BCEN - to do or not?

I am thinking about studying for and taking the BCEN. I work in a critical access hospital so don't have experience with alot of the invasive monitoring devices, etc... Our specialty is to stabilize and transport the really scary stuff. My question is - is it worth the effort? Do I really need the hands on experience with the invasive, high falutin stuff or is studying about it enough?

What do you mean by BCEN?

BCEN is commonly known as the Board of Certification for Emergency Nurses, a section of the ENA that helps develop specialty certification exams for Registered Nurses. Current exams that fall under the umbrella of BCEN include:

CEN (Certified Emergency Nurse)

CTRN (Certified Transport Registered Nurse)

CFRN (Certified Flight Nurse)

CPEN (Certified Pediatric Emergency Nurse)

I assume you are asking about CEN? If this is the case, central and arterial line monitoring and insertion may be encountered on the exam in accordance with the new exam updates. You may be expected to answer question about proper placement, care, and transducing of these devices. You may have critical thinking questions such as making sense of CVP and MAP readings. While you may encounter such questions, the CEN is not like the CFRN or CTRN where you have much more emphasis on hemodynamic monitoring. CEN; however, covers a pretty broad range of material.

Although I am not familiar with the new format, the CEN exam had minimal invasive motoring questions, if any. What I remember is more of an emphasis on trauma and stabilization.

You can always go the http://www.ena.org (emergency nursing association website) and find out specifics on the test. You can also order study material from them & would be the best source for you, since they are the ones that oversee the CEN exams

I am thinking about studying for and taking the BCEN. I work in a critical access hospital so don't have experience with alot of the invasive monitoring devices, etc... Our specialty is to stabilize and transport the really scary stuff. My question is - is it worth the effort? Do I really need the hands on experience with the invasive, high falutin stuff or is studying about it enough?

I'm all for specialty certifications. I studied and took CCRN and have no regrets. You'll learn a lot just from studying have to keep up CEU's.

So my vote is yes and a good site to go to for study guides http://www.greatnurses.com

Having been the DON for a couple of CAH's I'd higly recomend taking the CEN exam. I'd even suggest that you push for the hosptial to support and pay for the exam and the study material.