Early Wednesday morning at the Methodist Hospital Southlake campus, a filled room of nurses and administrators, including CEO Raymond Grady, waited on hold with the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) to receive a special recognition. A live feed camera, streaming to the Northlake Campus in Gary, was focused on the main table where Grady sat with other administrators who were vital to this mission of receiving Magnet designation. Magnet status is a designation given only to hospitals that provide quality patient care, nursing excellence and innovations in professional nursing practice and is the highest honor awarded by the ANCC.
The tension and excitement in the room was palpable, and for good reason: Methodist has been in the process of becoming a Magnet Hospital for about three years now, and this process required a lot of hard work and vision. When the voice came back on the other end of the line, everyone in attendance could feel those years of work behind this call.
“The Commission has reviewed all of your submitted documentations and the findings from your recent site visit and as of our final review, it is my high honor and privilege to officially notify you that the Commission on Magnet has unanimously voted to credential the Methodist Hospitals as a Magnet Hospital,” said Brian Selig of the Commission on Magnet Recognition from the other end of the line to raucous applause from all those gathered.
The Commission would go on to describe the team at Methodist as authentic, transparent and passionate and described the nurses as key partners in achieving all of the outcomes in the organization. Selig would go on to cite several exemplars that made Methodist stand out among other hospitals, including bringing nurses in on the budgeting process and nurses using evidence based practice to implement a practice new to the organization. It is rare for organizations to receive these exemplars, let alone four, so this was the cherry on top for this momentous occasion.
“I am very proud of the work that everyone has done to achieve this recognition that only eight percent of hospitals in the United States have earned,” said Grady of his hospital’s well-earned and rare achievement.
The emphasis in this great honor was really placed on the nurses and the nursing administrators that were at the center of this challenge. The fact that they are a self-governing program within the hospital was a point brought up again and again as a reason why they are so engaged in designing and implementing the standards of care for patients in the hospital.
“No other hospital in our region has achieved this distinction - even though there’s 22 in Indiana - and we’re gonna fly our flags high until somebody else does,” Grady said to laughter and applause from those gathered, including nursing students from IUN who could look forward to an exemplary nursing program.
While the room basked in the celebratory mood, Grady and other administrators handed out flowers to some of the key team members involved in making this happen including Shelly Major, Vice President Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer, and Mary Jo Valentine, Director of Nursing Professional Devlopment and Magnet Program Director.
“I think people thought we were kind of nutty six or seven years ago that this was even in our vision, but here we are today. Today is a day I’ve dreamed about. I dreamed about this because I realized that in this dream I was going to be at this table in this room and giving this phone call. Dreams really do come true with passion and resilience and focus and a great team,” said Major passionately, stressing the accomplishments of the Methodist team.
The team was treated to a video showing the nurses and staff of Methodist over the years and their road to gaining Magnet status which was finished off with a choreographed dance to show their excitement on the achievement.
“This was a great opportunity to grow professionally, and that’s really what Magnet is about, it’s an organization that focuses on excellence,” said Valentine of the designation.
For more information on Methodist Hospitals, click here.
