The Certified Emergency Nurse (CEN)® designation is granted to a registered nurse who has demonstrated expertise in emergency nursing by passing a computer-administered examination given by the Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing (BCEN).
The CEN exam is for nurses in the emergency department setting who want to demonstrate their expertise, knowledge and versatility in emergency nursing.
BCEN is the only source for emergency nursing professionals and their employers to obtain recognized certification with proven results for greater knowledge and performance. Enhance your knowledge, your career, and patient care with specialty certification in emergency nursing.
BCEN’s certification exams are developed by an exam committee of nurses who practice in the specific exam’s specialty area and represent diverse geography. BCEN partners with a test development company to ensure the exam is psychometrically sound and questions are written in best practice format. Earning a BCEN certification is a national recognition and allows the holder to display the credential as part of their signature.
BCEN exams are based on specialty nursing role delineation studies (RDS). These research studies also known as a practice analysis or job analysis are conducted by exam committees of subject matter experts.
As part of the RDS, survey instruments are distributed to nurses practicing in each specialty area throughout the United States. The survey responses guide the exam committee in determining knowledge relevant to practice. The integrated concepts, cognitive level distribution, and the number of items (questions) specified within each content area are developed by an iterative process resulting in unanimous agreement from the exam committee.
Next, item writers create exam questions and the items are reviewed, revised, and approved by the exam construction and review committee. The items are also repeatedly reviewed throughout the exam development process.
Finally, examinations are delivered by computer at Pearson VUE testing centers. The examinations are administered daily Monday through Friday at the test taker’s convenience.
