The Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing (BCEN) has announced the winners of the 2023 BCEN Distinguished Awards. The awards recognize top board-certified RNs in specialties including emergency, pediatric emergency, trauma, flight, and critical care ground transport nursing.
Excellence in Clinical Practice
The honorees are recognized for their clinical excellence and professionalism in their respective specialties. According to BCEN CEO Janie Schumaker, MBA, BSN, RN, CEN, CENP, CPHQ, FABC, the winners embody the highest levels of clinical excellence in their specialties and convey the importance of nursing specialty certification to their teams.
Meet the Winners
The winners of the 2023 BCEN Distinguished Awards are:
- Distinguished CEN Award (adult/mixed emergency): Calee Muldrow, BSN, RN, CEN, Emergency Department RN with Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas
- Distinguished CPEN Award (pediatric emergency): Dawn Tasche, BSN, RN, CPEN, Emergency Department RN with Aurora Health Care in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin
- Distinguished TCRN Award (trauma): Jordan Tyczka, MSN, RN, CEN, TCRN, Trauma Program Director at Inova Loudoun Hospital in Leesburg, Virginia
- Distinguished CFRN Award (flight): Stacey Dock, MSN, RN, CFRN, Flight Nurse/QA Coordinator/ Preceptor at LifeFlight Eagle in Kansas City, Missouri
- Distinguished CTRN Award (critical care ground transport): George Olschewski, BSN, RN, CFRN, CTRN, CEN, TCRN, a Critical Care Transport & Mobile Intensive Care Nurse with the Hackensack University Medical Center Specialty Care Transport Unit in Hackensack, New Jersey
Recognition and Prizes
The honorees will receive a commemorative Distinguished Award pin and one year of free access to the BCEN Learn professional development platform, valued at $2,500, to support continuing education in their specialty. They will also be honored at a celebration at their workplace this summer.
Importance of Specialty Certification
Over 50,000 RNs and advanced practice registered nurses in 26 countries hold one or more BCEN nursing specialty credentials. Specialty certification independently validates a nurse’s advanced knowledge, clinical judgment, and professionalism across a nursing specialty body of knowledge. Specialty certification is associated with optimal patient outcomes and greater nurse career success and satisfaction.
Nominations for BCEN National Certification Champion Awards
The BCEN National Certification Champion Awards recognize organizations committed to specialty nursing excellence. Hospital-based and freestanding emergency departments, trauma centers, health systems, and flight and ground transport programs may apply. Nominations for the 2023 awards are open now.