AACN believes acute and critical care nurses deserve recognition for all that they do every day for patients, families and our profession. That's why we honor and support our members through programs such as the Circle of Excellence.
AACN's awards program is highly regarded for its responsiveness to current trends in the nursing profession and in the environments where nurses work. In order to maintain the high caliber program aligned with AACN's mission and vision, the program focuses on excellence and innovation through standardized award criteria for all Circle of Excellence awards, and the annual Flame of Excellence awards, which were presented first in 2008 (see below).
Up to 25 individuals who exemplify excellence in the care of acutely and critically ill patients and their families will be chosen annually for a Circle of Excellence award. Recipients will become part of the Circle of Excellence Society.
Nominees for a Circle of Excellence Award must hold active AACN membership and be nominated by a colleague, who must also hold active AACN membership. Self-nominations will not be accepted. The nurse-to-nurse nomination process provides acute and critical care nurses an opportunity to participate in meaningful recognition of their peers and colleagues by nominating them for this prestigious national honor. The nominator and two references must attest to each nominee’s achievements in exemplifying the award criteria (see below).
2010 Circle of Excellence recipients 2009 Circle of Excellence recipients
Nominations for the Circle of Excellence awards open annually in April. Nominations for individuals and AACN Chapters must be received by August 1. Learn more or nominate a colleague.
The Circle of Excellence Society will permanently connect award recipients to one another and AACN. The Society provides a rich network of experts who will continually generate innovation and excellence. Society members will be instrumental in shaping its future activities and will participate in selecting future award recipients. Individuals who previously received a Circle of Excellence award before 2009 became the inaugural members of the Society. Thereafter, annual Circle of Excellence award recipients become ongoing members of the Society.
The Flame of Excellence Award is a recognition that honors Circle of Excellence criteria at the highest level of sustained regional and national excellence. Award recipients will be chosen from among members of the Society. Flame of Excellence recipients consistently demonstrate outcomes associated with the award criteria at a high level and with broad reach.
More information and previous recipients
Nominations must be received by August 1. Notifications of selection are expected by December 31. Self-nominations will not be accepted. The nominator and two references must attest to each nominee’s achievements in exemplifying the award criteria (see above).
More details about the Circle of Excellence
Since 1982, AACN has honored a nationally known researcher to present the annual Distinguished Research Lecture at the National Teaching Institute and Critical Care Exposition. The awardee is nationally recognized as a nurse researcher, known for publications, presentations, mentorship and consultation in research relevant to high acuity and critical care nursing and for significant contributions to acute and critical care research. The award includes an honorarium of $2,000. The Distinguished Research Lectureship is funded by a grant from Philips Healthcare.
Current and previous awardees Submit a nomination
The ICU Design Citation annually honors a critical care unit that successfully combines functional ICU design with the humanitarian delivery of critical care. The award is sponsored by Society of Critical Care Medicine, the American Institute of Architects Academy on Architecture for Health and AACN. For applications and information about the ICU Design Citation, please contact Carol Prendergast at cprendergast@sccm.org or 847-827-6826.
