"Certified Pediatric Emergency Nurse Review - Putting It All Together"
by Scott DeBoer, RN MSN CEN CPEN CCRN CFRN

Book Review
by Tom Trimble, RN CEN
 

The Certified Pediatric Emergency Nurse [CPEN] exam, created by the Board of Certification for Emergency
Nursing [BCEN®] and the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board [PNCB®] in collaboration, is a new specialty
certification for Emergency Nurses, joining Certified Flight Registered Nurse [CFRN] and Certified Transport
Registered Nurse [CTRN] whose practice may be in separate or overlapping arenas than conventional
Emergency Departments.

Scott DeBoer, RN MSN CEN CPEN CCRN CFRN, who is one of the first to be certified, has taken his skill in
education to write the first-published review guide for nurses seeking this certification.

Nursing care in Pediatric Emergency Medicine and Trauma may occur in hospitals or EDs that specialize in
children, or in a comprehensive facility that has either a special area for kids or an undifferentiated care area
for all patients, or transport and retrieval units. Regardless of setting, the needs may be great and many in a
small body: one that often can't tell you what is felt, and whose compensatory powers and physiologic reserves
are limited and subject to unique anatomical, congenital, and acquired problems. Then, too, there is vulnerability
 to indifferent or ill-care, and increased stresses upon the family. Older children and nearly-adult adolescents can have adult-sized problems
or injuries yet still not have the needed maturity and coping skills.

All Emergency Nurses have a foundation in pediatrics {as ours is the specialty of "taking all comers" and dealing with the critical and
emergency aspects of all medical specialties}. However, if one wishes to demonstrate added commitment and professional development
in emergency pediatrics or has not had a strong pediatric background, this is the certification process to show that development, and
enhance one's job marketability. This book is the means by which to prepare for that examination.

While a conventional review guide format of multiple choice questions with explanations of rationale is to be expected, this is enhanced
by its topical sectioning; many added informative tables and data; study and test tips; his down-to-earth and droll simplifications
and analyses; and the charm of technical drawings by his "nine year old daughter, Nina,  (the) aspiring artist"; and a profusion of quotes
with inspirational and funny entries that demonstrate his love of kids and caring for kids.

The feeling that enveloped me as I read and studied was that I had sat down with a wise and experienced mentor as a study partner who
could simplify and make less daunting the practical mastery of pathophysiology and evidence-based approaches to rapidly caring for
pediatric emergencies, whether minor or potentially devastating. I never felt "talked down to" from an academic pedestal, nor did it seem
as if I was a rank beginner or that my prior experience was not helpful. It was disarming, yet discerning in focusing my thoughts on the
special needs of little ones. The author clearly has "been there and done that" and shares very practical advice. Studying with this guide
should make one feel confidently prepared for the Certification Exam.
 

"CPEN Review -Book Review"
[http://ENW.org/Review-CPENreview.htm]
is a WebArticle presented by
Emergency Nursing World ! [http://ENW.org]
©Tom Trimble, RN [Tom@ENW.org]