UW Medical Center first to be recertified as ‘Magnet Hospital’

UW Medical Center has been recertified as a “Magnet Hospital” by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) for its excellence in nursing service.

The magnet award is the highest level of recognition awarded by the ANCC.

UW Medical Center was the first hospital in the nation to achieve magnet status four years ago, and the first to be recertified following a two-day site appraisal visit by a survey team in April.

The program seeks to identify institutions that provide top-quality nursing care for patients.

In recertifying UW Medical Center as a magnet hospital, the ANCC recognizes it as an institution that supports the highest quality professional nursing practice, exemplifies excellence in management philosophy and practices of nursing services, adheres to standards for improving the quality of patient care, and is attentive to the cultural and ethnic diversity of patients.

“We’re very pleased to receive this recognition once again,” said Diane Soules, associate administrator for patient care services. “UWMC was one of the original magnet hospitals, and this award recognizes the level of practice of the nurses here.”

“This wonderful achievement confirms what many patients and family members have to say about the quality of our service day in and day out,” said Executive Director Rob Muilenburg.

“UW Medical Center has become a benchmark for others,” said Linda Kent, director of professional practice and administrative resources. “We have been asked to serve as a mentor for other nursing departments.”

The ANCC survey team was impressed by the involvement that UW staff nurses have in daily decision-making: more than 90 nurses are members of quality improvement teams.

The program uses pre-set standards of excellence to judge hospitals. A panel of appraisers selected from state nurses’ associations evaluates the written applications in teams. The appraisers also conduct a two-day site visit at those hospitals that have met the criteria set out for the written portion of the application. The appraisers make a recommendation to the program’s governing board on whether the hospital should be awarded the coveted “magnet” status.

Criteria for the ANCC award were based on a 1983 American Academy of Nursing study and on the American Nursing Association’s Standards for Organized Nursing Services and Responsibilities of Nurse Administrators Across All Settings. The ANCC selection criteria address nine areas including nursing philosophy and structure, expertise and role of nursing administration, fiscal resource management, use of the nursing process, organizational environment that supports professional practice, quality assurance programs, ethics, use of nursing research and recognition of a diverse client population. ¶

Craig Degginger