The Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing (BCEN) has announced that First Lieutenant Mariah Pruett, NC, BSN, RN, CEN, CFRN, CPEN, TCRN, CCRN, is the recipient of 2020 Distinguished TCRN Award.
Lt. Pruett is a U.S. Air Force emergency services/trauma nurse from the 60th Medical Group/Emergency Services Flight at Travis Air Force Base in California. The Distinguished TCRN Award recognizes her exceptional commitment to certified trauma nursing excellence. It also recognizes her work as an advocate for the Trauma Certified Registered Nurse (TCRN) credential.
“Becoming a Trauma Certified Registered Nurse has been a goal of mine since I first stepped foot into an emergency department,” Pruett said. “Earning this award shows how far I have come in my career, from a new nurse hungry to learn, to a skilled nurse running trauma bays, taking care of in-flight trauma, and advocating for my colleagues to earn their own certifications. It is an honor to receive BCEN’s Distinguished TCRN Award.”
After earning the TCRN credential plus BCEN specialty certifications in flight nursing and pediatric emergency nursing in the same year, Pruett designed a mentorship program that increased the TCRN certification rate in the 60th Medical Group by 200%. Pruett also trained to serve on Critical Care Air Transportation Team (CCATT) and Tactical Critical Care Evacuation Team (TCCET) missions.
“Whether she is delivering life-saving trauma care and stabilization for U.S. and Allied forces while on deployment, encouraging her peers to advance themselves and their trauma nursing practice through certification, or teaching weekly classes on trauma topics to over 100 special operations medics and paramedics, Lt. Pruett’s dedication to trauma care excellence is remarkable,” said BCEN Executive Director Janie Schumaker, MBA, BSN, RN, CEN, CENP, CPHQ, FABC.
Travis AFB is home to the David Grant USAF Medical Center (DGMC), which provides a full spectrum of care to more than 130,000 TRICARE-eligible patients in the San Francisco/Sacramento area and 500,000 Northern California veterans.
“Lt. Pruett has constantly let her achievements in patient care and certification shine as a bright example for those around her to follow,” said Major Michael C. Galante, DGMC Emergency Services Medical Director. “She continually strives for excellence in both her clinical knowledge and clinical care, elevating the knowledge and skill of those around her by doing so.”
Read more about Lt. Pruett.