BCEN National Awards Recognize Emergency Nursing Board Certification Excellence And Advocacy

The following press release was shared with the allnurses community by the Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing (BCEN).

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OAK BROOK, IL (October 2, 2019) – The Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing (BCEN), the benchmark for board certification across the emergency nursing spectrum, today announced the 2019 winners of its national awards recognizing one top Certified Emergency Nurse (CEN), one top Certified Pediatric Emergency Nurse (CPEN), and three healthcare organizations committed to emergency nursing excellence through board certification. There are approximately 39,000 nurses who hold the CEN and 5,200 nurses who hold the CPEN. Over 53,000 BCEN certifications are held by emergency, trauma and transport RNs who practice in a variety of settings worldwide.

“Emergency nurses and organizations that support and advocate for their peers and staff to become board certified are growing and sustaining an expert emergency nurse workforce,” said BCEN Executive Director Janie Schumaker, MBA, BSN, RN, CEN, CENP, CPHQ, FABC. “BCEN is pleased to recognize the winners for their professionalism, innovation and heartfelt dedication to providing the best possible care.”

The winners of the BCEN awards are:

2019 Distinguished CEN Award: Heather Linsalata, MSN, RN, CNL, CEN, TCRN, CPEN, emergency department education specialist, University Hospital, Newark, New Jersey. Linsalata resides in Clifton, New Jersey.

2019 Distinguished CPEN Award: Cara “CJ” Szeglin, BSN, RN, CPEN, pediatric emergency nurse, NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital, New York, New York. Szeglin resides in Levittown, New York.

2019 National Certification Champion Award (awarded in three categories): Rush Foundation Hospital, Meridian, Mississippi (small healthcare organization), Oak Hill Hospital, Brooksville, Florida (large healthcare organization), and Northeast Georgia Health System, Gainesville, Georgia (healthcare system).

Each winner demonstrated a commitment to excellence in pursuing advanced emergency nursing knowledge and expertise through board certification, showed exceptional achievement in designing and implementing effective and innovative practices and programs to encourage, support and recognize emergency nursing specialty certification, and demonstrated the impact of a board-certified emergency nurse workforce on patient, nurse and organizational outcomes. Board certification, which independently validates a nurse’s specialty knowledge and expertise based on rigorous national standards, is nursing’s highest professional credential.

The awards were presented this morning by BCEN Board Chairperson Lorie Ledford, MSN, RN, CEN, CFRN, CPEN, CTRN, TCRN, CCRN, at the BCEN Certification Recognition Breakfast held during Emergency Nursing 2019, the Emergency Nurses Association annual conference, in Austin, Texas.

Visit bcen.org/awards for details about the winners’ accomplishments and information about all of BCEN’s awards, including the winners of the 2019 Distinguished CFRN/CTRN Award and Distinguished TCRN Award announced earlier this year.

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 53,000 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, LinkedIn and Instagram.