Top Board Certified Flight Nurse Honored With BCEN’s 2019 Distinguished CFRN Award
Orlando Health Flight Nurse Recognized for Excellence and Advocacy
OAK BROOK, IL (April 16, 2019) – The Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing (BCEN), the benchmark for board certification across the emergency nursing spectrum, announced today that Orlando Health Orlando Regional Medical Center (ORMC) Orlando Health Air Care Team flight nurse/paramedic Carlos Tavarez, RN, CEN, CFRN, CTRN, TCRN, NREMT-P, FP-C, CCEMT-P, EMT-T, WEMT, is the BCEN 2019 Distinguished CFRN Award recipient.
BCEN presented the national award—which recognizes a board certified flight nurse who exemplifies excellence in their specialty and demonstrates achievement in supporting, promoting and advocating for board certification of flight nurses—to Tavarez at the 27th annual Critical Care Transport Medicine Conference (CCTMC), in Albuquerque, New Mexico this morning. The Certified Flight Registered Nurse (CFRN) is a national board certification that validates advanced knowledge, skill and clinical judgment in flight nursing. Over 4,200 registered nurses hold the CFRN.
“When delivering patient care in the air, having that advanced expertise is crucial,” said BCEN Executive Director Janie Schumaker, MBA, BSN, RN, CEN, CPHQ, CENP, FABC. “Nurse leaders like Carlos Tavarez enhance flight nursing and demonstrate the impact of board certification on nurse and patient outcomes through their own practice and by ensuring their nurse colleagues achieve and maintain that same high level of competency. BCEN is proud to honor such an exceptional educator, mentor and change agent.”
Board certification is the nursing profession’s highest professional credential. The value of national board certification for flight and critical care ground transport nurses has long been recognized by the Air & Surface Transport Nurses Association and the emergency transport profession. Medical transport agencies who wish to be accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems (CAMTS) must ensure all nurse clinical crew members hold the CFRN, CCRN, Certified Transport Registered Nurse (CTRN), or equivalent national certification, within two years of hire.
“Beyond his wealth of knowledge and clinical expertise, Carlos’ ability to share his knowledge is what sets him apart as a true professional,” said Louise Philp, MSHA, BSN, RN, CCRN-K, NEA-BC, administrator patient care, Trauma, Neuroscience, and Emergency Services, Orlando Regional Medical Center. “Whether he is teaching in the moment one-on-one during patient care or in a classroom of people, his humble approach is appreciated by his peers, the leadership team and most of all the patients we serve.”
“Winning the BCEN Distinguished CFRN Award is a great achievement in my nursing career. I am honored and very humbled,” said Tavarez. “As a flight nurse, the CFRN validates essential knowledge and core concepts, and board certification is important for both professional and personal growth.” Tavarez is quadruple board certified in emergency nursing. In addition to the CFRN, he holds the Certified Emergency Nurse (CEN), Certified Transport Registered Nurse (CTRN), and Trauma Certified Registered Nurse (TCRN) credentials.
About BCEN’s Nurse Awards and Organizational Awards
BCEN annually recognizes individual specialty certified emergency nurses as well as hospitals and health systems that demonstrate and advance certified nursing excellence and advocate for emergency nurse board certification. Learn more about BCEN’s Distinguished Awards and National Certification Champion Awards at bcen.org/awards.
About BCEN
The independent, 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. Over 51,000 BCEN board 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 Trauma Certified Registered Nurse (TCRN®) certifications. The CEN, CFRN, CPEN, and TCRN certification programs 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.
Media Contact:
Hilde Marnul, Director of Marketing & Communications
hmarnul@bcen.org or 630-352-0811
