The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) officially designated Inova Mount Vernon Hospital (IMVH) with Magnet® status — one of the industry’s highest forms of recognition for nursing excellence — in March 2022.
As part of IMVH’s four-year journey to Magnet recognition, the hospital had to undergo a rigorous process and meet certain criteria, including benchmarks in nursing leadership, excellence in patient care, quality clinical standards and a commitment to continued quality review and improvement, according to an IMVH news release.
“As a result of the final review, it’s my absolute honor and my privilege to officially notify you that the commission on Magnet has unanimously voted to credential Inova Mount Vernon Hospital as a Magnet organization,” said an ANCC official during a livestreamed message to IMVH team members on March 17.
Only around 8.9% of U.S. hospitals currently have Magnet status, which is reassessed every four years, said an ANCC representative. IMVH joins the Inova Fairfax Medical Campus, Inova Loudoun and Inova Fair Oaks hospitals, Virginia Hospital Center and UVA Prince William Medical Center as current Magnet-designated facilities in the Northern Virginia region.
“To have this credential by the American Nurses Credentialing Center to validate who they are and what they’ve accomplished — not only for the communities that we serve, but also the nurses — it’s just inspiring,” said Maureen Snitch, chief nurse executive at Inova. “I’m so, so very proud.”
Inova is particularly proud of the fact that team members were able to achieve the distinction despite the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Inova spokesperson Tracy Connell, pandemic-related staffing challenges at many hospitals prompted the ANCC to permit a six-month extension for all hospitals submitting for Magnet status.
Besides the Magnet designation, IMVH received recognition from ANCC for top performance in several areas, including nursing satisfaction, infection prevention for central line-associated bloodstream infection, infection prevention for catheter-associated urinary tract infection, care coordination, and patient satisfaction for responsiveness and careful listening.
The local business community also has bestowed honors on IMVH in recent time. In December 2021, the Mount Vernon-Lee Chamber of Commerce recognized IMVH as a 2021 “Distinguished Large Business of the Year” award winner for its response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
