Case Study
How BCEN and WeLearn Transformed Emergency Nursing Education Delivering 6,170 Continuing Education Credits in Seven Months
- 30 Nov, 2025
- 8 min read
In this case study
Table of Contents
The WeLearn team didn't just deliver a learning strategy — they became true partners in our mission. Their ability to pivot during the pandemic while keeping us focused on our vision was remarkable. We now have a thriving learning ecosystem that serves nurses at every stage of their career.
When a global pandemic hit just weeks into their learning strategy project, the Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing (BCEN) faced a choice: pause or push forward.
BCEN pushed forward, with WeLearn as their partner.
Working alongside subject matter experts stretched thin by COVID-19’s demands, WeLearn helped BCEN deliver a complete learning ecosystem — BCEN Learn — featuring 19 online courses, expanded practice exams, webinars, and a podcast series. The result? Over 6,000 continuing education credits claimed and satisfaction ratings consistently above 4.4 on a 5-point scale.
This is a story about partnership, adaptability, and proving that learning can happen and thrive, even when the world turns upside down.
About BCEN
Founded in 1980 and headquartered in Oakbrook, Illinois, the Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing provides certification programs and supports lifelong learning for emergency nursing professionals.
BCEN operates across the United States and in 24 countries, serving nursing students, emergency nurses, nurse leaders, and educators. As a specialty nurse certification board, BCEN had built its reputation on high-quality certification programs and practice tests that helped candidates prepare for their exams.
But in 2019, BCEN’s leadership recognized an opportunity. With plans to implement a new learning management system, they began asking bigger questions about their role in the emergency nursing profession. Could they become more than a certification board? Could they support nurses across their entire career journey?
The Challenge: Vision Without Infrastructure
BCEN needed to evolve. Their vision was clear: provide fresh, modern, and effective learning experiences for certificate candidates and holders. But vision alone doesn’t build a learning ecosystem.
The team needed to answer fundamental questions about what a comprehensive learning strategy would look like for a certification organization. How would they support nurses from graduation through leadership roles? What content would truly advance critical thinking and professional development? And how could they build all of this while simultaneously selecting and implementing a new technology platform?
With a small internal team of 11 people and no prior learning content development infrastructure, BCEN needed a partner who could help them think strategically while executing tactically.
The team needed to answer fundamental questions:
- What does a comprehensive learning strategy look like for a certification organization?
- How do we support nurses from graduation through leadership roles?
- What content will truly advance critical thinking and professional development?
- How do we build this while selecting and implementing a new technology platform?
The Partnership: Building a Strategy Together
In February 2020, BCEN and WeLearn gathered at BCEN headquarters for a project kickoff. The core teams came prepared to think big.
Over the next two months, the teams worked to document BCEN’s learning strategy goals for 2020-2023. Three objectives emerged:
Lead in lifelong learning for emergency nursing while advancing critical thinking
Support the transition from nurse to nurse manager and leader
Help nursing graduates acclimate to the emergency department
Five Workstreams, One Vision
WeLearn and BCEN organized the work into five workstreams, each with dedicated leads working in an agile approach:
Learning Strategy:
Developed a comprehensive roadmap broken into three phases across three years
Learning Technology & Customer Experience:
Worked with key BCEN stakeholders to understand the new LMS system and to map customer journeys based on BCEN customer journeys.
Product Design & Development:
Created continuing education courses and expanded practice exam content
Social Promotion & Engagement:
Developed the BCEN Learn brand, podcast series, and community engagement strategies
Quality and Governance:
Built frameworks for catalog management, continuous improvement, and web accessibility
A steering committee met bi-weekly to keep everyone aligned. The team grew to include over 50 contributors — from WeLearn instructional designers to BCEN’s volunteer nurse item writers.
Responding to Crisis
Then COVID-19 hit. But the challenges that emerged weren’t unique to a pandemic — they’re the same pressures that surface during any organizational crisis. BCEN’s subject matter experts found themselves stretched impossibly thin, working double shifts as emergency departments faced unprecedented demand.
Planned in-person workshops became impossible overnight. Timeline pressures intensified even as the nurses who needed to develop continuing education content were least available to provide it.
BCEN didn’t pause. WeLearn adapted their approach to meet the moment. The teams identified flexible meeting times that accommodated unpredictable nurse schedules, recognizing that rigid timelines would doom the project. When some of BCEN’s subject matter experts had to drop out due to work or personal commitments,
WeLearn recruited additional experts to maintain momentum rather than letting progress stall. When technology limitations emerged around the pricing model, WeLearn worked with BCEN to pivot quickly to find a solution that worked for certificate holders.
WeLearn also found opportunities within the constraints. They designed virtual Item Writer Training sessions that were engaging enough to keep exhausted nurses interested — and valuable enough that BCEN could offer continuing education credit for participation. This turned a necessity into an asset.
Despite carrying heavy shift loads and facing their own personal challenges, BCEN’s item writers continued showing up and contributing to their nursing community. The partnership held strong because
WeLearn remained committed to flexibility, clear communication, and BCEN’s mission. It’s a model that works in any crisis (pandemic or otherwise) when partners choose adaptation over abandonment.
The Solution: BCEN Learn Takes Shape
By October 2020, BCEN was ready to launch BCEN Learn: a complete learning ecosystem designed specifically for emergency nursing professionals.
What BCEN Learn Delivered
- 19 Online Courses: Each offering continuing education credits, completed in 8-10 week cycles with subject matter experts
- Enhanced Practice Exams: Fresh content across four certification areas (CEN, CPEN, TCRN, CFRN) with the unique benefit of earning CE credit for taking practice exams
- Monthly Webinar Series: Live speakers addressing topics relevant to practice, development, and careers
- BCEN and Friends Podcast: Bi-weekly episodes featuring engaging conversations with nurses and healthcare professionals
- Automatic CE Tracking: Certificates uploaded directly to certificate holders’ accounts for easier recertification
Each element was designed with the learner experience in mind. Courses featured engaging visuals, interactive elements, and social media teaser videos. The platform made it simple for nurses to find what they needed and track their progress.
WeLearn didn’t just execute the strategy — they helped BCEN create frameworks for sustainability, including catalog management governance, service escalation matrices, and continuous improvement processes that would support the learning function’s growth over time.
The Results
Phase one launched June 30, 2020. Phase two rolled out October 20, 2020. By January 2021, the results spoke for themselves:
- 1,478 practice exams taken with an overall satisfaction rating of 4.45/5
- 810 courses completed with an overall satisfaction rating of 4.63/5
- 2,065 webinar attendees with an overall satisfaction rating of 4.73/5
- 1,034 podcast listeners
- 6,170 continuing education credits claimed
What Learners Said
The quantitative results were impressive. The qualitative feedback revealed something deeper, nurses felt the content truly served them:
"It was very interactive so it kept my attention. Thank you!"
"Well presented, easy to learn, like the diagrams/pictures/interactive."
"Outstanding presentation. Clear and easy to understand, evidence based care that for me included new information."
"I loved the format - it was visually simple, engaging, informative."
This project proved that age is just a number when it comes to learning. Our nurses showed up, engaged deeply, and transformed their practice — regardless of career stage. WeLearn understood that from day one. They never treated us like just another client. They became invested in our mission, and that made all the difference.
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