Geisinger medical-surgical unit receives AMSN PRISM Award for exemplary practice
DANVILLE, Pa. – The staff of Geisinger Medical Center’s Abigail Pavilion 5 medical-surgical unit recently received the 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.
Medical-surgical nurses care for patients with a variety of medical conditions or those recovering from surgical procedures. Geisinger’s Abigail Pavilion 5 unit was also one of the first units at Geisinger Medical Center converted to a COVID-19 care unit to treat those affected by coronavirus during the pandemic.
“We are incredibly proud of this honor and the recognition it gives the staff on the unit,” said Crystal Muthler, chief nursing officer at Geisinger Medical Center. “This team is dedicated to the health of our neighbors, and that has been on full display over the past year as we continue battling the COVID pandemic.”
Launched in October 2012, this award recognizes:
- 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.
“I want to thank all of our employees for their dedication, commitment and hard work during these difficult and stressful times,” said Janet Tomcavage, executive vice president, chief nursing executive, Geisinger. “They have heroically risen to the occasion to meet the needs of our patients and communities and deserve all the praise they receive.”
About The Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses
The Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses (AMSN; www.amsn.org) is the only specialty nursing organization dedicated to medical-surgical nursing practice. Its mission is to promote excellence in medical-surgical nursing.
About The Medical-Surgical Nursing Certification Board
The Medical-Surgical Nursing Certification Board (MSNCB; www.msncb.org) is a professional organization whose mission is to validate excellence in medical-surgical nursing.
About Geisinger
Geisinger is among the nation’s leading providers of value-based care, serving 1.2 million people in urban and rural communities across Pennsylvania. Founded in 1915 by philanthropist Abigail Geisinger, the nonprofit system generates $10 billion in annual revenues across 126 care sites — including 10 hospital campuses — and Geisinger Health Plan, with more than half a million members in commercial and government plans. Geisinger College of Health Sciences educates more than 5,000 medical professionals annually and conducts more than 1,400 clinical research studies. With 26,000 employees, including 1,700 employed physicians, Geisinger is among Pennsylvania’s largest employers with an estimated economic impact of $15 billion to the state’s economy. On March 31, 2024, Geisinger became the first member of Risant Health, a new nonprofit charitable organization created to expand and accelerate value-based care across the country. Learn more at geisinger.org or follow on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X.
