American Association of Critical-Care Nurses receives national recognition from Quantum Workplace
Employees of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) work toward a core vision – a healthcare system driven by the needs of patients and families where acute and critical care nurses make their optimal contribution.
This shared ideal unites the 167 employees and inspires their efforts. Some are nurses themselves, bringing years of patient care experience and a frontline perspective to the association. Others have non-clinical backgrounds, including technology, finance, communications, project management and administration.
Founded in 1969, the association focuses on meeting the professional needs of more than 500,000 nurses who care for acutely and critically ill patients. It is now the largest specialty nursing association in the world.
Acute and critical care nurses rely on AACN as a trusted source of expert knowledge and influence, helping them fulfill their promise to patients and their families. And that mission drives AACN’s efforts and commitment to excellence.
To ensure the association is positioned to advance its vital mission and is living up to the healthy work environment standards it created and believes in, employees complete an annual survey through Quantum Workplace, an employee feedback company known for its Best Places to Work survey. The 2018 employee engagement survey had 91 percent participation among AACN employees.
Based on results from the 2018 survey, AACN was one of nine national organizations recognized with Quantum’s Employee Voice Awards (EVA) for achieving the highest level of engagement in the small-sized organization category for the fourth year in a row.
“Never before have I worked with a team of colleagues so committed to a mission. The high level of engagement that these awards recognize is inspired by the tireless work that the nurses in our community do to assure that patients and their families are supported at the most vulnerable times in their lives,” said Dana Woods, AACN CEO.
"Culture is more than a buzzword - these companies prove it,” Greg Harris, President and CEO of Quantum Workplace, said. “When leadership values open and honest employee feedback, recognizes strong performance and clearly puts effort into improving the employee experience, employees are allowed to thrive and be the best versions of themselves.”
Employee engagement is measured by the ability and willingness of individuals to go the extra mile for the benefit of the organization, their tendency to speak highly of the organization and their intent to stay at the organization. Among AACN’s highest scoring engagement drivers are “I understand how my job helps the organization achieve success,” “I find my job interesting and challenging” and “My job gives me flexibility to meet the needs of my work and personal life.”
“Our employee engagement survey is the key data point that has inspired enormous improvements in our team member experience. Directly in response to the engagement survey results, we have implemented programs including a new performance management system, a new tuition assistance program, organization-wide training, leadership training and individual development resources. Our team continues to use the survey results each year to enhance the team member experience,” said Rachel Shores, AACN talent manager.
Mitzi Inman, senior chapter associate, has worked at AACN for more than 25 years and supports the activities of its 200 local chapters.
“I like knowing that what I do on a day-to-day basis really makes a difference in people’s lives. It warms my heart to know that helping nurses to be the best they can be, in turn helps all the patients and families they take care of,” she said. “AACN is a very positive, team-oriented environment consisting of staff who truly care about our members.”