CPEN™

The Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing (BCEN®) and the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board (PNCB®) have developed the Certified Pediatric Emergency Nurse (CPEN) exam. BCEN and the PNCB are equal partners in the development and delivery of this certification exam.

If you are a pediatric emergency nurse who provides urgent and emergent nursing care to pediatric patients and their families, you'll want to learn more about becoming a Certified Pediatric Emergency Nurse. Earning your CPEN credential demonstrates that you have extensive experience and the knowledge and abilities related to pediatric emergency nursing care beyond basic RN licensure.

CPEN Exam Registration

CPEN Exam Content Outline

CPEN Exam Content Handbook

Registration for the CPEN exam is now open and exams will be delivered beginning January 21, 2009. The cost of the exam is $280. The CPEN exam consists of 175 questions, with 25 unscored pretest items, and candidates will be given three hours to complete the exam.

The BCEN and the PNCB recommend that applicants have two years of full-time experience in pediatric emergency nursing care. Pediatric emergency nursing care as defined by BCEN and the PNCB includes providing direct care, health care facilitation, education, and advocacy for pediatric emergency patients and their families.

However, recognizing that nurses prepare for their role in pediatric emergency nursing in various ways, the *minimum eligibility requirements to apply for the CPEN examination include:

• Holding a current unrestricted license to practice as an RN in the United States (a nursing certificate equivalent to a RN license in the US is also acceptable), and

• Having practiced at least *1,000 hours in pediatric emergency nursing practice in the past 24 months.

* The 1,000 hours in pediatric emergency practice requirement may be obtained through practice in any setting, and may include providing direct care, health care facilitation, education, and advocacy for patients and families. Examples of ways in which the 1,000-hour requirement may be met include:

• full time employment as an emergency nurse in a pediatric emergency setting for six months,

• full time employment as an emergency nurse in a mixed-age emergency setting for two years with a population of approximately 20 percent pediatric patients,

• part-time employment as an emergency nurse in a pediatric emergency setting, for example, for 20 hours per week for one year, or

• any other combination of practice involving direct care, health care facilitation, education, and advocacy for pediatric patients and their families for a total of 1,000 hours in the past 24 months.

*CPEN candidates are required to sign an attestation statement to confirm eligibility. BCEN and the PNCB reserve the right to conduct an audit of the applicant’s attestation, and may require that the applicant provide confirmation, for example through agreement of a supervisor (or supervisors), of completion of the practice requirement in pediatric emergency nursing.