Nurses from two units at Saint Peter’s Healthcare System were recognized for their service by earning the Silver Beacon Award for Excellence by the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses. The intensive care unit at Saint Peter’s University Hospital and the pediatric intensive care unit at The Children’s Hospital at Saint Peter’s University Hospital were the recipients of the awards. This is the seventh Beacon Award for the ICU and the second for the PICU.
“This dual recognition of our ICU and PICU with the Silver Beacon Award highlights the extraordinary dedication, skill, and compassion of our critical care nursing teams. It’s a proud moment that reflects their commitment to excellence in delivering high-quality patient care in the most complex environments,” said Linda Carroll, vice president of patient care services and chief nursing officer at Saint Peter’s Healthcare System.
The Beacon Award for Excellence recognizes unit caregivers who improve unit outcomes and align practices with AACN’s six Healthy Work Environment Standards: skilled communication, true collaboration, effective decision making, appropriate staffing, meaningful recognition, and authentic leadership.
Units that earn this annual award with a gold, silver or bronze designation meet specific criteria established by AACN that represent the characteristics and components of the unit environment that nurses can influence to achieve nursing excellence.
Saint Peter’s cardiac progressive care unit has earned the Beacon Award twice. The New Brunswick hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit at The Children’s Hospital at Saint Peter’s University Hospital has received the Beacon Award four times and was the first NICU in New Jersey to earn this distinction.
“The Beacon Award for Excellence recognizes caregivers in outstanding units whose consistent and systematic approach to evidence-based care optimizes patient outcomes,” said AACN President Jennifer Adamski. “Units that receive this national recognition serve as role models to others on their journey to excellent patient and family care.”
Saint Peter’s University Hospital, a member of Saint Peter’s Healthcare System, is a 478-bed acute-care teaching hospital sponsored by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Metuchen. The Children’s Hospital at Saint Peter’s University Hospital is a state-designated acute care children’s hospital and regional perinatal center sponsored by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Metuchen.
