By Kristen Bole on October 20, 2017
UCSF Medical Center and UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital San Francisco have earned the prestigious Magnet Recognition® designation by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), acknowledging their excellence in nursing, quality of patient care and innovations in professional nursing practice. It is the highest level of recognition awarded by ANCC.
In announcing the credential, ANCC officials noted that UCSF met the 98 standards for excellence with no deficiencies and outperformed national benchmarks the majority of the time for indicators that reflect nursing quality. Those include falls, pressure ulcers, catheter-associated urinary tract infections, patient satisfaction and nurse satisfaction.
“This recognition is a testament to the outstanding and exemplary professional practices of our nurses, nurse leaders and interprofessional colleagues,” said Tina Mammone, PhD, RN, CENP, NEA-BC, vice president and chief nursing officer of UCSF Medical Center and UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital San Francisco. “The Magnet designation not only recognizes UCSF nurses, but all of our staff and providers for their tremendous teamwork and interdisciplinary care.”
Only 8 percent (469) of the more than 5,500 hospitals registered with the American Hospital Association have achieved ANCC Magnet Recognition® status, according to the ANCC. California claims 33 of those hospitals, including five University of California medical centers. UCSF is the only hospital in San Francisco to hold this distinction.
UCSF received its initial Magnet designation in 2012 and was reevaluated over the course of the past year for the four-year designation. The extensive review, which included more than 3,000 pages of documentation and a four-day onsite visit, evaluated such areas as leadership, empowerment, exemplary practice, and improvements and innovations.
“The requirements to achieve Magnet status are rigorous and reflect years of hard work on the part of our entire team to establish and maintain the highest standards of nursing care,” said Sheila Antrum, RN, MSHA, senior vice president and chief operating officer of UCSF Health. “It was essential that we not only maintain, but continually improve our structures, processes and outcomes from the previous four years to meet the rigorous requirements of the program.”
Since the ANCC launched the Magnet program in 1994, the designation has become a standard for nurse recruitment efforts and patients seeking the best care. According to the ANCC, studies assessing links between the work environment for nurses and the patient safety climate find that Magnet hospitals experience increased patient satisfaction; decreased mortality rates; decreased pressure ulcers and falls; and improved quality and patient safety.
In a letter to staff, Mark Laret, president and CEO of UCSF Health, commended the UCSF nurses, interprofessional care teams, staff, and nurse leadership, and noted that designations like Magnet are becoming increasingly important as patients look for information about where to get their care.
“Our nursing teams elevate the practice of nursing to new levels and serve as models for all health care professionals,” Laret wrote. “It is truly impressive that our nurses achieved this while at the same time caring fo record numbers of patients, advancing health care policy and discovery, and educating our students.”
UCSF Medical Center and UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals are ranked among the top hospitals in the nation, according to U.S. News & World Report, which uses Magnet status as a primary indicator in its hospital assessments. UCSF Medical Center/Moffitt-Long Hospitals also earned an A for patient safety in 2017.
Originally published on UCSF.edu
