Saint Peter’s Critical-Care Nurses Receive Beacon Award for Excellence
Pediatric Intensive Care and Cardiac Progressive Care Units Recognized
NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J., May 19, 2022 – The Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at The Children’s Hospital at Saint Peter’s University Hospital has earned the Silver Beacon Award for Excellence by the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) for the 2022-2025 term. In addition, Saint Peter’s Cardiac Progressive Care Unit (CPCU) was recognized with a Silver Beacon Award for Excellence. This is the second consecutive time that the CPCU has earned this coveted award.
“The Beacon Award for Excellence is a reflection of our nurses’ commitment to providing exceptional patient care at the bedside every day,” said Linda Carroll, MSN, RN, RN-BC, vice president of Patient Care Services and chief nursing officer, Saint Peter’s Healthcare System. “This recognition means even more given the many challenges our nurses faced in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, yet always making quality and patient safety their focus above all else.”
The Beacon Award for Excellence, a significant milestone on the path to exceptional patient care and healthy work environments, recognizes unit caregivers who successfully improve patient outcomes and align practices with AACN’s six Healthy Work Environment Standards. Units that achieve this three-year, three-level award meet national criteria consistent with Magnet® Recognition, the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award and the National Quality Healthcare Award.
Earning the Beacon Award signifies how Saint Peter’s nurses use continuous learning and effective systems to achieve optimal patient care. Units needed to meet the following Beacon Award for Excellence criteria to be recognized:
- Leadership Structures and Systems
- Appropriate Staffing and Staff Engagement
- Effective Communication, Knowledge Management, Learning and Development
- Evidence-Based Practice and Processes
- Outcome Measurement
“I’m so proud of our pediatric intensive care nurses for achieving the Beacon Award,” said Jacqueline K. Maloney, BSN, RN, PED-BC, nurse manager of the Pediatric Unit, Pediatric Intensive Care Unit and Pediatric Emergency Department at Saint Peter’s Children’s Hospital. “They care for some of the most vulnerable patients at Saint Peter’s, from those that are only days old to adolescents. Each day, but especially throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, our nurses support parents often facing extremely challenging circumstances and they do it with the highest level of skill and compassion.”
For patients and their families, the Beacon Award signifies exceptional care through improved outcomes and greater overall satisfaction. For nurses, the Beacon Award means a positive and supportive work environment with greater collaboration between colleagues and leaders.
“The CPCU nurses are a tightly-knit group that supports each other while treating every patient like they’re a member of our own family,” said Eliza Sanchez, BSN, RN-C, nurse manager of the Cardiac Progressive Care Unit at Saint Peter’s. “The Beacon Award is an endorsement of how our nurses go above and beyond when it comes to caring for their patients.”
In addition to the PICU and CPCU, Saint Peter's Adult Intensive Care Unit and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit have earned the Beacon Award for a sixth and third consecutive time, respectively.
To see more of Saint Peter’s recognitions, please visit
saintpetershcs.com/award.
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About Saint Peter’s University Hospital
Saint Peter’s University Hospital, a member of Saint Peter’s Healthcare System, is a 478-bed acute-care teaching hospital sponsored by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Metuchen. Saint Peter’s, which received its sixth consecutive designation as a Magnet® hospital for nursing excellence by the American Nurses Credentialing Center in 2020, is a state-designated children’s hospital and a regional perinatal center, and is a regional specialist in diabetes, gastroenterology, head and neck surgery, oncology, orthopedics, and women’s services. Saint Peter’s is the recipient of the Beacon Award for Excellence from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses for the adult intensive care unit, neonatal intensive care unit, cardiac progressive care unit and the pediatric intensive care unit. The Children’s Hospital at Saint Peter’s University Hospital provides families with access to a full range of pediatric specialties, including a nationally recognized Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, pediatric surgery and orthopedic surgery featuring innovative anterior scoliosis correction. The hospital offers a midwifery service and the brand-new state-of-the-art Mary V. O’Shea Birth Center. Saint Peter’s is a sponsor of residency programs in obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics and internal medicine, and is a major clinical affiliate of Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences. Visit
saintpetershcs.com or call 732-745-8600.