Medical Critical Care Unit at The University of Te

KNOXVILLE, TENN., July 12, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Medical Critical Care Unit at The University of Tennessee Medical Center is one of just two hospital units in Tennessee to earn the prestigious silver level Beacon Award for Excellence of the American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN). The award recognizes caregivers in medical units who distinguished themselves throughout 2012 by improving every aspect of patient care.

"The Beacon Award for Excellence recognizes caregivers in stellar units whose consistent and systematic approach to evidence-based care optimizes patient outcomes," said Kathryn Roberts, President of AACN. "Units that receive this national recognition serve as a role model to others on their journey to excellent patient and family care."

Roberts praised the efforts of the nurses and other caregivers with UT Medical Center's Medical Critical Care Unit for working together to exceed the high standards required through the Beacon Award for excellence that are designed to achieve optimal patient care. Joe Landsman, president and CEO of UT Medical Center, presented the award to nurses and staff of the Medical Critical Care Unit during a special ceremony at the hospital.

"I'm appreciative of the outstanding care that our Medical Critical Care Unit team members provide for our patients through their demonstrated teamwork, dedication and evidence-based practice," Landsman said. "Achieving the Beacon Award is an affirmation of the compassion and commitment of our nurses, medical staff and other caregivers and team members in the unit."

Beacon Award winners must align their practices with six key standards, defined by the AACN, designed to result in exceptional patient care and improved outcomes. The organization recognizes Beacon recipients in gold, silver and bronze categories.

The silver-level Beacon Award for Excellence earned by the Medical Critical Care Unit at UT Medical Center signifies continuous learning and effective systems to achieve optimal patient care. The award is earned when units meet the following evidence-based Beacon Award for Excellence criteria: 

• Leadership Structures and Systems
• Appropriate Staffing and Staff Engagement
• Effective Communication
• Knowledge Management, Learning and Development, Best Practices
• Evidence-Based Practice and Processes
• Patient Outcomes

"Our team members are driven to provide compassionate and excellent care to the most critically ill medical patients," said Rose Jensen, nurse manager of the Medical Critical Care Unit at UT Medical Center. "Our approach for improving our processes has been to focus on patient outcomes in our unit and to participate in improvement efforts throughout our medical center."

The Beacon Award is a three-year designation and requires national criteria consistent with Magnet® Recognition, the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award and the National Quality Healthcare Award.

The mission of The University of Tennessee Medical Center, the region's only hospital to achieve status as a Magnet® recognized organization, is to serve through healing, education and discovery. UT Medical Center, a 581-bed, not-for-profit academic medical center, serves as a referral center for Eastern Tennessee, Southeast Kentucky and Western North Carolina. The medical center, the region's only Level I Trauma Center, is one of the largest employers in Knoxville. For more information about The University of Tennessee Medical Center, visit online at www.utmedicalcenter.org .

Photo accompanying this release is available at: http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=19849

CONTACT:Jim Ragonese Public Relations Operations The University of Tennessee Medical Center (865) 305-6845 jragones@utmck.edu