MedStar Georgetown Joins Elite Group of Hospitals, Only 50 in the Nation, to Receive Prestigious Magnet® Designation for a Fourth Consecutive Time

(Washington, D.C.,)  - MedStar Georgetown University Hospital proudly announces it has achieved Magnet^® designation for the fourth consecutive time by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC).  MedStar Georgetown is now one of just 50 other institutions in the United States to be recognized by the Magnet Recognition Program^® four times in a row.   

MedStar Georgetown was the first hospital in Washington, D.C., to achieve Magnet status back in 2004.

“I am so incredibly proud of our nurses,” says Michael C. Sachtleben, president of MedStar Georgetown University Hospital. “We are honored to be acknowledged by the ANCC’s Magnet Recognition Program and to achieve this prestigious designation for a fourth time.”

On a conference call today, the ANCC representatives shared the outcome of a recent site survey and agreed that MedStar Georgetown has met its rigorous expectations of quality and nursing excellence.

 “While the Magnet designation allows us to attract and retain top nursing talent, it is not strictly a ‘nursing’ recognition,” says Eileen Ferrell, MS, BSN, RN, chief nursing officer at MedStar Georgetown. “This designation can only be attained through the highly functional and collaborative work between all departments and associates here at MedStar Georgetown.  It also means our nurses are involved in clinical research and performance improvement, all in the best interests of our patients.”

ANCC bestowed its first Magnet designation in 1994 with the idea that the honor would act as a “magnet” for excellence by promoting professionalism in nursing. Magnet recognition is seen as the highest accolade a hospital nursing system can achieve.

A study found better patient outcomes in hospitals whose nurses had achieved Magnet recognition.  The research results were published in the October 2012 issue of Medical Care, the official journal of the Medical Care section of the American Public Health Association.

“Our nurses at MedStar Georgetown exhibit the highest of standards when it comes to professionalism and excellence in caring for our patients,” says Sachtleben. “I know I join all of my colleagues here at MedStar Georgetown in expressing how grateful we are for their role in taking their profession to such a high level of quality and excellence.” 

Magnet recognition is bestowed upon an organization for a four-year time frame, and an organization that desires to continue to be recognized must re-apply for the designation.

About MedStar Georgetown University Hospital

MedStar Georgetown University Hospital is a not-for-profit, acute-care teaching and research hospital with 609 licensed beds located in Northwest Washington, D.C., Founded in the Jesuit principle of cura personalis—caring for the whole person—MedStar Georgetown is committed to offering a variety of innovative diagnostic and treatment options within a trusting and compassionate environment.

MedStar Georgetown’s centers of excellence include neurosciences, transplant, cancer and gastroenterology. Along with Magnet® nurses, internationally recognized physicians, advanced research and cutting-edge technologies, MedStar Georgetown’s healthcare professionals have a reputation for medical excellence and leadership.

About the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s (ANCC) Magnet Recognition Program^®          

The Magnet Recognition Program^® administered by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), the largest and most prominent nurses credentialing organization in the world, recognizes healthcare organizations that provide the very best in nursing care and professionalism in nursing practice. The Magnet Recognition Program serves as the gold standard for nursing excellence and provides consumers with the ultimate benchmark for measuring quality of care. For more information about the Magnet Recognition Program and current statistics, visit www.nursecredentialing.org/magnet.