COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Blood and Marrow Transplant (BMT) Unit at the OSUCCC – James has again received national recognition for exceptional patient care and professional nursing practice with a three-year, GOLD-level Beacon Award for Excellence from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN). Gold is the highest level Beacon Award that can be achieved.

This is the second Beacon Award for Excellence for the BMT unit. The team first received the honor in 2015 with a bronze-level Beacon Award.

The BMT unit is a 36-bed, medical-hematological area that completes 300 allogeneic and autologous transplants annually. Patients stay approximately 30 days, depending on their treatment plan, and receive high-acuity patient care throughout their stay.

The AACN, the largest specialty nursing organization in the world, represents the interests of more than half a million acute and critical care nurses and contains more than 200 chapters in the United States. The organization’s vision is to create a healthcare system driven by the needs of patients and their families in which acute and critical care nurses make their optimal contribution.

Units that earn this award meet nationally recognized benchmarks for excellence in patient care consistent with Magnet® Recognition, the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award and the National Quality Healthcare Award—all considered gold standards for quality patient care and professional nursing practice.

Through this voluntary hospital recognition program, awardees are evaluated on: leadership structures and systems; appropriate staffing and staff engagement; effective communication, knowledge management, learning and development; evidence-based practice and processes; and outcome measurement.

“Our James BMT staff work tirelessly together to provide patients with a compassionate, healing environment. Receiving this national award reflects their focus on our conceptual framework of relationship-based care,” says Kris Kipp, MSN, RN, chief nursing officer for the OSUCCC – James.

In March 2018, the OSUCCC – James achieved Magnet® designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s (ANCC) Magnet Recognition Program. Magnet® is considered the highest honor an organization can receive for quality patient care and professional nursing practice.

2018 Beacon Award for Excellence honorees will be recognized in Orlando, Fla., at the 2019 National Teaching Institute and Critical Care Exposition, the world’s largest educational conference and trade show for nurses who care for acutely and critically ill patients and their families.

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Media Contact:
Amanda J. Harper
Director, Media Relations
614-685-5420
Amanda.Harper2@osumc.edu