American Association of Critical-Care Nurses Recognizes the Neonatal ICU at Parkland with Beacon Award for Excellence

• Published: 1/7/2026

The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) recently conferred a gold-level Beacon Award for Excellence in the Neonatal ICU at Parkland Memorial Hospital. This is a significant achievement as more than 575 units from around the country applied for the award in 2025.

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 unit outcomes and align practices with AACN’s six Healthy Work Environment Standards. Units that earn this annual award with a gold, silver or bronze designation meet specific criteria established by AACN that represent the characteristics and components of the unit environment that nurses can influence to achieve nursing excellence.

“This gold-level Beacon Award is a testament to the skill, compassion and dedication of our Neonatal ICU nurses and care team,” said Carmen Bowling, DNP, RN, Senior Vice President of Women & Infants Specialty Health at Parkland. “Our teams are deeply committed to delivering the highest quality care for our most vulnerable patients while fostering a strong, supportive work environment rooted in excellence.”

AACN President Rebekah Marsh, BSN, RN, CCRN, applauds the commitment of the caregivers in the Neonatal ICU at Parkland for working together to meet and exceed the high standards set forth by the Beacon Award for Excellence to achieve gold level designation. These dedicated healthcare professionals join other members of our exceptional community of nurses, who set the standard for optimal patient care.

“The Beacon Award for Excellence recognizes caregivers in outstanding units whose consistent and systematic approach to evidence-based care optimizes patient outcomes,” Marsh said. “Units that receive this national recognition serve as role models to others on their journey to excellent patient and family care.”

Many units provide exceptional patient care; however, Beacon-awarded units distinguish themselves by excelling in various areas demonstrated in their application. Through participation in the Beacon Award program, units can compare and reflect on their performance compared to global applicants. There are subtle differences for different scoring levels, often differentiated by 1 point or less. All awardees demonstrate dynamic and outstanding performance in the areas of: Patient Outcomes, Nursing Workforce and Work Environment.

About the Beacon Award for Excellence: Established in 2003, the Beacon Award for Excellence offers a road map to help guide exceptional care through improved outcomes and greater overall patient satisfaction. U.S. and Canadian units where patients receive their principal nursing care after hospital admission qualify for this excellence award. Units that receive the Beacon Award for Excellence meet criteria in six categories: leadership structures and systems; appropriate staffing and staff engagement; effective communication, knowledge management, and learning and development; evidence-based practice and processes; and outcome measurement. To learn more, visit www.aacn.org/beacon or call 800-899-2226.

About the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses: For more than 50 years, the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) has been dedicated to acute and critical care nursing excellence. The organization’s vision is to create a healthcare system driven by the needs of patients and their families in which acute and critical care nurses make their optimal contribution. AACN is the world’s largest specialty nursing organization, with about 130,000 members and over 200 chapters in the United States.

For more information about Parkland services, visit www.parklandhealth.org.