Certified Transport Registered Nurse (CTRN) is a certification test developed and administered by Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing (BCEN) for credentialing of nurses in critical care ground transport nursing specialty. BCEN is a credentialing body constituted by Emergency Nursing Association (ENA). CTRN is one of the many certification tests conducted by BCEN.
Eligibility-
Only the registered nurses or equivalent in United States can take this exam. The applicant must have current unrestricted license. A minimum experience of 2 years in ground transport nursing is recommended by BCEN before taking the test, however, it is not a necessity. There is no requirement of BSN (Bachelor of Science in Nursing) for applying to this examination.
Test Overview-
CTRN examines advanced level of skills and knowledge expected by professional ground transport nurses. It assesses the following content areas- General Principles of Practice (15 items), Trauma (30 items), Patient Care Principles (23 items), Environmental Emergencies and Toxicology (7 Items), Medical Problems (38 Items), Obstetrical Patients (7 Items), and Patient Care Issues and Management (10 Items).
The content of “General principles of practice” is based on transport physiology, communications, safety and survivals. The “Patient care principles” section covers the topics on principles of assessment and patient preparation, mechanical ventilation and airway management. In the “Trauma” section, subjects- general principles of management, thoracic trauma, neurologic trauma, orthopedic trauma, abdominal trauma, burn trauma, and maxillofacial and neck trauma are included. The questions in “Medical problems” section are based on neurologic emergencies, pulmonary emergencies, cardiovascular emergencies, abdominal emergencies, electrolyte and acid base imbalances, metabolic and endocrine emergencies, hematology and oncology emergencies, renal emergencies, infectious and communicable diseases, and transport considerations for psychiatric patients. The subjects like anaphylaxis, submersion injuries, cold related emergencies, heat related emergencies, and toxicology are included in “Environmental emergencies and toxicology” section. The “Obstetrical patients” section deals with subjects like complications of pregnancy, neonatal resuscitation, delivery, trauma and post-partum care. The “Patient care issues and management” section deals with legal, ethical, social and administrative issues of nursing.
Test Format-
There are 155 multiple choice questions in the upgraded CTRN exam (launched April 6, 2011). Out of these, 130 are scored and 25 are not scored pretest items. The exam has to be completed in 3 hours time. It is delivered in both computer based and, paper and pencil based testing format.
Marking scheme-
The score is proportional to number of questions answered correctly. There is no negative marking. The current passing score has been set to be 75 percent. In computer based testing, results are released immediately after the exam. The certificate and wallet card are mailed in 4 to 6 weeks. If an examinee is failed, he/she is mailed information related to retesting within 4 weeks.
Schedule-
The paper based test is administered throughout the year. The computer based testing is administered from Monday through Friday each week and Saturdays of 50 weeks in a year at Applied Measurement Professionals (AMP) assessment centers. It is conducted twice in a day between 09:00 AM to 01:30 PM.
The registration involves creating and signing in an account at BCEN website (at BCEN Credential manager), completing an electronic application, doing online payment, receiving Eligibility E-mail, and scheduling the test date and location at the official website of AMP (www.goAMP.com).
This test can be taken any number of times. The candidate requires waiting for 90 days before each retest.
Exam Fees-
The fee structure applicable for ENA (Emergency Nursing Association) members is:
Initial certification: – $230
Renewal by Exam: – $210
Renewal by Continued Education: – $210
The fee structure applicable for ASTNA (Air and Surface Transport Nurses Association) members is:
Initial certification: – $230
Renewal by Exam: – $210
Renewal by Continued Education: – $210
The fee structure applicable for non members is:
Initial certification: – $370
Renewal by Exam: – $350
Renewal by Continued Education: – $350