Frederick Health 3A Medical-Surgical Unit Receives AMSN PRISM Award® for Exemplary Practice

Frederick, MD – The 3A Medical-Surgical Nursing Unit at Frederick Health in Frederick, MD has received the prestigious AMSN PRISM Award®, an honor recognizing exceptional nursing practice, leadership, and outcomes in hospital medical-surgical units.

The award, which stands for “Premier Recognition In the Specialty of Med-Surg,” is the first of its kind honoring med-surg nursing units in the United States and internationally. It is co-sponsored by the Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses (AMSN) and the Medical-Surgical Nursing Certification Board (MSNCB). The award is given to outstanding acute care/med-surg units or adult/pediatric units classified as med-surg.

Officials representing AMSN and MSNCB presented the 3A Medical-Surgical Nursing Unit with the AMSN PRISM Award plaque during a special ceremony. The achievement of this award by the 3A Medical-Surgical Nursing Unit will also be announced on the AMSN and MSNCB websites, on social media sites; and in AMSN and MSNCB publications.

"The 3A Neuroscience Orthopedic Team is excited and proud to be the first unit in the state of Maryland to be recognized as a PRISM award recipient," stated Patti Buckmaster, Nurse Manager of 3A. "Only 53% of the applicants who apply for this designation achieve it. The nursing staff on 3A is dedicated to our mission of positively impacting the well-being of the patients we care for. They are genuine and sincere in the care they provide to our patients and are continually challenging themselves to ensure the best outcomes for our patients. This level of recognition could not be accomplished without the dedicated teamwork that is exhibited on the unit each and every day.”

Hoping 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 also reflects the compassion, commitment, and connection that characterize med-surg nurses.

Specifically, the award celebrates units that exhibit:

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

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.

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.

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