CEN Exam

Music in My Heart · Jun 14, 2011

I don't recall the price... $270 is sticking in my head but not certain.

They recommend 2 years experience but no specific ER experience is required.

LegzRN · Jun 14, 2011

http://www.ena.org/bcen/certified/CEN/Pages/default.aspx

mwboswell · Jun 14, 2011

Hi MTBKEGIRL!

The CEN Exam fee is $360...BUT DO NOT PAY THIS AMOUNT!!!!

ENA members can get the discounted rate of $220 ($140 savings!)

If you're NOT an ENA member, you have the option to join at the same time you are applying for the exam.

All you do is pay your first year's dues (most states it's $100) AND you pay the discounted exam rate like you're already a member! So $100 + $220 = $320....so you're saving $40 just by joining the ENA!!!!

You DO NOT have to keep your ENA membership at all during the following three years while you have your CEN, BUT, when it's time to RENEW your CEN, you can RENEW your membership that one time again, and get the discounted CEN renewal rate. (Most people will renew their ENA membership as it's a pretty good value for only $100/year).

You can save even MORE money as well...

Whenever I do a CEN review class we also do a "group" enrollment during the class.

Basically everyone who is ready to apply for the test goes ahead and signs up for ENA membership AND fills out the test application during our class.

By submitting the ENA new memberships together, I can get an approval from ENA memberservices to get everyone $10 off their ENA membership (making it $90 in most states) -AND- if we have them all submit their exam applications together in a group, I can get a discounted member rate of $200 for the exam.

So in that case it would now be $90 (ENA membership) + $200 (discounted exam fee) = $290; so now you're saving $70 dollars!!!!

mwboswell · Jun 14, 2011

Does anyone know how much the CEN exam is?
How much ER experience do you need to take the exam? Is the experience required or just recommended?
:nurse:Thanks!

The ENA/BCEN "recommends" 2 years experience (does NOT require)...basically what they are saying is that the "average" ER RN will, within 2 years of ER practice, be exposed to "most" of the different patient conditions/scenarios that define ER nursing practice. This will enhance (not guarantee obviously) the CEN exam candidate's chances of success. It's just a "average" recommendation - some ER RN's see stuff more frequently and develop their cognitive and analytical clinical skills more readily, others take a bit longer.

There is NO CLINICAL PRACTICE requirement for the exam either (unlike CCRN or CPEN)...you do not even have to be working in Emergency Nursing to take it (something I kinda disagree with but that's another story)....

AND, you only have to test ONE TIME! Used to be you had to re-test every 4 years. Now you can renew by one of 3 ways:

(1) 100 hours of continuing education during your 4 years certification

(2) Take the test again

(3) Take an online "open book" type test, which is pretty hard, but you get 90 days to work on it from home.

Hope this helps!

LegzRN · Jun 15, 2011

How does the majority of CENs renew their certification? I don't have to deal with it until 2015.

mwboswell · Jun 15, 2011

How does the majority of CENs renew their certification? I don't have to deal with it until 2015.

Most everyone I've talked to in the last 2-3 years does the 100 hours of continuing education.

Myself, however, am considered crazy, I take the test at least 1-2 times a year - just to see what's on it and keep it fresh in my mind for my students benefit.