Bayhealth’s 1A Medical-Surgical Unit Receives AMSN Prism Award®

For the second time, Bayhealth Hospital, Kent Campus Med-Surg Unit 1A has received the prestigious Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses (AMSN) PRISM Award®, an honor recognizing exceptional nursing practice, leadership and outcomes in hospital medical-surgical units. 1A previously received the honor in 2014, and is the only med-surg unit in the state to receive the recognition.

The award, which stands for “Premier Recognition in the Specialty of Med-Surg,” is the first recognition of its kind honoring med-surg nursing units in the U.S. and internationally. It is co-sponsored by AMSN and the Medical-Surgical Nursing Certification Board (MSNCB).

1A Nurse Manager Dianne Halpern, MSN, CNML, RN, empowers her nurses to ask questions, find ways to make patient care better, and to hold each other accountable to do the right thing for patients and each other. “I’m very grateful to have the staff that I have. It’s because of them and what they do every day that makes 1A, 1A,” Halpern said. “We have a great team, and I know that’s why we got this a second time.”

Clinical Coordinator Jessica O’Connor, BSN, RN, CMSRN, and Med-Surg Coordinator Amy Cunningham, MSN, RN-BC, believe the honor validates the unit’s work, shows why they received it in 2014 and how they can improve moving forward. “Getting this award shows that when people come here, they’re going to get the best care we can possibly give them. We’re proud to be the first and only med-surg unit in the state to receive this recognition,” O’Connor said.

1A Preceptor and Relief Charge Nurse Melissa Slater, RN, BSN, CMSRN, agrees, stating even after winning the award in 2014 the team kept working hard to continue the same work ethic. “Once we got it, we said, ‘what do we have to do to get it again?’ As a new nurse on the unit at the time, I was thankful to become part of this recognized team. 1A has a reputation for doing the right thing for patients, striving to go above and beyond expectations, while supporting and holding each other accountable. This was a unit I wanted to grow on, and now after five years, it is the unit I can influence the growth in others to promote the standards deserving of this award,” Slater said.

1A receiving the AMSN PRISM Award® is an example of how Bayhealth goes above and beyond to care for patients. If you’re interested in joining Bayhealth’s nursing team, visit Nursing for more information.