The Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing Receives Reaccreditation of its Certified Pediatric Emergency Nurse Exam Program from the Accreditation Board for Specialty Nursing Certification

Mt Laurel, NJ, (March 24, 2025) —The Accreditation Board for Specialty Nursing Certification (ABSNC) is pleased to announce the Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing (BCEN®) has been granted reaccreditation for the Certified Pediatric Emergency Nurse (CPEN®) certification program.

Initially accredited by ABSNC in May 2015, the CPEN certification program was developed and launched by BCEN in partnership with the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board (PNCB) in 2009, with BCEN becoming the sole owner of the CPEN in 2016. Today, more than 5,500 pediatric emergency nurses hold this esteemed specialty certification.

BCEN is an independent, not-for-profit certification board offering robust nursing specialty certification programs for registered nurses (RNs) across the emergency spectrum. Over 60,000 BCEN credentials are held by RNs who specialize in emergency, pediatric emergency, flight, critical care ground transport, trauma, and burn nursing. BCEN offers the Certified Emergency Nurse (CEN®), Certified Pediatric Emergency Nurse (CPEN®), Certified Flight Registered Nurse (CFRN®), Certified Transport Registered Nurse (CTRN®), Trauma Certified Registered Nurse (TCRN®), and Certified Burn Registered Nurse (CBRN).

“Reaccreditation of the CPEN national pediatric emergency nursing certification program is important to credential holders and candidates, pediatric emergency programs and healthcare institutions, and pediatric patients and their families,” said BCEN Director of Certification and Accreditation Amy Grand, MSN, RN, ICE-CCP. “It reaffirms the exceptional quality and value of the CPEN credential and underlines BCEN’s ongoing commitment to excellence.”

ABSNC accreditation is a peer-reviewed mechanism that allows nursing certifying organizations to obtain program accreditation by demonstrating compliance with the highest quality standards in the industry. To maintain accreditation, programs must exhibit continuing adherence to the 18 standards set forth. “ABSNC Accreditation represents a recognized standard in certification testing and indicates that the credential meets or exceed legal and regulatory guidelines,” said Felicia Lembesis, CAE, ICE-CCP, Executive Director.

The mission of ABSNC is to recognize quality specialty nursing and associated non-RN certification programs through accreditation. It is the only accrediting body specifically for nursing certification.  ABSNC currently accredits more than 80 certification programs from 27 specialty nursing certification organizations. The accreditation standards offered by ABSNC include Examination-Based Certification Programs, Portfolio Assessment Certification Programs, and Assessment-Based Certificate Programs. For more information about ABSNC and its accreditation standards, please visit www.absnc.org or contact Felicia Lembesis, ABSNC Executive Director, (flembesis@ahint.com, 856-439-9080).