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For the second consecutive year, UVA Health Children's Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) has earned national recognition with the Silver Beacon Award for Excellence from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN). 

“This award feels validating of all the hard work that is done every day in the unit,” says Shelby Lighton, BSN, RN, CCRN, CPN, Nursing Professional Development Practitioner. “This acknowledgment encourages us to maintain everything we are currently doing while seeking new ways to improve patient outcomes and team member engagement.”

Lighton has been supporting the team’s Beacon submissions from the beginning, after attending a conference and realizing that UVA Health Children’s was already doing much of the work in alignment with the designation.

The comprehensive application includes three modules:

• Patient outcomes
• Work environment
• Nursing workforce

Each module requires supporting evidence — including quantitative and qualitative data — as well as Healthy Work Environment Assessment Tool (HWEAT) scores.

A Close-Knit Team Focused on the Children

Julie Laird, BSN, RN, CCRN, who attended the initial conference with Lighton and helped in driving the metrics, says it comes down to the team. “We are taking care of the 25 sickest kids in the region, so we have to be able to communicate well and trust each other,” she explains. “We’re a very close-knit team. From nurses to patient care technicians — attendings, nurse practitioners, respiratory therapists, health unit coordinators, fellows, residents, pharmacists — we're all on a first-name basis. This extends to the families too, as parents are also part of our care team! We all have the same goals at the end of the day, so that makes it easy.”

Though PICU work can take an emotional toll, the team leans on each other to stay strong. “The support and teamwork of all PICU staff makes us want to come to work even on the hardest days,” Lighton shares.

Laird also points to the resilience of their patients as a source of their excellence. “Although the days are hard, the work is very meaningful and worthwhile to the people we're doing it for,” she says. “Seeing a critically ill child through a life-threatening injury or illness is the greatest reward.”

'Incredibly Meaningful'

Robin Longo, MSN, RN, C-EFM, Nursing Director, UVA Health Children's and Inpatient Women's Services, is proud of the “amazing” PICU team and the hard work they put into the application process. She credits Nurse Manager Laura Cromwell, MSN, RN, CNL, CPN, and Assistant Nurse Managers Maria “Mia” Campbell, RN, CCRN, and Anita Robertson, BSN, RN, CCRN, for always ensuring the team is engaged, supported, and motivated to provide care that exceeds national standards.

“We remind this team every shift just how life-changing the care they provide truly is. To be recognized by the professional organization that governs critical care nursing is incredibly meaningful — it reflects not only the superior outcomes they achieve, but also their unwavering commitment to delivering evidence-based care each and every day. Earning Silver status for a second consecutive year further underscores the team’s dedication to excellence and their sustained commitment to the highest standards of patient care.”

'Talent and Heart'

For Laird, the recognition ultimately comes back to purpose. “It is such a huge honor that we don't take lightly that families trust us to walk alongside them during what is likely to be the most challenging experience they will ever have,” she says. “The talent and heart can't be beat, and I am so thrilled that this is recognized by the AACN with a Silver Beacon designation — again!”