one member of their clinical crew is a licensed nurse with CFRN, CTRN, CCRN, or CEN (Certified Emergency Nurse), or equivalent national certification within two years of hire.
“Knowledge is key to providing exceptional patient care,” said ASTNA Executive Director Nikole Good. “Nurses like Teresa who earn, maintain and advocate for professional certification are vital to the transport industry because they constantly strive to better themselves, their peers and the quality of care through continuing education and a commitment to excellence.”
At Flight For Life Colorado, Elder is a chief flight nurse helping to oversee 41 flight RNs across six bases in Colorado. Her clinical program responsibilities include orientation, continuing education, currency of clinical guidelines, and certifications. Flight For Life Colorado completed 6,300 patient transports last year supported by helicopters, fixed wing airplanes and ground transport.
“The CFRN certification is important to us, even absent the CAMTS requirement, as validation of our nurses’ critical care knowledge base and their commitment to remaining current in that knowledge,” said Flight For Life Colorado Program Director Kathleen Mayer, MS, RN. “Teresa is a long-standing advocate for the CFRN certification and has worked many hours to ensure that our flight nurses are well-prepared for the exam and recognized for passing it. We are grateful BCEN has honored Teresa with this award.”
About the Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing
The nonprofit Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing (BCEN®) develops robust certification exams fostering empowered nurses across the emergency spectrum who contribute noticeably to patient care, safety and outcomes. Nearly 46,000 BCEN certifications are currently held by registered nurses (RNs) who specialize in emergency, flight, critical care ground transport, pediatric emergency and trauma nursing. BCEN offers the Certified Emergency Nurse (CEN®), Certified Flight Registered Nurse (CFRN®), Certified Pediatric Emergency Nurse (CPEN®), Certified Transport Registered Nurse (CTRN®) and the Trauma Certified Registered Nurse (TCRN®) certifications. The CEN, CFRN, and CPEN certifications are accredited by the Accreditation Board for Specialty Nursing Certification (ABSNC), the only accrediting body specifically for nursing certifications. Learn more at BCEN.org. Follow BCEN on Facebook and LinkedIn.
About the Air & Surface Transport Nurses Association
The Air & Surface Transport Nurses Association (ASTNA) is a dynamic, international organization that acts as the voice in transport nursing with regard to patient and provider advocacy. ASTNA’s mission is to advance the practice of transport nursing and enhance the quality of patient care through commitment to safety and education. Our 2,300+ members represent the entire spectrum of critical care, emergency, and non-emergency patient transport – hospital-based, public service, military and private providers.
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