Bayhealth nursing achieves third Magnet designation for excellence

Bayhealth recently announced it attained Magnet recognition again in June, a testament to its continued dedication to high-quality nursing practice.

The American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Magnet Recognition Program distinguishes healthcare organizations that meet rigorous standards for nursing excellence. This credential is the highest national honor for professional nursing practice.

Receiving Magnet recognition for the third time is a great achievement for Bayhealth, as the Magnet community is a small, select group of domestic healthcare organizations and hospitals in the U.S.

“Magnet recognition is a tremendous honor and reflects our commitment to delivering the highest quality of care to this community,” said Bayhealth Chief Nurse Executive Rosi Wurster DNP, RN, MPH, NEA-BC, FACHE. “To earn Magnet recognition once was a great accomplishment and an incredible source of pride for our nurses. Our repeated achievement of this credential underscores the foundation of excellence and values that drives our entire staff to strive harder each day to meet the healthcare needs of the people we serve.”

Research demonstrates that Magnet recognition provides specific benefits to healthcare organizations and their communities, such as: higher patient satisfaction with nurse communication, availability of help and receipt of discharge information; lower risk of 30-day mortality and lower failure-to-rescue rates; higher job satisfaction among nurses; and lower nurse reports of intentions to leave their positions.

The Magnet Model provides a framework for nursing practice, research and measurement of outcomes whereby ANCC evaluates applicants across a number of components and dimensions to gauge an organization’s nursing excellence.

The foundation of this model comprises various elements deemed essential to delivering superior patient care. These include the quality of nursing leadership, and coordination and collaboration across specialties, as well as processes for measuring and improving the quality and delivery of care.

To achieve initial Magnet recognition, organizations must pass a lengthy, rigorous process that demands widespread participation from leadership and team members. It includes an electronic application, written patient care documentation, an on-site visit and a review by the Commission on Magnet Recognition.

Healthcare 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 over the four-year period since the organization received its most recent recognition.

“We’re a better organization today because of the Magnet recognition we first achieved 10 years ago,” said Wurster. “Magnet recognition raised the bar for patient care and inspired every member of our team to achieve excellence every day. This award was only possible through the dedication of our clinical nurses and their leaders driving excellence. While Magnet is a nursing award, it represents a health system achievement, with one of its cornerstones being our partnership with other clinical professionals to provide whole care for our patients wherever they need to be cared for. It is this commitment to providing our community with high-quality care that helped us become a Magnet-recognized organization, and it’s why we continue to pursue and maintain Magnet recognition.”