Duke University Health System received the Magnet redesignation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), which applies to all hospitals within the system—Duke Raleigh, Duke Regional and Duke University hospitals. Less than 9 percent of hospitals receive the magnet designation, recognizing their commitment to excellence in health care.
Magnet is the most prestigious distinction a health care organization can receive for nursing excellence and quality patient outcomes, according to the ANCC. “For DRAH, Magnet is a designation that recognizes our commitment to providing the Duke experience to every patient we have the honor to serve,” said Tammi Hicks, Magnet Program Director and Administrative Director for Clinical Education and Professional Development at Duke Raleigh Hospital. “It recognizes our staff members dedication to excellence and living our values on a daily basis.”
On a call Nov. 14 announcing the redesignation, the Magnet commissioner cited three examples of how DUHS demonstrated exemplar performance associated with mentoring and providing new knowledge to nurses, and in creating an inter-professional collaborative environment that is driving change for patients.
One example of this exemplary work cited by ANCC was the implementation of a structured nursing leadership development program for succession planning within DUHS. The work, led by Duke Raleigh Hospital’s Chief Nursing & Patient Care Services Officer Priscilla Ramseur, aimed to develop future nurse leaders at DUHS that’s ensured 100 percent of manager positions within the system are filled.
“It was really just exemplary to appraisers how an organization that’s so big and as complex as yours can really fill all those leadership gaps internally. That’s really impressive,” the ANCC told DUHS in a livestreamed call announcing the designation to all three system hospitals.
The mentoring program work, published in the Journal of Nursing Administration, describes the methods used and how they could be applied to development of nursing leaders in other healthcare organizations.
Magnet is a four year designation. To receive Magnet designation, a hospital or hospital system submits written documentation on how it meets Magnet standards. The documentation is reviewed by a team of appraisers who determine if the hospitals documentation meets standards. If the hospital documentation does meet standards, a site visit by Magnet appraisers is scheduled to verify, clarify, and amplify the Magnet standards in the organization before submitting the report to the Magnet commission for a final decision.
“Even though this is considered a nursing award, nurses cannot do this alone,” said Hicks. “We are thankful for all the work the DRAH team does to support the best possible patient outcomes and experience.”
DUHS will be recognized at the ANCC National Magnet Conference in Orlando, Florida, October 10-12, 2019.
–By Erin McKenzie
Watch video highlights from the celebration and hear comments from frontline nursing staff on what the redesignation means to them.
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