Hospital units that receive AACN's Beacon Award for Excellence exemplify excellence in professional practice, patient care and outcomes.
News — The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses () recognized 305 units from 186 hospitals that successfully applied for the from Feb. 1-Aug. 31, 2024, making them the first units to be recognized since the association updated the application process and selection criteria.
The Beacon Award for Excellence lauds hospital units that employ evidence-based practices to improve outcomes and the work environment. The award presents gold, silver and bronze levels of recognition to hospital units that exemplify excellence in professional practice, patient care and outcomes.
To establish the most current and relevant benchmark data (compiled from all participating units), the Beacon Award is now given annually. This frequency allows AACN to provide units with a quantifiable comparison of performance in relation to other units that submit their data.
The Beacon Award recognizes unit caregivers who successfully improve unit outcomes and align practices with AACN’s six Healthy Work Environment (HWE) standards. Units that earn this annual award meet specific criteria established by AACN that represent the characteristics and components of the unit environment that nurses can influence to achieve nursing excellence.
The newest award recipients join 339 units who also received the Beacon award in 2024 under the previous three-year designation model. Units with current Beacon awards are part of a on the AACN website.
AACN President Jennifer Adamski praises the exemplary efforts of the unit teams who achieved the Beacon Award for Excellence.
“The Beacon Award recognizes the commitment to providing safe, patient-centered and evidence-based care to patients and their families,” she said. “Achieving this award is a testament to creating healthy work environments that empower nurses and other team members to make their optimal contributions.”
Among the numerous organizations with multiple Beacon units, the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) has units that currently hold Beacon Awards at several of its hospitals: University of Maryland Medical Center (the system’s academic hospital in Baltimore), University of Maryland Baltimore Washington Medical Center and University of Maryland Capital Region Medical Center. Last year, the system earned nine Beacon awards.
“Each Beacon Award represents a commitment to exceptional workplace quality marked by strong teamwork between staff and management,” said . “Having several units recognized across our organization attests to our focus on providing quality and safe care and healthy work environments, which leads to elevated employee satisfaction, higher staff retention and improved patient outcomes.”
Hospital units in 37 states and the District of Columbia were recognized with Beacon Awards. California, with 43 awards, had the most units receiving Beacon.
Outside the United States, units at King Khalid University Hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (three units), and Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi (three units) and Shaikh Khalifa General Hospital (one unit) in the United Arab Emirates received awards.
Results from indicate that nurses who work in Beacon units and units on the journey to obtain Beacon recognition report healthier work environments and higher quality of patient care than nurses who don’t work in Beacon units.
The Beacon Award program has three distinct modules: Patient Outcomes, Work Environment and Nursing Workforce. While units must complete all three modules to be eligible for the Beacon Award, a unit may still receive recognition for top-tier performance at the module level even if only one module is completed.
Recipients of a gold-level Beacon Award demonstrate staff-driven excellence in sustained unit performance and improved patient outcomes that exceed national benchmarks. Silver-level recipients demonstrate continual learning and effective systems to achieve optimal patient care. Bronze-level awardees demonstrate success in developing, deploying and integrating unit-based performance criteria for optimal outcomes.
The application process begins with completion of AACN’s online HWE Assessment prior to Jan. 1 each year, with applications due by Aug. 31 for review. Recipients are notified before the end of the year.
Learn more about the Beacon Award for Excellence, and read about one unit’s Beacon journey in on the AACN website.
About the Beacon Award for Excellence: Established in 2003, AACN’s award recognizes top hospital units that meet standards of excellence in recruitment and retention; education, training and mentoring; research and evidence-based practice; patient outcomes; leadership and organizational ethics; and creation of a healthy work environment. Award criteria — which measure systems, outcomes and environments against evidence-based national criteria for excellence — provide a mechanism to initiate patient safety efforts. To learn more about the award, visit or call 800-899-2226.
About the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses: For more than 50 years, the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) has been dedicated to acute and critical care nursing excellence. The organization’s vision is to create a healthcare system driven by the needs of patients and their families in which acute and critical care nurses make their optimal contribution. AACN is the world’s largest specialty nursing organization, with about 130,000 members and over 200 chapters in the United States.
American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, 27071 Aliso Creek Road, Aliso Viejo, CA 92656; 949-362-2000; www.aacn.org; facebook.com/aacnface; x.com/aacnme
RSS