Excellence in Clinical Practice Award

• The candidate must be a cardiovascular nurse
• The candidate must be a member of the Council of Cardiovascular and Stroke Nursing (CVSN) at the time of nomination.

Current CVSN Clinical Awards Committee members are not eligible to apply for or be nominated for the award.

• The candidate must be the first author of the submitted article.
• The article must be scientifically sound, timely, original, and feature a robust research design, clearly aligning with the goals of the American Heart Association and the Council on Cardiovascular and Stroke Nursing. It should be a reprint of a published, data-based, peer-reviewed article or, if unavailable, an indexed, peer-reviewed, and publicly available article.
• Candidates may be self-nominated or nominated by others.

Applications will be reviewed by a panel of accomplished researchers, scientists, clinicians and academicians representing the breadth of cardiovascular sciences.

• Policies and Guiding Values
• Code of Ethics
• Peer Reviewer Certification Statement (PDF)

Contacting the review panel, including but not limited to phone calls, emails, social media messages, or any other form of communication, before submitting your application or during the review process will result in disqualification.

Applications will be judged on the following:

• Excellence in cardiovascular nursing clinical practice – The candidate must demonstrate delivery of outstanding patient care (at any point throughout the lifespan) by contributing above and beyond basic job requirements in one or more of the following areas:
  • Cardiac rehabilitation
  • Lipid, hypertensive management
  • Case management
  • Patient and family counseling
  • Acute care and delivery
  • Patient and family education
  • Outpatient care delivery
• Excellence in meeting standards of professional performance articulated by the American Heart Association – The candidate must demonstrate these standards:
  • Systematically evaluate the quality and effectiveness of nursing practice by showing evidence of activities directed at continuing to move cardiovascular nursing practice forward.
  • Use outcome management techniques
  • Participate in CQI
  • Show evidence of implementing change that improves practice
  • Participate in operations improvement
• Contributions to the professional development of peers, colleagues and others – Letters of support for the candidate must show evidence of leadership roles:
  • Development of new forums to contribute to others, i.e., the Lipid Nurses Task Force
  • Implementing symposiums, workshops and innovative training programs in cardiovascular nursing
  • Mentorship and preceptorship of students, peers or others
• Collaboration with client, significant others and healthcare providers in providing safe, effective and cost-conscious client care
  • Demonstrated efforts to provide quality cost-effective care
  • Evidence of patient input or perspective in development of patient documentation, clinical pathways and patient education materials
  • Evidence of collaborative activities
• External recognition of scholarship in cardiovascular nursing nursing practice
  • Peer-reviewed and other publications
  • Recognized speaker/educator locally, regionally or nationally
  • Recipient of scholarships or grants
  • Recipient of awards recognizing contributions
  • Consultant activities for other institutions
  • Non-salaried clinical faculty appointment to a school of nursing

• June 8, 2026 – Deadline to have an active American Heart Association professional membership. Please note that membership processing may take 3–5 days; do not wait until the proposal deadline to Join or Renew.
• June 10, 2026, 6 p.m. (CT) – Deadline to apply for this award in the Council Awards Application System.
• August 2026 – Applicants are notified of their award status (selected or not selected).

Please read these instructions carefully. The review committee will not consider incomplete applications.

To submit a nomination by the deadline of June 10, 2026, at 6 pm CT, you must first email the award administrator at [email protected] to request an invitation. Once you receive the invitation, you must submit your nomination through the Council Awards Application System. Hard copies of any part of the application will not be accepted.

Your application file should contain the following documents in PDF format:

• Nominee’s curriculum vitae, including bibliography.
• Reprint of a published, data-based, peer-reviewed article or, if not available, an article that is indexed, peer reviewed, and publicly available. The article should focus on biobehavioral/physiologic cardiovascular nursing research.
• At least two letters of nomination are required, drafted on electronic letterhead with a signature, that thoroughly outline and provide clear support for the nominee's excellence (see Evaluation Criteria). If self-nominating, one of the letters can be a candidate statement.

Visit the Council Awards Application System to complete an application.

A Professional Heart Daily (PHD) username and password are required to access the system. If you are creating a PHD profile for the first time, please register using your Professional Membership ID number.

Membership Requirement

Professional Membership with the American Heart Association and affiliation with the Council on Cardiovascular and Stroke Nursing (CVSN) are required for all applicants. Please allow 3–5 days for processing—do not wait until the deadline to Join or Renew.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Click the link for the Council Awards Application System.
2. Sign in with your Professional Heart Daily username and password.
3. Follow these instructions to set up your profile in ProposalCentral. Setting up your ProposalCentral profile will only need to be done the first time you log in to apply for an American Heart Association Council Awards.
   
   Note: The grant maker named “American Heart Association” in ProposalCentral refers to Research Awards and is a separate funder. Council Awards are listed under American Heart Association Council Awards.
   
   
4. Start Your Application:
   • Select Create New Proposal.
   • Filter by Grant Maker: Choose American Heart Association Council Awards.
   • From the Programs list, select: Scientific Sessions Cardiovascular Nursing Awards.
   • Click the Apply Now button.
   • Within the application, select the award.

For more detailed information on ProposalCentral, also included are additional materials on specific ProposalCentral functionality.

1. How to Create an Application in ProposalCentral (PDF)
2. How to Register a ProposalCentral User (PDF)
3. How To Add Publications in ProposalCentral (PDF)

The winner will receive:

• Complimentary registration to Scientific Sessions
• One (1) complimentary ticket, to the CVSN Council Dinner
• An engraved plaque
• $1,500 honorarium