Welcome to the Beacon Award for Excellence™

Free Web Presentations:

"What's New With Beacon?" — Webcast now available
"Unit Profile and Process Criteria" — Webcast now available
"Outcome Criteria" — Webcast available September 22, 2010 

Online award application available starting Nov. 1, 2010

This year, the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) is updating criteria for the Beacon Award for Excellence. While the application looks different, most of the information and/or data required are the same. The new information can be found in the Application Handbook, the Executive Summary and the Beacon Audit tool.

The Beacon Award for Excellence will continue to incorporate: Leadership Structures and Systems; Appropriate Staffing and Staff Engagement; Effective Communication, Knowledge Management and Best Practices; Evidence-based Practice and Processes; and Patient Outcomes.

What’s New?

  • Open to all units: Any hospital unit (wherever a patient receives principal nursing care after hospital admission) that cares for high  acuity and critically ill patients and meets evidence-based standards of excellence and patient safety can apply. In the past, only adult and pediatric critical care units and progressive care units were eligible.
     
  • Status Change: The Beacon Award will include three levels so that a unit can chart its excellence journey over time. Bronze, silver and gold recipients receive a three-year designation.
     
  • Multiple program criteria: New criteria align closely with those of other programs — such as the Malcolm Baldrige Quality Award, Magnet Recognition Program, the AACN Healthy Work Environment Standards and the National Quality Forum Safe Practices for Better Healthcare — making it easier when a hospital applies for multiple national recognition programs.
     
  • Linked to nursing-sensitive outcomes: Nursing-sensitive patient benchmark data will be required.
     
  • Simpler to apply: A streamlined one-time review process will provide timely feedback. Every application will receive a summary review with recommendations. Eligible applications will receive the Beacon Award designation.

Beacon Application Handbook, Audit Tool and NTI Presentation

Beacon Award for Excellence Application Handbook: A Journey to Excellence - Complete version (24 pages) 

Beacon Award for Excellence Executive Summary (12 pages)

Beacon Application for Excellence Audit Tool (5 pages)

NTI 2010 Beacon Award Presentation

Applications under the new program will be accepted beginning November 2010.