Donors play role in Magnet recognition
Donors like the Loeb family played a roll in the Einstein Healthcare Network receiving the highest honor a healthcare organization can receive for nursing excellence, the Magnet® recognition award. The videos they helped fund allowed Einstein to show the care and dedication our wonderful nurses have for their patients. The spinal cord injury (SCI) videos were created to help inform people affected by SCIs and their families. Unexpectedly, these videos helped others visualize the impact nurses have on patients, families, and the community.
Einstein Medical Center Philadelphia, Einstein Medical Center Elkins Park, MossRehab, Willowcrest, and Einstein Center One were awarded Magnet® recognition – the highest honor a healthcare organization can receive for nursing excellence. Magnet recognition is one of the benchmarks used to measure the quality of care patients receive and is considered the gold standard for nursing care. Across the country, only about eight percent of hospitals attain Magnet status, which is awarded by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Magnet® Recognition Program.
Applying for Magnet recognition is a voluntary and lengthy process that involves an extensive evaluation and application. Key components that have to be demonstrated in the application include: Patient outcomes that exceed national benchmarks; high scores on patient and nurse satisfaction; the impact nurses have on patient outcomes; adherence to standards for improving the quality of patient care; continued competence of nurses through education; inter-professionalism collaboration; leadership of the chief nurse executive in supporting professional practice; and more. The Magnet Recognition Program also provides a vehicle for disseminating successful nursing practices and strategies.
“Nurses have a tremendous impact on patients, families and the community, and I want to congratulate our team for earning Magnet recognition, which acknowledges the outstanding care they deliver each and every day,” says Ruth Lefton, President and Chief Operating Officer for Einstein Medical Center Philadelphia, Einstein Medical Center Elkins Park, MossRehab, Willowcrest and Center One. “I am extremely proud of our nurses for their unwavering support, enthusiasm and collaborative spirit that made this success possible.”
After submitting an application, if the document scores in the realm of excellence, appraisers from the American Nurses Credentialing Center visit the hospital for a rigorous, four-day assessment. During the site visit, the appraisers interview nurses, physicians, hospital staff, patients, and community partners to clarify and validate the information presented in the application regarding exemplary professional practice, empirical quality outcomes, innovation, transformational leadership, and nurse structural empowerment and development.
“Einstein’s pursuit of Magnet recognition has been a journey for our organization requiring teamwork, determination, and dedication,” says Gina Marone, RN, MSN, NEA-BC, Einstein’s Chief Nurse Executive. “Everyone had to believe. I would like to thank our staff, our Magnet Champions, the Nursing Network Council, our leadership team and everyone who contributed to this achievement. This was truly an organizational effort.”
Hospitals are required to reapply for Magnet recognition every four years and show that they are adhering to Magnet standards to deliver the highest level of nursing care. Research shows that Magnet hospitals are more effective at attracting and retaining quality nurses which contributes to superior patient care outcomes and service.
About ANCC’s Magnet® Recognition Program
The Magnet Recognition Program—administered by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, the largest and most prominent nurses credentialing organization in the world—identifies health care organizations that provide the very best in nursing care and professionalism in nursing practice. The Magnet Recognition Program is the highest national honor for nursing excellence and provides consumers with the ultimate benchmark for measuring quality of care. For more information about the Magnet Recognition Program and current statistics, visit www.nursecredentialing.org/magnet.
