by Matt Batcheldor
Vanderbilt University Medical Center has received a fourth consecutive Magnet designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), the organization announced in a conference call on Nov. 17.
The fourth Magnet designation includes Vanderbilt University Hospital (VUH), Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, Vanderbilt Adult Ambulatory Clinics and Vanderbilt Psychiatric Hospital (VPH). It is the culmination of more than four years of comprehensive planning and preparation involving nurses and staff in all four entities.
Magnet designation is the highest honor an organization can receive for the provision of nursing care and interprofessional collaboration. Fewer than 10% of hospitals have Magnet status, and no other hospital system in Middle Tennessee has achieved the designation. VUMC received its first Magnet designation in November 2006, its second in April 2012 and third in July 2017.
“This incredible achievement has been possible because our nurses are the very best. A fourth Magnet designation reflects a sustained commitment to excellence across nearly two decades of outstanding service as we have sought the ANCC’s review. I am incredibly proud and grateful to our nurses for achieving this designation and want to congratulate everyone as we celebrate this honor,” said C. Wright Pinson, MBA, MD, Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Chief Health System Officer for VUMC.
Magnet designation measures organizations for excellence in five areas — transformational leadership; structural empowerment; exemplary professional practice; new knowledge, innovations and improvements; and outcomes.
“I could not be more pleased to be part of the best nursing community in the country,” said Executive Chief Nursing Officer Marilyn Dubree, MSN, RN, NE-BC. “I fully understand all the hard work you have done to demonstrate once again that we are a Magnet organization. I am honored to share this honor with you, and I am so proud of all of you.”
Preparation for VUMC’s fourth Magnet designation began not long after it received its third designation in 2017. The latest Magnet journey was much more involved, as new ANCC rules required the four entities to submit separate applications and host separate site visits.
“Going through our collective redesignation in 2017 was a wonderful experience,” said Kathie Krause, MSN, RN, NNP-BC, NEA-BC, Chief Nursing Officer for Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. “However, this time felt extra special since each of our entities got to showcase our unique contributions to patient care and professional nursing practice. The opportunity to share this honor with our Monroe Carell staff while also celebrating with our colleagues throughout the medical center made today just a great day to be a Vanderbilt nurse.”
Avni Cirpili, DNP, RN, Chief Nursing Officer for VPH, said that VPH is now one of three standalone psychiatric hospitals that have received Magnet designation.
“I am so very proud to be part of the VPH Nursing team,” he said. “I want to congratulate the nurses, nursing staff, and nursing leaders for this accomplishment. I would also like to acknowledge and thank the many health care partners that have supported VPH Nursing during this journey.”
In August 2021, VUMC electronically submitted four Magnet documents, one for each entity, which would total thousands of pages if printed. The documents consist of examples from within the entities in response to questions, as well as demographic information including quality data and patient and staff satisfaction. In previous Magnet journeys, only one Magnet document was required for VUMC.
That was followed by individual site visits, starting with Vanderbilt Adult Ambulatory Clinics in March, then over most of three successive weeks in August for Monroe Carell, VUH and VPH. ANCC appraisers fanned out across the VUMC enterprise to determine the organization’s culture by listening to as many nursing and staff members as possible.
Michele Hasselblad, DNP, RN, NE-BC, vice president of Adult Ambulatory Nursing, said “this represented the first time a complete document was written by ambulatory nurses followed by a focused clinic site visit. While we don’t know our exact placement nationally, we do know we’re among the first few ambulatory sites to report this accomplishment.”
Appraisers participated in dozens of meetings with staff nurses, physicians, administrators and leaders representing all departments and units throughout the main VUMC campus, Vanderbilt Health One Hundred Oaks and network of clinics. Appraisers also solicited feedback from the community and Vanderbilt staff and held open meetings.
“The thing that is the most important about this designation is that our appraisers were only interested in listening to the voices of nurses who practice in our organization,” said Robin Steaban, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, Chief Nursing Officer of VUH. “Those nurses who deliver care every day told amazing stories of what they do, what it’s like to be a Vanderbilt nurse and the pride they feel in being a Vanderbilt nurse. We strive to be a great place for nurses to practice, and this Magnet designation independently confirmed that indeed, we are.”
Hospitals typically earn Magnet designation for a four-year period, and the ANCC conducts annual reviews requesting updated documentation. At the end of four years, the Medical Center will repeat the Magnet designation process.
