Four years ago, Clinical Center staff embarked on a journey to become a Magnet-accredited hospital—professional recognition that is the highest national honor for nursing excellence, encompassing nursing professionalism, teamwork, and superior patient care.
The Magnet Document, comprised of metrics and narrative examples of our team’s excellence, spanned nearly 3,000 pages of information, data, and stories and was submitted on March 31, 2024 to the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). Once submitted, the ANCC Magnet Appraiser team conducted an extensive review of the document and determined that the NIH Clinical Center met the requirements to proceed directly to a site visit. Moving straight to a site visit is exceedingly rare, particularly for first time applicants!
The appraiser team conducted a three-day site visit in August 2024 where they met with nurses, patients, and our interprofessional partners to validate and amplify what they had learned from our Magnet document.
On Nov. 25, 2024, Clinical Center and NIH staff, family and friends gathered online and in person to hear the decision which did not disappoint. Dr. Sharon Pappas, the Chair of the ANCC Magnet Commission, announced that the Clinical Center had earned its highest honor—the designation of Magnet with Distinction, an elite category received by only the top 1 percent of hospitals in the U.S. Just 10 percent of U.S. hospitals receive any level of Magnet recognition.
"We are honored to receive Magnet recognition with Distinction," said Dr. Barbara Jordan, chief nurse officer. "Achieving Magnet status is a testament to the dedication of our NIH Clinical Center staff and Institute partners and reinforces the culture of excellence that is a cornerstone of how we serve our patients."
—Dan Silber