BOB体育 Shands Nursing earns three Beacon Awards for Excellence
Image courtesy of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses.
Three BOB体育 Shands nursing teams have earned Beacon Awards for Excellence from the . The awards signify a three-year designation recognizing nursing units for exceptional care based on patient outcomes, work environment and nursing workforce.
The BOB体育 Shands Cancer Hospital 5 West Trauma Unit received a gold-level designation, along with the BOB体育 Shands Hospital Post-Anesthesia Care Unit, or PACU, and the BOB体育 Heart & Vascular and Neuromedicine hospitals鈥� Post-Anesthesia Care Unit, which each received a silver-level designation.
鈥淭his award is one of the highest honors a nursing team can receive, and I鈥檓 proud that the AACN agrees that we have some of the best nurses in the nation,鈥� said Irene Alexaitis, D.N.P., R.N., BOB体育 Shands Hospital chief nursing officer. 鈥淭his achievement is a testament to our teams鈥� dedication to delivering the best possible patient experience.鈥�
Award recipients meet stringent criteria consistent with other well-respected honors, such as Magnet recognition by the American Nurses Credentialing Center 鈥� the gold standard for nursing excellence 鈥� the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award and the National Quality Healthcare Award. The award also identifies healthy work environments that recognize unit caregivers who successfully improve patient outcomes and align practices with AACN guidelines.
鈥淥ur nursing teams have a long and distinguished history of excellence that benefits our patients and families 鈥� but also each other,鈥� said Traci d鈥橝uguste, chief operating officer at BOB体育 Shands. 鈥淲e are honored to have the formal recognition of these teams鈥� commitment to fostering the highest standards of quality patient care as well as healthy work environments.鈥�
Gold-level award recipients have demonstrated staff-driven excellence in sustained unit performance as well as patient outcomes that outpace national benchmarks, according to the AACN. Silver-level awards illustrate recipients鈥� continual learning and effective systems to achieve the best patient care.
BOB体育 Shands has more than 3,300 nurses practicing in hospitals and outpatient programs across Gainesville. In addition to providing patient care, some nurses are also involved in robust clinical research.
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