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Medical City First in Area to Earn Elite ANA Magnet Recognition
Nurses Play Critical Role in Hospital of Specialists
 On Dec. 8, 2003, Medical City joined an elite group of hospitals nationwide that have achieved the American Nurses Association’s Magnet Recognition, the most prestigious designation of excellence in nursing services. Of nearly 5,000 hospitals nationwide, Medical City is the 94th in the nation, the ninth in the state, and the first in North Texas to earn this recognition.
The Magnet Recognition Program for Excellence in Nursing Services is based on the American Nurses Association's Scope and Standards for Nurse Administrators. Magnet Recognition seeks to measure nursing indicators and patient outcomes, and to recognize the best nursing services and quality patient care. This program, like accreditation from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, is entirely voluntary. A hospital aspiring to the Magnet Recognition designation must meet 96 standards and undergo intense scrutiny of every aspect of a hospital’s nursing staff, procedures and patient interactions. Magnet hospitals also must be reevaluated every four years in order to retain the designation.
“To honor our reputation as a hospital of specialists, it is critical that our physicians, nurses and medical staff live up to this promise every day,” said Britt Berrett. “Earning Magnet Recognition from the American Nursing Credentialing Center is somewhat like being awarded a Nobel Prize for Healthcare. It certifies that our patients are being cared for by the elite of the nursing profession.”
What factors make Medical City a Magnet-caliber hospital?
Ensuring that nurses have a voice in shaping hospital best practices and patient care.
Cultivating a team-focused, collaborative approach to patient care.
Creating and sustaining a work environment that supports, values, rewards and recognizes professional nurses.
Committing to recruiting, retaining and training the very best nurses.
Appointing a chief nurse officer who is involved in hospital operations at the executive level.
“At Medical City, caring for patients is a collaborative effort, with nurses playing a crucial role,” said Sheila R. Everly, vice president and chief nursing officer. “Our nurses provide day-to-day patient care, act as an essential link between patients and physicians, and help shape our hospital’s best practices. As a Magnet hospital, patients can be confident that we’re dedicated to providing the highest quality care possible.”
“Magnet Recognition for nursing excellence helps hospitals attract the brightest nurses in a competitive industry environment,” said Cole Edmonson, associate administrator of patient care services. “In turn, having an outstanding nursing staff helps attract high-quality physicians. Ultimately, the patients benefit when every person involved in his or her care is of the highest caliber. We have 1,000 nurses on our staff, and I believe all are worthy of this recognition.”
Medical City Nurses Comment on Achieving Magnet Recognition
Samantha Marsh, nurse manager, Ortho/Neuro and Neurophysiology. “Magnet Recognition symbolizes the pride I have always taken in nursing. It is confirmation that we are utilizing the right processes and that the patient is our number one priority because nurses have so much say in what is going on in this hospital. We are patients’ advocates, and we are involved in all the processes that affect the patients. What impressed me (about working to achieve Magnet Recognition status) is that in preparing for this process, we didn’t have to do anything special. We just showed the surveyors what we already do.”
Mechelle La Rocca, Neonatal ICU nurse. “I have worked at Medical City for 17 years, and Medical City’s designation as a Magnet Hospital is one of the proudest moments of my nursing career. It is an affirmation of the excellent nursing care delivered on a daily basis at Medical City and North Texas Hospital for Children. The public should feel comforted in knowing that a Magnet level hospital is available in their community.”
Pat Vinson, pediatric supervisor. “Magnet status increases and promotes the profession of nursing. It takes it to another level. It means that the hospital cares about its nurses and supports their education and growth. Magnet Recognition sets Medical City apart as a premier hospital in Dallas with nurses who have excelled in their profession. It is a milestone for the hospital because of all of the tremendous teamwork it took to achieve the Magnet status. With Magnet status, you have gone to a higher level, excelled in many areas. It shows that the hospital cares about its patients, its staff and physicians. It creates interdisciplinary teamwork to achieve a higher level of care. All of the staff works together for the best outcome of the patient.”
Debi Bryson, staff nurse, Women’s Services. “With today’s Magnet Recognition, I know that I am working with the best nurses around, in the best hospital in the community. I feel like Medical City is finally getting the recognition it deserves for the patient care we have always given. It gives the community confidence to know Medical City is a good hospital to come to.”
SOURCE: American Nurses Association, American Nurses Credentialing Center, www.ana.org | 
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