CEN study guide
CEN · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Certified Emergency Nurse (CEN) credential is a specialty certification for registered nurses who practice in emergency care settings - emergency departments, free-standing EDs, urgent care, flight and transport programs, and triage roles. It is a voluntary professional credential rather than a license; it signals that a nurse has met a national standard of emergency nursing knowledge beyond entry-level licensure. The CEN study guide has 10 sections and about 2,868 words.
01Cardiovascular Emergencies
Cardiovascular items cluster around acute coronary syndrome, dysrhythmias, heart failure, and the great-vessel catastrophes. For ACS, time is muscle: obtain a 12-lead within 10 minutes, give chewed aspirin 162–325 mg, and recognize that ST elevation in II, III, and aVF signals inferior injury with possible right ventricular involvement.
280 words, about 1 min02Respiratory Emergencies
Respiratory items reward pattern recognition. Asthma and COPD exacerbations are treated with inhaled short-acting beta agonists plus ipratropium, systemic corticosteroids, and magnesium for severe cases; epinephrine is appropriate for severe asthma or anaphylaxis.
280 words, about 1 min03Neurological Emergencies
Neurologic emergencies hinge on time and on separating stroke from its mimics. Establish the last known well time and check glucose immediately, because hypoglycemia can mimic stroke.
286 words, about 1 min04Trauma
Trauma items follow the primary survey: catastrophic hemorrhage control, airway with cervical spine protection, breathing, circulation, disability, and exposure. Hypotension after trauma is hemorrhage until proven otherwise.
261 words, about 1 min05Medical Emergencies, Toxicological and Environmental Conditions
Medical emergencies reward systematic thinking about endocrine, metabolic, and infectious crises. Sepsis care emphasizes early recognition, lactate measurement, cultures before antibiotics when this does not delay therapy, broad-spectrum antibiotics within one hour for septic shock, and about 30 mL/kg crystalloid for hypotension or elevated lactate.
494 words, about 2 min06Gastrointestinal Emergencies
Gastrointestinal emergencies include hemorrhage, inflammation, obstruction, and perforation. Upper GI bleeding presents with hematemesis or melena; an elevated BUN-to-creatinine ratio suggests an upper source.
240 words, about 1 min07Genitourinary and Obstetric/Gynecologic Emergencies
Obstetric emergencies require knowledge of normal pregnancy physiology: plasma volume rises, blood pressure is lower, heart rate is higher, and dilutional anemia is expected. Ectopic pregnancy is the leading cause of first-trimester maternal death; a positive quantitative hCG with an empty uterus and an adnexal mass is concerning.
269 words, about 1 min08Musculoskeletal Emergencies and Wound Management
Musculoskeletal and wound items center on neurovascular assessment, infection, and timely surgical referral. For any fracture or dislocation, document the six Ps: pain, pallor, pulselessness, paresthesia, paralysis, and poikilothermia.
254 words, about 1 min09Psychosocial and Behavioral Emergencies
Behavioral emergencies require ruling out medical causes before assuming a psychiatric origin. Delirium is acute, fluctuating, and marked by inattention; new psychosis in an older adult is delirium until proven otherwise.
252 words, about 1 min10Professional Practice and Patient Safety
Professional practice focuses on systems, communication, and safety behaviors. Triage uses the Emergency Severity Index from 1 (immediate, life-saving intervention) to 5 (nonurgent), based on acuity and expected resource needs.
252 words, about 1 min