Magnet Status Recognizes Excellence in Patient Care

In 2005, Main Line Health Hospitals' nursing service at Bryn Mawr, Lankenau, and Paoli Hospitals was awarded Magnet designation by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), the nations highest award for excellence in nursing care. These three hospitals represent 2,000 registered and licensed practical nurses.

At the typical Magnet hospital, patient outcomes are excellent and nurses have a high level of job satisfaction, low turnover, an appropriate way to resolve grievances, and are involved in making decisions about patient care.

"The ANCC is highly respected among nurses, and we're thrilled that our hospitals have this important stamp of approval," says Barbara J. Tachovsky, RN, MS, CNAA, Chief Nursing Officer for Main Line Health and President of Paoli Hospital. "Main Line Health has always prided itself in the quality of its nursing practice, and being Magnet hospitals validates what our patients already know: Every day, we deliver excellence in nursing care."

What Magnet Status Means

According to the ANCC, Magnet facilities consistently outperform non-Magnet organizations, deliver better patient outcomes, spend more time at patients' bedsides, and have shorter lengths of patient stay.

Of some 6,000 hospitals in the country, only 281 have been granted Magnet status. To achieve this, hospitals must undergo a vigorous evaluation and satisfy criteria that measure the strength and quality of their nursing practice as defined by the American Nurses Association.

There are many benefits to having Magnet status, including reassuring patients they will receive the highest quality care and making it easier to recruit and retain qualified nurses and attract high-quality physicians and scientists.