BCEN Recognizes Three Healthcare Organizations as 2026 Certification Champions in Emergency, Trauma, Burn, and Critical Care Transport Nursing

More board-certified RNs, stronger teams, better patient care: this year's BCEN National Certification Champions show what's possible when facilities and systems invest in supporting specialty certification.

OAK BROOK, Ill., Oct. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing (BCEN) today named the 2026 recipients of its National Certification Champion Award, which honors healthcare institutions that excel at supporting, recognizing and rewarding RNs who earn and maintain specialty board certification across the emergency spectrum. BCEN offers six nationally accredited and Magnet-accepted specialty certification programs spanning emergency, pediatric emergency, trauma, burn, flight, and critical care ground transport nursing.

"This year's National Certification Champions understand that specialty certification isn't handed to nurses — it's earned and maintained through real dedication," said BCEN CEO Janie Schumaker, MBA, BSN, RN, CEN, ICE-CCP, CENP, CPHQ, FABC. "These organizations built the culture and support systems that make that achievement possible for more nurses, and the result is better care for patients, delivered by stronger and better-prepared emergency, trauma, burn, and critical care transport teams."

With one national winner in each of three categories, the 2026 BCEN National Certification Champion Award winners are:

• Small Healthcare Facility: Missouri Baptist Sullivan Hospital – Emergency Department in Sullivan, Missouri

• Large Healthcare Facility: Orlando Health Orlando Regional Medical Center in Orlando, Florida

• Health System: Inova Health System in Fairfax, Virginia

Hear from each winner's senior nursing leadership below. To learn about their certification support best practices, read our Meet the Winner series.

Missouri Baptist Sullivan Hospital CNO, COO, and Vice President of Patient Care Services Carmen Bartolotta, MSN, RN, said: "We are incredibly honored to be recognized by the Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing as the National Certification Champion Award recipient for a small facility. This award reflects the dedication of our emergency nursing team and their commitment to professional excellence, lifelong learning, and delivering exceptional care to our community. Through specialty certification, our nurses continue to strengthen their clinical expertise, advance evidence-based practice, and improve patient outcomes. We are especially proud that, as a small rural hospital, we have fostered a culture where certification is encouraged, supported, and celebrated. This recognition belongs to our nurses, whose passion and commitment make a difference for every patient we serve."

Tina Santos, MBA, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, CPXP, Chief Nursing Officer, with Orlando Health Orlando Regional Medical Center, said: "Being named a BCEN National Certification Champion is a tremendous honor and a reflection of the exceptional nurses who serve our community every day. Their commitment to specialty certification demonstrates a dedication to clinical excellence, continuous learning and providing the highest level of care for our patients and families."

Inova Health System's Tiffany Coullahan, MSN, RN, NE-BC, who is Senior Nursing Director, Emergency Services and Emergency Care Centers, and Interim System Senior Director, MSL Emergency Medicine Nursing, said: "Specialty certification reflects the extraordinary commitment our nurses make to continually strengthen their knowledge and expertise so they can provide the highest level of care to our patients. At Inova, we are proud to invest in our nurses throughout that journey — from providing education and resources to supporting certification and recognizing their achievements. Being named a BCEN National Certification Champion is a tremendous honor and a reflection of the dedication of our emergency, trauma and transport nurses who demonstrate every day what it means to pursue excellence in nursing."

New Research Reinforces the Value of Nursing Specialty Certification

The award comes as independent research continues to reinforce the value of specialty certification. A study published in the July/August 2026 issue of Nursing Outlook by researchers from Johns Hopkins, the University of Michigan, Yale, and Marquette found that greater exposure to specialty-certified RNs was associated with safer patient care and fewer preventable complications, with benefits that held even beyond a nurse's formal academic preparation. The patient-level findings position certification as a high-value workforce strategy — one the study's authors suggest hospitals and health systems can invest in to strengthen quality, safety and overall system performance.

This fall, BCEN officials will travel to winners' locations to honor their achievement in person with an on-site celebration and trophy presentation.

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 56,000 RNs and APRNs are board certified through BCEN and collectively hold more than 68,000 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.  

SOURCE Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing