Mid
Coast Hospital Awarded Magnet Recognition
First Community Hospital
in Maine to Achieve Recognition
By Paul Parker RN, Director of Education
and Nursing Practice/Magnet Coordinator
Mid Coast Hospital in
Brunswick, Maine received notification on
May 18, 2009 that the hospital has received
Magnet recognition by the American Nurses
Credentialing Center, a branch of the American
Nurses Association. The notification, which
was received by Lois Skillings, RN, Vice
President for Nursing and Patient Care Services
on behalf of the hospital, was the culmination
of over 4 years of work by many individuals
and hospital departments.
Only 5% of the hospitals in the country
have been awarded Magnet designation. Two
other Maine hospitals have achieved Magnet
recognition; Maine Medical Center in Portland
and Acadia Hospital in Bangor. Mid Coast
Hospital is the first community Magnet hospital
in Maine.
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The Magnet Recognition Program® was developed by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) to recognize health care organizations that provide nursing excellence and quality patient outcomes.
Magnet Recognition is the ultimate benchmark to measure the quality of care that patients can expect to receive from a hospital. |
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The Magnet Recognition Project was developed
by the American Nurses Credentialing Center
from nursing research studies in the 1980s
that found that certain hospitals, even
in the midst of a nationwide nursing shortage,
had no difficulty attracting nurses, while
many other hospitals could not find or retain
nurses as easily. The Magnet Project found
that certain core administrative elements
were consistent across all these "Magnet"
facilities: primacy of the nurse-patient
relationship, collaborative nurse-physician
relationships, responsive, visionary nurse
leaders, nursing staff control and autonomy
over their clinical practice, and a supportive
administration.
As a result, the ANCC created the Magnet
Recognition Program, to which hospitals
may apply to achieve Magnet status. Currently
there are 332 Magnet organizations in 42
states, New Zealand, and Australia, out
of thousands worldwide. Magnet Recognition
represents a pinnacle of achievement not
only for nursing, but for the entire hospital.
Mid Coast Hospital formed a Magnet feasibility
team in 2004 and made the decision to formally
apply October 1, 2006. A written document
was submitted to the ANCC by Mid Coast's
Magnet Writing Team in October 2008 (2300
pages; 18 bound volumes). In January 2009,
we were informed that we qualified for a
site visit.
Mid Coast Hospital hosted its first ever
Magnet Site Visit on March 18-20. The visit
comprised three days of intensive meetings
with nurses, staff members, nurse directors,
physicians, and members of the public.
Magnet Recognition is a reflection of the
excellence of practice of nurses, physicians,
clinicians, support staff, administration,
senior leadership, and the hospital's Board
of Directors. It is an award that is justifiably
shared in by all members of the Mid Coast
team. We are proud to be the recipients
of this great honor.
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