The Orthopedics Unit of WellStar Kennestone Hospital recently received the prestigious American Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses (AMSN) PRISM Award®, an honor recognizing exceptional nursing practice, leadership and outcomes in hospital medical-surgical units across the country. Of more than 5,000 hospitals with a med-surg unit in the U.S., Kennestone’s unit is one of just 14 to receive the 2016 honor and the only one in the state of Georgia.
“This award is a testament to the patient-centered care our team strives for – both when they are with patients as well as when they dedicate their time to professional growth and continual training,” said Dan Woods, president of WellStar Kennestone Hospital. “I’m so proud this team was recognized for the world-class healthcare that WellStar patients experience firsthand.”
The unit – known as 6 Blue East at the hospital – received an advanced rating in every category including leadership, recruitment and retention, evidence-based practice, patient outcomes, work environment and lifelong learning activities.
Robin Hertel, MSN, RN, CMSRN a member of the AMSN Board of Directors, presented the award on Monday, May 2, hailing the orthopedic med-surg team as “exemplary.”
“We can see why you have a wonderful retention rate - you motivate staff with many incentives and nurture their pursuit of learning,” Hertel said. “We were very impressed by the outstanding support and staff participation in the area of lifelong learning.”
Ida Anderson, MSN, RN, ONC, musculoskeletal program nurse manager, accepted the award, praising her team for their dedication to patients.
“Our unit strives to maintain a patient-centered approach to caregiving under all circumstances,” she said. “We are so honored to receive this award and we couldn’t be more proud of our team members here.”
PRISM stands for “Premier Recognition In the Specialty of Med-Surg” and is co-sponsored by the Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses (AMSN) and the Medical-Surgical Nursing Certification Board (MSNCB).
Aiming to inspire nurses to strive for the highest levels of patient safety and quality, AMSN and MSNCB launched the award in October 2012. The award reflects the compassion, commitment, and connection that characterize med-surg nurses.
There are more than 600,000 medical-surgical nurses practicing in the United States today, making them the single largest group of specialty nurses working in hospital settings, according to AMSN. Med-surg nurses oversee a broad spectrum of patient care responsibilities, another reason the acronym “PRISM” was chosen for the award.
The Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses (AMSN; www.amsn.org) is the only specialty nursing organization dedicated to medical-surgical nursing practice. Its mission is to promote excellence in medical-surgical nursing. The Medical-Surgical Nursing Certification Board (MSNCB; www.msncb.org) is a professional organization whose mission is to validate excellence in medical-surgical nursing. For more information about AMSN and the AMSN PRISM Award, visit amsn.org or contact the association at amsn-info@amsn.org or 866-877-AMSN.
