CEN/Education/Opportunities for Learning

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Specializes in Emergency Nursing.

Howdy folks,

For those of you who don't know, I'm a new grad in the ED and just hit my 1 year mark. My annual review was quite positive (I was told I exceeded expectations as a new grad/RN in the ED). I plan on staying in the ED for quite a while; while my facility is crazy, it's an awesome place to learn and I didn't want this job just to get one year under my belt and book it to another job. I'm getting more comfortable in my role even though I will still consider myself "new" for quite a while (PS, when does someone officially stop being "new?). That being said, I feel comfortable enough to start taking on side projects to enhance my career and knowledge base.

So where do I go from here?

My goal is to try to sit for the CEN exam by year 2. So I suppose I could gather some books and start slowly with that. Any suggestions?

I'm thinking maybe I'll get more involved within the organization, maybe joining the Unit-Based Council or another affiliation.

I research a lot of things that I see in my practice when I get home; I always want to know more. Naturally, I'll never stop doing this, but I'm wondering if there is a more structured approach that someone could suggest.

Any thing you can think of, or anything YOU have done to expand your growth and become a better/smarter/more-well-rounded nurse?

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Does your ED require CEN after a specified length of service? CEN, TNCC, and some pedi specific certs if you see pedi patients. Also a dysrhythmia cert if you don't have one would be helpful. The class I went to was 40 hours over 5 days and was great. The hospital I work at also offers a ton of seminars on various topics and they often encourage us to go. As far as getting involved you should talk to your manager or one of the educators about it, I'm sure they could steer you in the direction of a good committee to join at the hospital. Good luck!

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Specializes in Emergency, CVICU.

Just studying for your CEN will help your confidence a lot. I took Mark Boswell's class and passed the first time. Look him up on youtube. Most of his lectures are there for free.

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Specializes in Emergency Nursing.
Does your ED require CEN after a specified length of service? CEN, TNCC, and some pedi specific certs if you see pedi patients. Also a dysrhythmia cert if you don't have one would be helpful. The class I went to was 40 hours over 5 days and was great. The hospital I work at also offers a ton of seminars on various topics and they often encourage us to go. As far as getting involved you should talk to your manager or one of the educators about it, I'm sure they could steer you in the direction of a good committee to join at the hospital. Good luck!

I am dysrhythmia certified, I completed the Step-Down, ICU, Trauma, and various other courses through my hospital. I have ACLS and PALS. I'll definitely look into more seminars, thanks!

Just studying for your CEN will help your confidence a lot. I took Mark Boswell's class and passed the first time. Look him up on youtube. Most of his lectures are there for free.

Awesome, bookmarked! A confidence booster would be nice!

Those of you who are CEN certified, how tough was the test?

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Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.

Definitely do your ENA education, such as TNCC and ENPC. Both are fabulous. CEN wasn't difficult for me, but I am a good test-taker and I had several years of experience as a paramedic and ED tech before becoming an ED RN (there is some overlap in subject matter). I took my CEN when I'd been an RN for 10 months. I know, it's not recommended to take it with that little RN time, but whatever.

Is your local ENA chapter pretty active? That might be another activity you'd enjoy.

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