BCEN certification covering the emergency care of infants, children, and adolescents.
Who it's for
Registered nurses with clinical experience in pediatric or general emergency departments caring for pediatric patients — BCEN's answer to the fact that pediatric emergencies require distinct assessment and dosing judgment that general emergency nursing certification doesn't fully cover.
What's covered
- System-focused pediatric emergencies — the largest single domain, roughly 37% of the scored exam
- Additional domains covering medical, trauma, and professional-issue content areas
What to expect
Expect weight-based and developmentally-specific clinical scenarios — pediatric emergency questions can't rely on adult heuristics, so the exam leans on judgment specific to infant, child, and adolescent physiology.
How to prepare
BCEN and ENA (Emergency Nurses Association) both offer relevant review resources; because system-focused pediatric emergencies alone make up over a third of the exam, prioritize that content area first if your study time is limited.
Certification details
- Certifying body: Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing (BCEN).
- Eligibility: Unencumbered RN license (US, US territory, Canada, or Australia); 2 years of pediatric emergency nursing experience is recommended but not required.
- Exam format: 175 questions (150 scored, 25 unscored pretest), 3-hour time limit, computer-based at PSI centers or via live remote proctoring.
- Content outline: Six domains covering system-focused pediatric emergencies (the largest domain, ~37% of the scored exam), plus other medical, trauma, and professional-issue content areas.
- Recertification: Every 4 years; 100 continuing education hours required (at least 75 specialty-clinical), or retake the exam.