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Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center (SNVMC) is proud to announce that it has earned Magnet with Distinction® recognition on August 12, 2024 as a reflection of its nursing professionalism, teamwork, and superiority in patient care. The American Nurses Credentialing Center’s (ANCC) ® is the highest national honor for nursing excellence and identifies superior quality in nursing care.

This is SNVMC’s first Magnet designation and an honor for the organization to receive Magnet with Distinction, a special designation that celebrates hospitals and health care organizations that exceed the scoring thresholds required to attain Magnet recognition.

Nurses at Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center celebrate upon receiving Magnet Recognition

With this credential, SNVMC joins the global community of Magnet with Distinction recognized organizations. Just a small and select group of health care organizations have achieved Magnet with Distinction recognition.

As of July 2024, only 9.6 percent of hospital in the U.S. have achieved Magnet recognition.  Within this prestigious group of hospitals, Magnet with Distinction recognizes the highest-performing Magnet organizations around the world.

SNVMC is the tenth hospital in the Sentara system to achieve Magnet designation and the first to earn Magnet with Distinction.

To patients, Magnet means the very best care, delivered by nurses who are supported to be the very best that they can be. More than an award or a badge of honor, Magnet recognition is steadfast proof of a hard-earned commitment to excellence in health care, with contented nurses at its heart. 

“Achieving this prestigious credential is a tremendous accomplishment that reinforces the culture of excellence that is a cornerstone of how we serve our community. It’s also tangible evidence of our nurses’ commitment to providing the very best care to our patients, of which we are extremely proud,” said SNVMC President Jeff Joyner.

“I have always known that our nurses are compassionate, dedicated, and highly skilled and this recognition only validates the amazing care that all the members of our team have been providing to this community for many years,” Joyner added.

When an organization embarks on a journey to Magnet designation, it commits to the highest quality health care. This is not only evident in decreased mortality rates and shorter hospital stays, but in the experience of every patient who walks through a Magnet organization’s doors.

“The Magnet Recognition Program provides a roadmap to nursing excellence, which benefits the whole of an organization,” remarked SNVMC Chief Nursing Officer Christy Grabus. “It acknowledges the success we have in aligning nursing strategic goals to improve our patient outcomes. Achieving Magnet with Distinction is a further reflection of our dedication and commitment to excellence.” 

Research demonstrates that Magnet organizations provide specific benefits to health care 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.
• Lower nurse reports of intentions to leave their positions.

To achieve Magnet recognition, organizations must pass a rigorous and lengthy process that demands commitment from leadership and widespread participation of hospital staff. This process includes an electronic application, written documentation supporting 84 defined examples of nursing excellence, an extensive on-site visit, and a review by the Commission on Magnet Recognition.

“We found the application and appraisal process itself to be a rewarding and valuable educational experience,” added Grabus. “The process is thorough and lengthy, and our Magnet journey proved to be a revealing self-assessment, creating opportunities for organizational advancement, team building, and enhancement of individuals' professional self-esteem here at Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center.”

The Magnet Recognition Program was developed by the ANCC to recognize healthcare organizations that provide nursing excellence and to disseminate successful nursing practices and strategies.

There are 28 Magnet hospitals in the Commonwealth of Virginia and 10 of these are Sentara hospitals, reflecting the organization’s culture of excellence.