RWJBarnabas Health staff celebrate receiving the Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing National Certification Champion Award.
West Orange, NJ (October 25, 2023) – The Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing (BCEN), the benchmark for nursing specialty certification across the emergency spectrum, presented RWJBarnabas Health (RWJBH) Emergency Departments (ED) with the 2023 BCEN National Certification Champion Award for a healthcare system. RWJBH was selected based on its commitment to emergency, trauma, and transport nursing clinical excellence and professionalism through national nursing specialty certification.
“RWJBarnabas Health is honored to be named the BCEN National Certification Champion. This award represents the culmination of years of focused attention by nursing leadership to promote and facilitate ED nurse certification coupled with a highly motivated and passionate nursing staff who are dedicated to their patients as well as their professional development,” said Nancy E. Holecek, Executive Vice President, MAS, BSN, RN, Chief Nursing Officer, RWJBH. “We are so proud of our certified nurses and their commitment to lifelong learning.”
According to BCEN, National Certification Champions are organizations recognized for constantly innovating, breaking down barriers, and working to find more and better ways to support nurses who aim high to earn nursing’s highest professional credential. To benefit every patient, family, and community they touch, the National Certification Champion exemplifies advanced clinical excellence. They are the pillars of professionalism and set the standards for exceptional emergency, trauma and transport care that comes with having specialty certified professionals.
“RWJBarnabas Health is helping hundreds of ED nurses across the entire state be the best they can be to the benefit of over two million patients across New Jersey. When nurses experience support for being specialty certified, they shine, excel, and contribute in extraordinary ways. When a unit or transport program or hospital supports certification, an entire local community benefits. When an entire health system supports nursing specialty certification, the benefits extend outward both geographically and professionally by advancing nurses and specialty care in powerful ways that ripple across all of healthcare. RWJBH has raised the bar for what a certification champion looks like in a health system,” said Hilde Marnul, Director of Marketing and Communications for the Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing.
Nursing specialty certification independently validates advanced knowledge and expertise across a nursing specialty. Board certification of RNs assures patients and families they are receiving care from nurses who are experts in their specialty, as research links nursing specialty certification to improved patient care, safety, and outcomes.
“The 2023 BCEN National Certification Champions are national models for supporting emergency, trauma, and transport nursing excellence by championing their nurses’ success,” said BCEN CEO Janie Schumaker, MBA, BSN, RN, CEN, CENP, CPHQ, FABC. “Their patients, nurses, healthcare teams, and communities benefit greatly from their leadership.”
Cathlyn Robinson, MSc(A), RN, CEN, TCRN, Director of Operations, Emergency Services Line for RWJBH, received the award from BCEN along with a nursing certification support and celebration package. Learn more about the 2023 winners in BCEN’s Meet the Winner series.
Over 50,000 RNs and advanced practice registered nurses worldwide hold one or more BCEN nursing specialty credential. Over 40,000 hold the Certified Emergency Nurse (CEN), over 5,400 hold the Certified Pediatric Emergency Nurse (CPEN), over 7,500 hold the Trauma Certified Registered Nurse (TCRN), over 5,900 hold the Certified Flight Registered Nurse (CFRN), and over 500 hold the Certified Transport Registered Nurse (CTRN).
About RWJBarnabas Health
RWJBarnabas Health is the largest, most comprehensive academic health care system in New Jersey, with a service area covering eight counties with five million people. The system includes twelve acute care hospitals – Clara Maass Medical Center in Belleville, Community Medical Center in Toms River, Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, Jersey City Medical Center in Jersey City, Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch, Monmouth Medical Center Southern Campus in Lakewood, Newark Beth Israel Medical Center in Newark, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset in Somerville, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton in Hamilton, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Rahway in Rahway and Trinitas Regional Medical Center in Elizabeth, three acute care children’s hospitals, Children’s Specialized Hospital with a network of outpatient pediatric rehabilitation centers, a freestanding 100-bed behavioral health center, two trauma centers, a satellite emergency department, ambulatory care centers, geriatric centers, the state’s largest behavioral health network, comprehensive home care and hospice programs, fitness and wellness centers, retail pharmacy services, affiliated medical groups, multi-site imaging centers and two accountable care organizations.
RWJBarnabas Health is among New Jersey’s largest private employers – with more than 38,000 employees and 9,000 physicians– and routinely captures national awards for outstanding quality and safety. RWJBarnabas Health launched an affiliation with Rutgers University to create New Jersey’s largest academic health care system. The collaboration aligns RWJBarnabas Health with Rutgers' education, research and clinical activities, including those at the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey - the state's only NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center - and Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care.
About BCEN
Founded in 1980, the independent, not-for-profit Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing (BCEN®) offers robust certification programs fostering empowered nurses across the emergency spectrum who contribute noticeably to patient care, safety and outcomes. Over 59,000 BCEN credentials are held by registered nurses (RNs) who specialize in emergency, flight, pediatric emergency, critical care ground transport, trauma, and burn nursing. BCEN offers the Certified Emergency Nurse (CEN®), Certified Flight Registered Nurse (CFRN®), Certified Pediatric Emergency Nurse (CPEN®), Certified Transport Registered Nurse (CTRN®), Trauma Certified Registered Nurse (TCRN®), and Certified Burn Registered Nurse (CBRN) certification programs. Learn more at bcen.org.
Contact: Sally Malech, AVP, Strategic Marketing and Communications, RWJBH
Phone: 862.438.7226
Email: Sally.Malech@rwjbh.org