BCEN Honors Champions of Emergency, Trauma, and Transport Specialty Nursing Excellence

Three healthcare organizations named 2025 National Certification Champions for advancing patient care and nurse professional development through board certification

OAK BROOK, Ill., Sept. 17, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing (BCEN) today named the 2025 winners of its National Certification Champion Award. The annual award recognizes healthcare institutions that support RNs earning specialty board certification — the pinnacle of professional achievement for nurses — and, in doing so, advance nursing excellence and elevate patient care in emergency, trauma, and critical care transport settings.

"BCEN's 2025 National Certification Champions exemplify what top-performing hospitals and health systems understand at their core: that supporting nursing professional development is a strategic investment — and that specialty certification is a powerful driver of nurse engagement, clinical excellence, and improved patient trust, experience, and outcomes in emergency care," said BCEN CEO Janie Schumaker, MBA, BSN, RN, CEN, ICE-CCP, CENP, CPHQ, FABC.

With one national winner in each of three categories, the 2025 BCEN National Certification Champion Award winners are:

• Small Healthcare Facility: UCHealth Emergency Room – Harmony Campus in Fort Collins, Colorado
  
  
• Large Healthcare Facility: Hackensack University Medical Center – Adult and Pediatric Emergency Department in Hackensack, New Jersey 
  
  
• Health System: The University of Tennessee Medical Center Emergency & Trauma in Knoxville, Tennessee

Learn more in BCEN's Meet the Winner series.

Representing the small facility category winner, Tammy Piccone, MSN, BSN, BA, NE-BC, Chief Nursing Officer, Poudre Valley Hospital, said: "Being named a BCEN National Certification Champion reflects our Harmony ED team's commitment to excellence, professional growth, and high-quality emergency care. This honor aligns with Poudre Valley Hospital's Magnet culture, where innovation, shared leadership, and continuous learning thrive. I'm incredibly proud of our nurses for setting the standard in emergency nursing and making a lasting impact on our community."

Hackensack University Medical Center President and Chief Hospital Executive Lisa K. Tank, MD, MBA, FACP, said: "This is a profound honor that shines a spotlight exactly where it belongs — on our extraordinary emergency nursing team — and celebrates their selfless spirit and deeply compassionate care. Their commitment to achieving specialty certification reflects their dedication to personal and professional excellence. We are incredibly proud of their tireless efforts and the remarkable difference they make in our patients' lives." 

The University of Tennessee Medical Center Senior Vice President & Chief Nursing Officer Sandy C. Leake, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, said: "Being named a BCEN Certification Champion affirms our deep commitment to nursing excellence. Specialty-certified nurses bring advanced clinical expertise, confidence and leadership to every shift — raising the bar for patient care and team performance. We're proud to support certification as a strategic investment in quality, professional growth and the health of the communities we serve."

BCEN officials will celebrate the winners during on-site trophy presentations this fall.

About BCEN
Founded in 1980, the independent, not-for-profit Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing (BCEN®) offers emergency, pediatric emergency, flight, critical care ground transport, trauma, and burn nursing specialty certifications, including the Certified Emergency Nurse (CEN®), Certified Pediatric Emergency Nurse (CPEN®), Trauma Certified Registered Nurse (TCRN®), Certified Flight Registered Nurse (CFRN®), Certified Transport Registered Nurse (CTRN®), and Certified Burn Registered Nurse (CBRN®). More than 50,000 RNs and APRNs are board certified through BCEN and collectively hold more than 60,000 BCEN credentials. BCEN's voucher program reduces cost and increases access to board certification for organizations and nurses. The award-winning BCEN Learn digital platform features both free and fee-based interactive continuing education.

Note to editors: Photos available by request.

SOURCE Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing