More than 6,400 nurses and nurse leaders from around the world gathered in Phoenix in October 2010 to celebrate nursing excellence and share best practices at the annual National Magnet Conference®, sponsored by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). Magnet®: A Culture of Caring was ANCC’s biggest conference yet. It attracted the largest international contingent ever, reflecting the expanding global reach of Magnet™. Participants from 15 countries attended, including a group from Singapore that traveled the furthest: 9,084 miles.

This year, the conference focused on individual well-being to maximize nurses’ contributions to the wider community. All nurses learn that they can’t care for others if they don’t take care of themselves. Promoting this culture of caring, international mind-body medicine expert Deepak Chopra, MD, led a special session on crucial connections among mind, body, spirit, and healing. Jean Watson, PhD, RN, AHA-BC, FAAN, shared how compassionate caring and love for healing can transform and improve individual and organizational performance.

In addition, participants learned to identify outcomes that support and sustain a Magnet culture, explored the nurse’s role in health care globally, shared nurse-driven innovations that affect patient care, and examined prevention in the context of patient care and self-care.

For the first time, the conference featured a virtual poster session using 3D gaming technology and digital avatars. To view it online, visit http://www.prweb.com/releases/digitell/virtual/prweb8937893.htm.

Celebrating Magnet excellence

ANCC raised Magnet standards this year, demanding even more from hospitals and healthcare organizations seeking designation. Even so, applications are up and the rigorous standards make those who achieve Magnet recognition even prouder of their accomplishment.

Magnet’s international reputation is growing, too. “We’ve definitely caught the world’s attention,” said Karen Drenkard, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, Director of the Magnet Recognition Program®. “The number of applications from organizations outside the United States continues to increase and ANCC’s Commission on Magnet Recognition added three international commissioners this year.”

At the conference, 40 newly designated Magnet facilities and 65 redesignated organizations were honored, including ANCC’s first four-time designees:

• University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle
• Hackensack University Medical Center in Hackensack, New Jersey
• Saint Joseph’s Hospital of Atlanta in Georgia.

“Redesignation is a testament to an organization’s commitment to Magnet,” said Gail Wolf, PhD, RN, FAAN, Commission on Magnet Recognition chairperson. “There’s a lot of excitement around that first designation, but it can be challenging to maintain it. Redesignation shows that Magnet has become part of an organization’s DNA.”

2010 Magnet Prize

The Magnet Prize recognizes organizations that go above and beyond to transform nursing practice, benefit the nursing profession, and improve the quality of care. This year, the prestigious $25,000 award (presented in collaboration with Cerner Corporation) went to the Women’s Heart Center at St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center in Paterson, New Jersey. Developed by two advanced practice nurses, the program provides education outreach in the community, comprehensive clinical assessments, and preventive screenings for heart disease in women of all ages and cultural backgrounds. In less than 5 years, the number of annual screenings has increased from 450 to more than 2,700, with a steady rise in the percentage of minority women screened.

Magnet Prize Honors

Because so many organizations have done so much to promote excellence, it’s become harder to pick a single Magnet Prize winner. So in 2010 ANCC added a new category—the Magnet Prize Honors—to recognize organizations considered for the Magnet Prize whose innovations clearly put them in a special category of excellence. Winners for 2010 were:

• Cleveland Clinic Health System in Cleveland, Ohio, for creating the Deans’ Roundtable Faculty Initiative
• Bassett Medical System in Cooperstown, New York, for launching “Geography Matters”—a school-based health program.

Honoring the best of the best

ANCC also recognized individual nurse leaders and certified nurses for their outstanding service and contributions to a culture of excellence. Award recipients included:

• Pamela S. Dickerson, PhD, MS, BSN, RN, President of PRN Continuing Education. Dr. Dickerson received the President’s Leadership Award for her work as chair of ANCC’s Commission on Accreditation, where she recently spearheaded a major restructuring of the organization’s Accreditation Program. In particular, she devoted considerable time reaching out to ANA’s constituent member associations to ensure a successful transition.
• Mark and Bonnie Barnes, The DAISY Foundation (Glen Ellen, California). The Barneses received a Special Recognition Award for their long-standing and inspirational support of nurses. The DAISY Foundation honors nurses for their education, training, brainpower, skill, and compassion. It administers The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses, The DAISY Faculty Award, and nursing research grants.
• Linda H. Aiken, PhD, RN, FAAN, FRCN, Director of the Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research at the University of Pennsylvania. An internationally renowned nurse researcher, Dr. Aiken received the HRH Princess Muna al-Hussein Award for her dedication to nursing and her significant contribution to health care across borders. Specifically, the award honors her tireless efforts to advance ANCC’s Magnet Recognition Program standards worldwide. With ANCC and the American International Health Alliance as strategic partners, she directs a pilot initiative in Russia and Armenia designed to test the applicability of Magnet criteria to improve the quality of hospital care in developing countries.
• Richard Hader, PhD, RN, NE-BC, FAAN, CHE, CPHQ, Meridian Health in Neptune, New Jersey. Dr. Hader earned the Certified Specialty Nurse Award for leading the transformation of nursing practice and patient care. He spearheaded the establishment of the Institute for Evidence-based Care, a unique interdisciplinary, patient-centered research facility, to help clinicians stay abreast of medical knowledge and technology.
• Diane L. Huber, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, University of Iowa. Dr. Huber won the Certified Advanced Practice Nurse Award for her work uniting the context of nursing practice and ways to better teach with the implementation of theory and evidence in practice. Her outstanding performance includes nursing systems research innovations and interdisciplinary research expertise in case/disease/population management.

Magnet Nurse of the Year Awards

ANCC announced a new program to recognize clinical nurses working in Magnet organizations. The National Magnet Nurse of the Year Awards will be given to one nurse in each of the following categories:

• transformational leadership
• structural empowerment
• exemplary professional practice
• new knowledge, innovation, and research
• empirical outcomes.

More information will be released in the spring, and winners will be announced at the National Magnet Conference in Baltimore, Maryland, which takes place October 4 to 6. Check out all the conference action on Facebook at www.facebook.com/#!/ANCCNationalMagnetConference.

Cynthia D. Sweeney is director and Regina Coll is assistant director of ANCC’s Institute for Credentialing Innovation.