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, grants and scholarships.
Learn more
Click here to see the 2009 award recipients.
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 to AACN's mission and vision, the program will be further enhanced over the next two years. The most visible changes involved the nomination process for 2009 awards and a new award, Flame of Excellence, which was presented for the first time at the 2008 National Teaching Institute & Critical Care Exposition.
Historically, the awards program has focused on recognizing roles and practice situations. Beginning with the 2009 awards cycle, a single Circle of Excellence Award will be awarded. 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. These recipients will become part of the Circle of Excellence Society.
Nominees for a Circle of Excellence Award must be nominated by a colleague. 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 Circle of Excellence Society will permanently connect award recipients to one another and AACN. The Society will provide 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 will become ongoing members of the Society.
The Flame of Excellence Award is a recognition that honor's 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. Dr. Tom Ahrens, Suzanne Burns and, posthumously, Karen Carlson received the first Flame of Excellence Awards in 2008. Up to three individuals will be similarly honored annually.
The ICU Design Citation Award honors a critical care unit that successfully combines functional ICU design with the humanitarian delivery of critical care. The award is sponsored by SCCM, the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses and the American Institute of Architects. For applications and information about this award, please contact Carol Prendergast at cprendergast@sccm.org or 847-827-6826.
