Introduced in July 1980, the CEN was the world’s first specialty nursing certification for nurses practicing in emergency care settings. Today, the CEN is held by nearly 40,000 registered nurses (RNs) worldwide and remains the most widely held emergency nursing specialty certification.

Thirteen years after the CEN launched, in July 1993, BCEN introduced a second emergency nursing credential, the Certified Flight Registered Nurse (CFRN). Today, BCEN offers five professional credentials held by emergency, trauma and transport nurses around the world, including the Certified Pediatric Emergency Nurse, the Certified Transport Registered Nurse and the Trauma Certified Registered Nurse.

Janie Schumaker, BCEN Executive Director, commented: “BCEN honors the visionary nurses who turned the dream of emergency nursing specialty certification into a reality, and we celebrate the clinical expertise and professional contributions of CENs and board-certified nurses practising across the emergency spectrum around the clock and around the world.”