The Miriam Hospital attains Magnet® recognition for nursing excellence, celebrates amid challenging times for health care workers
Designation for the 6th consecutive time reinforces commitment to highest standards; very few U.S. hospitals have maintained Magnet® status this long
PROVIDENCE, R.I.—The Miriam Hospital has once again attained Magnet® recognition for nursing excellence and now joins just three other U.S. hospitals in receiving the four-year designation six consecutive times. The announcement came last Thursday amid a coronavirus outbreak that has changed the lives of health care workers, focused attention on the critical front-line role they are playing in the pandemic, and had nurses at The Miriam celebrating wearing masks and gathered only in small groups.
The honor, bestowed upon the hospital by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Magnet Recognition Program®, is considered the gold standard for nursing excellence and provides consumers with the ultimate benchmark for measuring quality of care. Only hospitals that meet rigorous standards for high-quality nursing excellence can achieve Magnet® recognition, the highest national honor for professional nursing practice.
The Miriam Hospital has continuously maintained Magnet recognition since 1998 – one of just four hospitals in the nation to accomplish that. “Our sixth designation means that we have been a Magnet organization for over 20 years,” said Arthur J. Sampson, president of The Miriam Hospital. “That’s not a fluke or a fad, that’s a genuine desire to provide the absolute best care for our patients combined with a sustained institutional commitment to consistently achieve and maintain the highest nursing standards in the world. We often receive letters from patients and families thanking us and praising our nurses for their compassion and professionalism, so attaining Magnet designation is affirmation of the excellent care I know our staff delivers every day. They have my deepest respect and gratitude and are deserving of congratulations.”
To achieve Magnet recognition, organizations must pass a rigorous and lengthy process that demands widespread participation from leadership and staff. This process includes an electronic application, written patient care documentation, an on-site visit, and a review by the Commission on the Magnet Recognition Program®. Health care organizations must reapply for Magnet recognition every four years based on adherence to Magnet concepts and demonstrated improvements in patient care and quality. An organization reapplying for Magnet recognition must provide documented evidence to demonstrate how staff members sustained and improved Magnet concepts, performance and quality.
Maria Ducharme, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, chief nursing officer and senior vice president of patient care services, said, “While the bar is raised with each designation and the process only becomes more challenging, our ingrained culture allows for an environment that lives and breathes nursing excellence. It’s who we are; it’s what we do every day. I am so proud of all our nurses and feel so fortunate to work with such outstanding colleagues. To achieve Magnet recognition, hospitals must submit documented evidence as well as undergo a site visit Our appraisers remarked on our nurses’ spirit of patient centeredness and their unwavering pursuit of the best evidence to care for their patients. I couldn’t agree more.” This year, the hospital re-attained Magnet designation with exemplars in seven areas, more than in any recent Magnet review.
“Exemplars are best practices highlighting exceptional nursing excellence. They indicate that we are outperforming national benchmarks,” said Lynn D’Angelo, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, director of Professional Practice, Innovation and Magnet. “Our seven exemplars were related to empirical outcomes including nursing sensitive indicators and patient experience, both inpatient and ambulatory. The exemplars we received were related to a variety of infection prevention practices, courtesy, respect, listening and safety. This is a testament to the countless contributions of nurses in the delivery of exemplary care.”
According to the Magnet Recognition Program® Commission, the designation provides benefits to hospitals and their communities, including the following:
Higher patient satisfaction with nurse communication Lower risk of 30-day mortality and lower failure to rescue rates Higher job satisfaction among nurses
The Miriam Hospital has garnered other impressive accolades recently, including its third consecutive year being named a Top Hospital by the Leapfrog Group (in the category of teaching hospitals). U.S. News & World Report named The Miriam a 2019-20 Best Regional Hospital and Top Hospital in Rhode Island, in addition to rating its urology program among the top 2 percent in the country. Prior to that, The Miriam made the 2019 IBM Watson Health Top 100 and its Intensive Care Unit was recognized with a gold Beacon Award for Excellence.