Northwest Regional Burn Model System (NWRBMS)

03/09/2026

Gretchen Carrougher RN, volunteer burn nurse educator, has returned from a week at the Kiruddu National Referral Hospital Burn Unit in Uganda. Gretchen (red scrubs) worked alongside (from L to R), Kathy (pediatrician), Jess (PACU RN), Jeanne (OT), and Alayna (PACU RN) as part of a ReSurge surgical mission. A full week of education, patient care and learning from our Sister Nurses in Uganda.

02/26/2026

A new resource is available for burn nursing...available from the ABA website (https://www.ameriburn.org).

02/18/2026

In early February 2026, Medical Director, Dr. Tam Pham traveled to Nepal to participate in a surgical mission at the Nepal Cleft and Burn Center at Kirtipur Hospital. Thank you Dr. Pham for continued support of global burn care.

02/17/2026

Colleagues from outside NA - what are they up to? Mark your calendars for the next ISBI webinar featuring Professor Odhran Shelley (Plastic Surgeon) and Amanda Cannon (clinical dietician). Scan the QR code for access information (March 10th).

02/13/2026

BCEN is seeking nominations for Distinguished CBRNs -- nominate someone today using this link:
https://bcen.org/distinguished-award-nominations/?utm_source=email&utm_medium=informz&utm_campaign=marketing

01/30/2026

Maiya Pacleb, BS - NWRBMS research assistant and 2nd year UW medical student, presented BMS research findings at the Western Medical Research Conference in Carmel, CA. Her research focused on measuring the financial hardship after a burn injury.

12/19/2025

On December 3rd, we welcomed Dr. Jeremy Hess, Professor, Emergency Medicine and Director of the Center for Health and the Global Environment at the University of Washington as our guest speaker at the 21st Annual David M. Heimbach Visiting Professor Lectureship. Our thanks to Dr. Hess (3rd from left) and to our cadre of speakers from our center who spoke on issues related to cold weather response in King County, improving the care for explosive ordinance victims, recovery trajectories after a large burn injury, and prevention programming with people experiencing homelessness in Seattle.
Thank you ALL for a great educational session.

11/07/2025

At the invitation of the International Society for Burn Injuries (ISBI), Gretchen Carrougher is speaking at the XVI Congress Iberolatinoamericano de Quemaduras in Quito, Ecuador. Gretchen, a member of the NWRBMS research team, presented on the use of numerical cut points in pain assessment in adult burn survivors - a Burn Model System investigation.

11/07/2025

New publication available from BURNS demonstrating our continued emphasis and study on pain assessment in the adult burn survivor: https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1m3Vv15SQcxOf5
Many thanks to our BMS collaborators!

09/09/2025

A new educational factsheet has been developed from our BMS colleagues at UT Southwestern, titled, Tips for Tackling Heat Stress. Please consider sharing with burn care colleagues and other stakeholders who can use this information.

08/21/2025

BCEN's press release for newly accredited CBRN:

The Accreditation Board for Specialty Nursing Certification (ABSNC) grants accreditation of BCEN’s Certified Burn Registered Nurse (CBRN) certification program—and as a result of the certification program being nationally accredited, the CBRN is now also an ANCC Magnet-accepted nursing specialty...

08/21/2025

From the American Burn Association :
The Certified Burn Registered Nurse (CBRN) designation just reached a significant milestone, and it’s a game-changer for burn nursing.

Developed in partnership between the Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing (BCEN) and the American Burn Association (ABA), the CBRN is the world’s first burn nursing specialty certification. The CBRN credential is wholly owned and administered by BCEN — all exam eligibility, applications, and related information are available exclusively on their website (https://bcen.org/cbrn/).

Now, the CBRN is officially accredited by the Accreditation Board for Specialty Nursing Certification (ABSNC) and accepted by the ANCC Magnet Recognition Program®, a milestone many burn nurses have been waiting for. Magnet acceptance can open the door to greater facility support, recognition on clinical ladders, and new opportunities for professional growth.

Hope you'll consider taking the plunge and sitting for the exam!