American Association of Critical-Care Nurses honors cardiothoracic nursing staff
The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses recently conferred a silver-level Beacon Award for Excellence on Munson Medical Center’s cardiothoracic nursing unit staff in the Webber Heart Center.
The Beacon Award for Excellence recognizes unit caregivers who successfully improve patient outcomes and align practices with AACN’s six standards for a healthy work environment. Units that achieve this three-year, three-level award with gold, silver, and bronze designations meet national criteria consistent with Magnet Recognition, the Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award, and the National Quality Healthcare Award.
“This really reveals for our patients and the community the quality of care they experience from our cardiothoracic nursing staff,” said Jim Fischer, vice president of patient care and chief nursing officer at Munson. “This is a great achievement.”
The silver-level Beacon Award for Excellence signifies continuous learning and effective systems to achieve optimal patient care. The cardiothoracic nursing staff earned the silver award by meeting the following evidence-based criteria:
• Leadership structures and systems
• Appropriate staffing and staff engagement
• Effective communication, knowledge management, learning and development, best practices
• Evidence-based practices and processes
• Patient outcomes
The cardiothoracic nursing unit, A2, is a 30-bed, critical care and step-down cardiothoracic surgery unit. In addition, patients with other medical diagnoses who require cardiac monitoring may be admitted to the unit.
There are just three other hospital nursing units in Michigan that have achieved a Beacon Award for Excellence.
“The caregivers in these Beacon Award winning units are health care professionals committed to the best in patient care,” said Karen McQuillan, president of AACN. “The continued growth of the Beacon Award program shows the commitment of caregivers and their hospitals to work together to achieve healthy work environments that support excellent care of patients and their families.”
More information on the Beacon Award can be found at aacn.org/beacon.