The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) has designated Nicklaus Children’s Hospital as a premier institution for patient care, bestowing two more unit-based Beacon Awards for Excellence that bring the hospital’s total number of Beacon Awards to six, a distinction no other children’s hospital in the nation currently holds. The newly awarded units include 3 Northeast, with a gold-level Beacon Award, and 2 East (the pre- and post-surgical unit) with a silver-level Beacon Award.
In 2016, the hospital’s three intensive care units (
Pediatric,
Neonatal and
Cardiac), each received gold-level Beacon Awards. The respiratory care unit, 3 East, also received a gold-level Beacon Award this year.
“This award is truly a testament to our commitment and dedication to the children entrusted to our care and how we are measured in comparison to peer organizations. At Nicklaus Children’s, delivering quality pediatric care and patient satisfaction is our utmost priority and we are honored to be recognized for that,” said Jackie Gonzalez, Senior Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer for Nicklaus Children’s Hospital.
Beacon Awards set the standard for excellence in patient care environments by collecting and utilizing evidence-based information to improve patient outcomes and patient and staff satisfaction. The awards signify excellent and sustained unit performance and patient outcomes.
Nicklaus Children’s Hospital is a designated Magnet hospital for nursing by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. Magnet-designated hospitals offer an environment that fosters leadership, nursing research, staff involvement and innovation in practice, as well as foster an environment that supports teamwork and collegiality. The Magnet Recognition Program is widely accepted as the gold standard of patient care with only six percent of hospitals nationwide having achieved Magnet designation.
About Nicklaus Children's Hospital, Where Your Child Matters Most ™ (2025)
For 75 years, Nicklaus Children's has stood as a beacon of hope for children and families across the state of Florida and beyond. Nicklaus Children's Hospital is South Florida's #1 nonprofit, freestanding specialty licensed hospital exclusively for children serving close to 70 percent of children in the Miami metropolitan community. In addition, Nicklaus Children's offers care within NCH North Hospital in Naples, Jupiter Medical Center's De George Pediatric Unit and select Baptist Health Hospital pediatric emergency units. The hospital and its network of more of nearly 35 outpatient care locations offer lifesaving care in in Miami-Dade, Broward, Martin, and Palm Beach counties. These outpatient locations include an array of urgent care, pediatric primary care, and subspecialty care centers and are either hospital-based or outpatient locations under Nicklaus Children's Pediatric Specialists, LLC (NCPS). Providing a pipeline of future physicians and groundbreaking research, Nicklaus Children's is an academic and clinical affiliate of Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine. Nicklaus Children's is home to centers of excellence including the Helen & Jacob Shaham Cancer & Blood Disorders Institute, the Nicklaus Children's Orthopedics, Sports Health and Spine Institute, Nicklaus Children's Neuroscience Institute and Nicklaus Children's Heart Institute. The 325-bed hospital is renowned for excellence in all aspects of pediatric medicine, with many programs routinely ranked among the nation's best by U.S. News & World Report since 2008. Nicklaus Children's also includes a nonprofit physician practice subsidiary with over 40 specialties, and an ambulatory surgery center. For more information visit, https://www.nicklauschildrens.org.