HERSHEY, Pa. — The Heart and Vascular Progressive Care Unit (HVPCU) at Penn State Hershey Medical Center has received a gold-level Beacon Award for Excellence from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN).
The Beacon Award for Excellence recognizes unit caregivers who successfully improve patient outcomes and align practices with AACN’s six Healthy Work Environment Standards. Units that achieve this three-year award meet criteria pertaining to:
- leadership structures and systems
- appropriate staffing and staff engagement
- effective communication, knowledge management, learning and development
- evidence-based practice and processes
- outcome measurement
The AACN will honor the HVPCU with an announcement in AACN Bold Voices, a monthly member magazine distributed to more than 100,000 acute and critical care nurses nationwide. AACN also honors awardees at the National Teaching Institute & Critical Care Exposition, the world’s largest educational conference and trade show for nurses who care for acutely and critically ill patients and their families.
The HVPCU joins Penn State Hershey’s Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU) in earning a Gold Beacon Award for Excellence. The MICU was designated last year.