104 Southern Miss Graduates Among Hospital Staff Recognized with Nation's Highest Nursing Designation
Mon, 05/01/2017 - 03:27pm
The University of Southern Mississippi has 104 graduates on the nursing staff at Baptist Medical Center in Jackson, Mississippi, which recently received the nation's top honor for nursing excellence. The Magnet designation is granted by the credentialing center of the American Nurses Association and considered worldwide as the "ultimate seal of quality."
Only 7 percent of hospitals in America have earned Magnet recognition. Baptist is the only hospital in Mississippi to receive this designation.
The Magnet Recognition Program® is administered by the American Nurses' Credentialing Center (ANCC), an affiliate of the American Nurses Association, to hospitals satisfying a set of criteria designed to measure quality patient care and professional nursing practice.
“This honor is the ultimate affirmation of quality and excellence in the care of patients from nursing and from everyone in the organization. Words cannot express the gratitude we have towards all our staff taking us on this journey to improve patient outcomes at the same time increasing job satisfaction,” said Baptist Health Systems Chief Nursing Officer and Baptist Medical Center Chief Operating Officer Bobbie Ware, MHSA, BSN, RN, NEA-BC, FACHE. “Baptist is committed to being leaders in healthcare, and reaching Magnet Status validates the organization's work to provide the best care from a team effort and through evidenced-based practices.”
ANCC defines a Magnet hospital as one where nursing care results in excellent patient outcomes and where nurses maintain high levels of job satisfaction. Magnet status includes various departments throughout the medical center being involved in the evaluation of outcomes and decision-making in patient care delivery. Further, it recognizes that the organization provides resources for nurses to continue life-long learning and shows a low staff nurse turnover rate.
Magnet designation first emerged in 1990 as a way to recognize hospitals that successfully attract and retain high-quality nurses, even during periods of nursing shortages. The program is now based on five core principles: transformational leadership; structural empowerment; exemplary professional practice; new knowledge, innovations and improvements; and empirical outcomes.
Receiving Magnet designation requires evidence of high standards of care achieved by the entire organization. It also requires providing a safe environment, and fostering a strong, collaborative work effort with physicians and others on the healthcare team.”
Applying for Magnet was an extremely complex process involving months of highly detailed work. Documentation had to include numerous examples of excellence, and evidence that structures and processes are in place to promote consistent quality outcomes.