Spartanburg
Regional Medical Center's boardroom was packed with more than 100
people, mostly made up of the hospital's nurses. They were eagerly
waiting for a phone call that would place their hospital in elite
company. They were waiting to know if the hospital maintained its
"Magnet Status" from the American Nurses' Credentialing
Center (ANCC).
In
February 1 through February 3, Spartanburg Regional Medical Center
(SRMC) received a site visit from the ANCC. ANCC people spent 12
hours a day interviewing at least 550 of the hospital's nurses for 3
days. ANCC spent 3 days asking the staff nurses how satisfied they
were working for SRMC.
SRMC
was the first hospital in the state of South Carolina to receive a
Magnet Status in 2005. With their hearts pounding, the phone rang,
and received the news they were looking for. Spartanburg Regional
Medical Center has retained it's Magnet Status and is still the only
hospital in the state of South Carolina with the designation.
Susan
Dugar, a hospital vice president and chief nursing officer said,
"It's a huge, huge honor." She said, "
Magnet
Status makes the hospital a desirable place for nurses looking for
work, and creates a competitive pool for managers to hire from."
ANCC
developed the Magnet Recognition Program in the 1990s. It is a
coveted designation to recognize excellence in nursing care.
This
innovative program recognize and honors health care organizations
that exhibits (a) excellence in nursing services, (b) an environment
that promotes and maintains professional nursing practice, and (c) an
organizational system that encourages the professional advancement of
nursing personnel. This voluntary program of external professional
nurse peer review focuses on the leadership and management of the
nursing service system in association with patient outcomes.
The
Process to getting a Magnet Status has four phases:
-
Application
-
Submission
of Written Documentation and Evaluation
-
ANCC
personnel's site visit
-
Evaluation
of Magnet Program Office.
Patients
would benefit from a hospital that has achieved Magnet designation.
They are rest assured that the hospital has an excellent nursing
service, high quality patient care, lower mortality and complication
rates, and with high quality nurses it would attract high-quality
physicians and specialists as well.
The
American Nurses' Credentialing Center is a subsidiary of the American
Nurses Association (ANA). It is also the worlds largest and most
prestigious nurse credentialing organization. It certifies
individual nurses, and through the "Magnet Recognition Program
and Pathway to Excellence Program" it recognizes
health care organizations for nursing excellence. ANCC also accredits
continuing nursing education courses.
Being
confined in a hospital with a Magnet Status designation will lessen
your worries and make you feel safe for you know that you are in
good hands.