The University of Washington Medical Center was recently granted Magnet Recognition Program® status from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) for its excellence in nursing practice and patient care. This is the fifth consecutive time that UWMC has achieved this status, making it the only hospital in the country to have achieved this historic level of recognition. The Magnet award is the highest level of recognition for hospital nursing awarded by the ANCC.
UWMC was the first hospital in the nation to achieve Magnet® status in 1994. The honor is based on criteria related to key data, including patient outcomes, nurse satisfaction and key leadership objectives. After submitting data, a survey team completes a four-day site appraisal, after which the ANCC Commission on Magnet decides the outcome.
The Magnet program was begun 17 years ago to identify institutions across the nation who provide top quality nursing care for patients. In re-designating UWMC as a Magnet ®organization, the ANCC recognizes UWMC as an institution that supports the highest quality of professional nursing practice, exemplifies excellence in leadership and management philosophy, as well as in practices of nursing services, excelling in innovative strategies to improve the quality of patient and family care.
"This historic achievement represents the efforts and commitment to patient care and nursing practice that our nurses and clinicians demonstrate every day. The Magnet® designation recognizes excellence in nursing and we share this award with all our dedicated staff and faculty," said Chief Nursing Office Lorie Wild.
US News & World Report considers Magnet® designation as a key differentiating factor when selecting hospitals for its Best Hospital survey. Locally, UW Medical Center was rated No. 1 among hospitals in the Seattle-King County region and No. 14 nationally in 2011.
About UW Medicine
UW Medicine trains health professionals and medical scientists, conducts research to improve health and prevent disease worldwide, and provides primary and specialty care to patients throughout Seattle/King County and the WWAMI (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho) region. UW Medicine includes: Harborview Medical Center, Valley Medical Center , UW Medical Center, Northwest Hospital & Medical Center, UW Neighborhood Clinics, UW School of Medicine, UW Physicians, and Airlift Northwest. UW Medicine also shares in the ownership and governance of Children's University Medical Group and Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, a partnership among UW Medicine, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and Seattle Children's.
UW Medicine has major academic and service affiliations with Seattle Children's, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, the Veteran's Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System in Seattle, and the VA Hospital in Boise, Idaho. The UW School of Medicine has been ranked #1 in the nation in primary-care training since 1994 by US News & World Report. It is the top public institution for receipt of biomedical research funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and second among all institutions for NIH funding, public and private. UW Medicine's 2,000 full-time faculty and nearly 5,000 volunteer and part-time faculty include four Nobel Laureates, 32 members of the National Academy of Sciences, and 33 members of the Institute of Medicine. Visit UW Medicine. Follow us on Twitter - @UWMedicineNews