American Association Of Critical-Care Nurses Announces Beacon Award For Pediatric Critical Care

Intensive care units demonstrating excellence in the care of acutely and critically ill patients from childbirth to young adulthood now have the opportunity to be recognized by the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) as part of the prestigious Beacon Award for Critical Care Excellence program. Applications for the new Beacon Award for Critical Care Excellence-Pediatrics are now being accepted. The criteria for this new Beacon category have been exhaustively vetted to reflect standards and benchmark data in the pediatric environment, and the application contains more family-centered and age-related language and messaging.

Units selected to receive this award will have demonstrated quantitative and qualitative success in the following areas that impact patient care, measured specifically for the pediatric environment:

- Recruitment and retention
- Education, training and mentoring
- Research and evidence-based practice
- Patient outcomes
- Leadership and organizational ethics - Healing environment

Studies show that units achieving Beacon Award status rate higher on key indicators related to nursing satisfaction, quality of care, leadership and work environment. In addition, this award allows units to measure their systems, outcomes and environment against evidence-based criteria.

Since 2003, out of an estimated 6,000 intensive care units in the United States, 120 units in 33 states have been recognized with the Beacon Award for Critical Care Excellence. 17 have received the award twice, one has received the award three times and, in the spring of 2008, one unit had achieved the award four times.

Beacon Award units realize many benefits of having met rigid criteria for excellence, high-quality standards and exceptional care of patients and patients' families:

- Influence and Recognition: Units that participate in the Beacon Award process help set the standards for what constitutes an excellent acute or critical care environment through the collection of evidence-based information. Patient safety and quality programs, such as the Leapfrog Group Hospital Quality and Safety Survey, consider Beacon achievement in their evaluation process.

- Credibility: Consumers, who are paying much closer attention today to quality-of-care factors with respect to their own healthcare, take this level of recognition into consideration when choosing a hospital for care or treatment.

- Recruitment and Retention: Prospective employees recognize a Beacon Award unit as a healthy work environment, a place where quality of care is tied directly to quality of staff. Nurses who work in these units recognize that their skills and expertise are appreciated and valued, boosting employee morale.

"AACN has always advocated for excellence in the care of acutely and critically ill children," said Dave Hanson, RN, MSN, CCRN, CNS, president, AACN. "AACN considers pediatric care to be a fundamental part of the continuum of critical care, and is committed to supporting nurses who provide care in the pediatric environment. This new Beacon Award category demonstrates this commitment."

For more information on the Beacon Award or AACN, please call (800) 899-2226. Applicants are not required to be a member of AACN to apply for the Beacon Award. Application information and requirements are available at http://www.aacn.org.

The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) is the largest specialty nursing organization in the world, representing the interests of more than 500,000 acute and critical care nurses. Its international headquarters are located in Aliso Viejo, Calif. Founded in 1969, the association has more than 240 chapters worldwide and is working toward a healthcare system driven by the needs of patients and their families, where acute and critical care nurses make their optimal contribution.