Log into your BCEN account. On your Dashboard page, next to your certification logo, select your preferred recertification path: By CE or by exam. Complete the application and submit payment.

BCEN developed the Continuing Education recertification program to emphasize the importance of lifelong learning to maintain knowledge and expertise.

BCEN no longer requires candidates to log their contact hours but to attest they meet the continuing education (CE) guidelines. It is important to keep a summary log of courses and original documentation in case of an audit. This information will be required to complete the audit.

Measurement of Continuing Education

Different terminology is used for continuing education credit. BCEN uses the measurement of contact hours in which one contact hour equals 60 minutes of instructional content.

The following qualify as one (1) contact hour:

• 1 Continuing Education Contact Hour (CECH)
• 1 Continuing Medical Education (CME)

BCEN requires 100 CE contact hours within your 4-year certification period. At least 75 must be clinical content specific to your specialty, and at least 50 must come from an accredited source like BCEN Learn, AACN, ANCC, ENA, ABA, or ASTNA.

You can apply the same CE hours to multiple certifications as long as the content is relevant to both specialties and must be completed within the 4-year recertification period for each credential.

Find your recertification period on the My Dashboard page in your BCEN account.

Clinical content includes any educational offerings that primarily contain information applicable to direct practice in the clinical area. The program content must be primarily focused on knowledge the nurse can apply in providing direct care to an individual patient or community.

Examples include topics such as: “Care of the Patient with a Temporary Pacemaker,” Flight Physiology,” Teaching Diabetic Patients,” “Management of the Trauma Patient,” or “Toxicology.”

Acceptable accredited college courses include educational offerings that have a clinical focus. Examples: Nursing 410: “Care of the Adult Patient,” Nursing 601: “Advance Pathophysiology”

Non-clinical content includes any educational offerings related to the professional practice of nursing and the emergency (CEN), pediatric emergency (CPEN), flight/transport (CFRN/CTRN), trauma (TCRN), or burn (CBRN) care system.

Examples include topics such as “Developing a Quality Improvement System,” “Legal Aspects of Emergency or Flight Care,” or “Public Relations in Healthcare.”

Accredited college courses that focus on the nonclinical aspects of nursing may be used. Examples would include: “Medical Ethics,” and “Leadership and Management.”

An accredited activity or course is one that has been approved by a professional body (e.g., AACN, ANCC, ENA, ASTNA, ABA, State Nurse Association/State Board of Nursing). Accreditation is the formal confirmation that an activity/course is nationally recognized and meets quality assurance requirements, meets an established educational need, provides appropriate competency outcomes and has a satisfactory basis for assessment.

A non-accredited activity or course has no connection to an external accreditation or professional body. Non-accredited courses focus on equipping the individual with specific knowledge and skillset. These courses do not provide a recognized certificate of continuing education, rather a certificate of completion.

CEs that are only approved by an EMS provider such as The Commission on Accreditation of Pre-Hospital Continuing Education (CAPCE). BCEN does NOT accept PHTLS, ITLS, AMLS

Note: If activities/course are approved by BOTH an EMS and a nursing provider, BCEN WILL accept these contact hours toward recertification.

Yes! BCEN vouchers can be applied to all applications, including recertification by exam or by CE attestation.

Explore the BCEN Voucher Program for more details around purchasing and using vouchers.

BCEN is thankful to those who serve in our military and honored that those serving in the world’s best military healthcare systems are earning BCEN specialty nursing certifications. A specialty certification that translates to a civilian career demonstrates a proven knowledge base and commitment to your career and your patients.

We are proud to offer a reduced application fee of $195 for active-duty service members, reservists and veterans on all initial, retest and recertification applications.

CEN, CFRN and CTRN certifications have been approved by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) as an educational benefit for military personnel. The certification benefit allows reimbursement for you, if you’re eligible, for your certification fee.

For more information on the certification benefits, or on applying for benefits, visit the VA website where you’ll find a link to the certification page with more information.

There is a late recertification grace period, but any CE hours earned after your expiration date cannot be counted toward your 100 hours. All hours must be completed before your credential expires.

BCEN recognizes the importance of continuing competence in the nursing profession and supports the definition that continuing competence is the ongoing ability to integrate and apply the knowledge, skills and judgment with the attitudes, values, and beliefs required to practice safely, effectively, and ethically in a designated role and setting.

Certificants must hold a current BCEN credential.

• An individual is unable to recertify unless they already hold a BCEN credential.

Certificants must have a current, unrestricted Registered Nurse license, or a nursing certificate that is equivalent to a Registered Nurse in either the United States, a US Territory, Canada, or Australia.

• An RN license is an eligibility requirement for initial certification since BCEN provides nursing certification exams and thus, this requirement would also hold true for recertification.

Certificant must have completed 100 contact hours of nursing continuing education within their 4-year recertification period.

• Participating in educational activities with at least 75 of continuing education activities relating specifically to the emergency specialty demonstrates that certificants are maintaining their knowledge base by keeping relevant and up to date.
• BCEN recertification by continuing education encourages certificants to continue their emergency nursing education beyond the initial certification exam.
• BCEN certificants provide evidence of knowledge attainment through relevant professional activities (e.g., traditional courses, presentations, academic achievement, authoring, poster presentation) with the expectation that this knowledge will be adopted into practice and lead to improved outcomes in safety and quality of care for clients and stakeholders.

If you are a current BCEN credential holder in good standing, you may apply for the retired designation in your specialty area.