BCEN launches education platform for nurses

Located at learn.bcen.org, the learning platform’s initial offerings include original continuing education (CE) courses and four full-length practice exams to help nurses prepare for BCEN’s specialty certification exams. In November, a free webinar on how to implement a nurse residency program, BCEN & Friends podcast episodes, and more CE courses will also be available on the BCEN Learn portal. New content will be added regularly thereafter.

“Nurses told us loud and clear they need more options for emergency nursing-relevant CE content. BCEN Learn offers expert-designed fresh, engaging and immersive content to equip busy nurses and nurse leaders with the knowledge, skills and tools they need to learn, grow and excel,” said BCEN Executive Director Janie Schumaker.

A need for more professional development

The five most-requested CE subject areas, based on a February 2020 BCEN needs assessment survey of nearly 2,000 emergency, trauma and transport nurses, are respiratory emergencies, cardiovascular emergencies, critical care topics, neurological emergencies and emerging topics. Nurses responding to the 2019 Emergency/Trauma/Transport Nursing Workforce Survey resoundingly indicated the need for more professional development and training for themselves, their peers and new nurses on both clinical and leadership topics.

Key features of BCEN Learn are:

• CE courses developed by emergency, trauma and transport subject matter experts
• High-interactivity content
• The BCEN & Friends podcast—focusing on the intersection of nursing, lifelong learning, culture and lifestyle—will feature entertaining, inspiring, and thought-provoking conversations with authors, innovators and ordinary people doing extraordinary things.

Advancing a robust knowledge

Nurses treating patients with Covid-19 may find the oxygen and ventilator management CE courses useful. Leadership courses on such topics as employee engagement and revenue cycle basics, while geared to the emergency setting, are applicable across every specialty.

“BCEN’s emergency, trauma and transport credentials are a high distinction, and we want to make sure we provide professional development opportunities for nurses to sustain and advance the robust knowledge base they had when they first sat for their exam,” said Schumaker.

For BCEN-certified nurses seeking CE credits for recertification, contact hours earned through BCEN Learn are automatically added to the CE tracker in their BCEN account.

In July, the BCEN marked the 40th birthday of both the emergency nursing specialty certification and the Certified Emergency Nurse (CEN) credential.