Rochester General Nursing Staff Recognized Among Nation's Elite

Rochester General Hospital nursing leaders learned today in a live conference call heard by hundreds gathered in the Twig Auditorium that the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Magnet has unanimously re-designated RGH as a Magnet program, widely recognized as the Gold Standard for nursing care.  The achievement places RGH among the top 6% of U.S. hospitals for nursing excellence, according to Gail A. Wolf, DNS, RN, chairperson of the Commission on Magnet Designation. 

RGH was initially designated a Magnet facility in 2004, and accreditation is reviewed every four years. To be eligible, hospitals must satisfy a demanding set of criteria measuring the nursing team’s performance and strength over an extended period of time.

"As an organization that prides itself on offering world class care and service, we could not be more proud of and thankful for the members of our nursing staff, who remain within the ranks of their peers at such prestigious hospitals as the Mayo Clinic, Johns Hopkins, Duke University Medical Center and the Cleveland Clinic as among the best in the nation,” said Mark C. Clement, RGHS President and CEO. “Our nurses are as caring and compassionate as they are talented and they embody our commitment to the community to provide the best possible patient experience. This latest honor, along with recent recognition as one of the Top 100 Integrated Health Systems in the nation and designation by AARP as one of the Top 125 Hospitals in the U.S., illustrates the wonderful partnership between our nursing and medical staff that allows us to provide such high quality care to our patients.

 

“Achieving Magnet Designation is not just a one-day event, it’s a continual process that is part of our nursing practice and culture each and every day,” said Cheryl Sheridan, interim Chief Nursing Officer for RGH. “It also reflects the true spirit of collaboration that exists at RGH to provide our patients the highest standards of care. We could not have achieved this recognition without the support of our wonderful and talented physicians, patient technicians, organizational leaders and all those in ancillary services – from environmental services to our caring volunteers – who allow us to focus on doing the best for our patients.”

 

The Magnet Recognition Program® was developed by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) to recognize health care organizations that provide the very best in nursing care and uphold the tradition within nursing of professional nursing practice. The Magnet Recognition Program is based on quality indicators and standards of nursing practice as defined in the newly revised ANA Nursing Administration: Scope & Standards of Practice (2009).

  

The Scope and Standards for Nurse Administrators and other "foundational documents" form the base upon which the Magnet environment is built. The Magnet designation process includes the appraisal of qualitative factors in nursing, referred to as "Forces of Magnetism”, were first identified through research done in 1983.

  

 

 

Magnet designated hospitals are known for consistently delivering exceptional patient care and providing a highly satisfying work environment. Research has indicated that Magnet organizations are more successful than others in nurse and physician recruitment and retention, which helps build a solid and high-performing team that produces better patient outcomes.