A medical-surgical unit at Virtua Marlton Hospital has earned a prestigious national honor for the second consecutive time.

The hospital’s cardiopulmonary (heart and lung) unit received the AMSN PRISM Award®, which recognizes exceptional nursing practice, leadership, and outcomes in hospital medical-surgical units across the country. The unit, known as 3 North, received its previous, three-year PRISM Award in 2016.  

PRISM stands for “Premier Recognition In the Specialty of Med-Surg.” It is co-sponsored by the Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses (AMSN) and the Medical-Surgical Nursing Certification Board (MSNCB).

“I am incredibly proud of the work 3 North did to receive this recognition and become the first consecutive awardee in the Virtua Health system. Even during a pandemic, the staff continually strive to improve the outcomes of their patients,” said Heidi Baur, MS, RN, NE-BC, vice president of patient care for Virtua Marlton and Voorhees hospitals.

Several other Virtua Health teams have also received PRISM Awards over the past few years, including units at Virtua Voorhees Hospital.

Moreover, the award doesn’t only honor nurses.

“This designation recognizes our entire interdisciplinary team working together to achieve outstanding patient outcomes and customer loyalty,” Baur explained.

Through this distinguished honor, AMSN and MSNCB appraisers unanimously identified and recognized the Virtua Marlton 3 North team for achieving sustained excellence in the following categories:

• Effective leadership
• Recruitment and retention of competent staff members
• Evidence-based practice
• Positive patient outcomes
• Healthy practice environment
• Lifelong learning of unit staff members

“While this award shines a light on outstanding nursing care, it also recognizes the entire unit’s exemplary practice,” said Dennis W. Pullin, FACHE, president and CEO of Virtua Health. “It validates Virtua’s commitment to excellence across every discipline.”

Seeking to inspire nurses to strive for the highest levels of patient safety and quality, AMSN and MSNCB launched the award in 2012. The award also reflects the compassion, commitment, and connection that characterize medical-surgical nurses.

More than 650,000 medical-surgical nurses practice in the United States, 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. 

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.