3 Virtua hospitals are recertified with highest honor in nursing: Magnet status

Three Virtua Health hospitals have earned recertification with the highest honor in nursing excellence: Magnet recognition — an honor fewer than 10% of hospitals nationwide earn from the American Nurses Credentialing Center.

Marlton-based Virtua first achieved Magnet status in 2018, when it was a three-hospital system. The designation lasts for four years. Those hospitals — Virtua Marlton, Virtua Mount Holly and Virtua Voorhees — are now redesignated by the ANCC.

Research shows Magnet recognition provides proven benefits to hospitals’ communities, including higher patient satisfaction with nurse communication, lower failure-to-rescue rates and higher job satisfaction among nurses. The ANCC established Magnet in 1990.

To achieve Magnet status, organizations must pass a rigorous review that requires broad participation by leaders and staff, numerous reports and extensive documentation. This process also includes on-site visits by the ANCC’s Commission on Magnet Recognition.

“Magnet designation reflects the inspiring work that takes place every day here at Virtua Health,” Virtua Chief Nursing Officer Catherine Hughes said. “Our nurses are critical members of our health care teams. Virtua nurses help ensure that our patients receive the very best care and that all their needs are met.”

The ANCC praised Virtua nurses’ dedication, teamwork, and skills. In its report on Virtua Marlton Hospital, for instance, it stated:

“This credential is testament to the countless contributions your nurses, in collaboration with other team members, have made in their commitment to provide quality patient care through innovations in professional nursing practice.”

Virtua CEO Dennis Pullin noted that great nurses are essential to high-quality care.

“Nurses are the foundation of health care,” he said. “They play an enormous role in our patients’ lives, providing a wide array of care and comfort. I’m extremely proud to see Virtua’s vast team of nurses again recognized by the renowned Magnet program.”