The Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing’s (BCEN) Certified Transport Registered Nurse (CTRN) national board certification program for critical care ground transport nurses is now accredited by the Accreditation Board for Specialty Nursing Certification (ABSNC). Accreditation by ABSNC means that the CTRN certification program has met or exceeds the nursing certification industry’s most rigorous standards based on an independent, peer-reviewed process.
RNs significantly deliver crucial and often life-preserving or life-saving care to critically ill or injured patients in the dynamic, autonomous, high-stakes ground transport environment. To earn the CTRN credential, nurses must demonstrate mastery of advanced ground transport nursing-specific clinical knowledge and safety, survival, disaster preparedness, scene operations management, communications, and equipment and vehicle knowledge.
“Excellence in ground transport nursing is crucial to the public emergency response and successful interfacility transfers of critically ill and injured patients,” says BCEN CEO Janie Schumaker, MBA, BSN, RN, CEN, CPHQ, CENP, FABC. “ABSNC accreditation of the CTRN ground transport specialty certification is an important signal to nurses, healthcare teams, institutions, and patients and their families alike.”
CTRN Now Accredited by the Accreditation Board for Specialty Nursing Certification
The CTRN is BCEN’s fastest-growing certification program, increasing by 19% in 2020, 29% in 2021, and 24% in 2022 as well as in 2023 year-to-date. According to a peer-reviewed January/February 2023 Air Medical Journal article, the top three perceived benefits of holding the CTRN are critical thinking in the ground transport environment (88%), confidence as a ground transport nurse (88%), and a sense of accomplishment and pride (95%). Over half (51%) of survey respondents reported doing more ground transports since the start of the pandemic, and nearly two-thirds (62%) said being a CTRN “contributed to their ability to deliver the best possible care” to patients with COVID-19.
“To earn initial accreditation, a certification body must provide detailed data that demonstrates a particular certification program adheres to ABSNC’s 18 accreditation standards, including organizational autonomy, basis in a body of research-based knowledge, nondiscrimination, test development, validity, reliability, test administration, test security, fairness of passing score, recertification, and confidentiality,” said BCEN Director of Certification and Accreditation Amy Grand, MSN, RN, ICE-CCP. “We are proud to say that all five of BCEN’s currently available certification programs are now accredited.” BCEN’s new burn nursing credential will launch in Q4 2023.
A few facts about the CTRN:
- The CTRN has been ANCC Magnet-accepted since 2009.
- The Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems (CAMTS) has recognized the CTRN since 2006 and now requires that RNs hold transport-specific credentials.
- While the number of CTRNs has grown steadily since the credential was introduced in 2006, the number of CTRNs has doubled in just the past three years. Today, over 500 nurses hold the CTRN.
Click here for more information about CTRN and ground transport nursing.
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