UI Hospitals and Clinics nurses celebrated as UI Department of Nursing Services and Patient Care administrators took the phone call officially confirming their receipt of a Magnet award from the American Nurses Credentialing Center.

Nursing leaders at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics announced January 12, 2004, they received the prestigious Magnet Award for Nursing Excellence, the first hospital in the state to earn the distinction. A special hospital-wide celebration was held April 2, 2004.

The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), the credentialing arm of the American Nurses Association (ANA), awards the honor to hospitals that undergo a rigorous, voluntary evaluation process. The ANA has demonstrated that hospitals that meet their stringent requirements provide positive patient outcomes, recognize excellence in nursing services and reward professional nursing achievement. About 100 hospitals in the U.S. have earned the award.

Independent studies of Magnet hospitals have shown that patients who receive care in such centers average a shorter length of stay and have higher rates of satisfaction. Also, nurses working in Magnet hospitals are more satisfied with their work and the care they provide, and Magnet hospitals have an increased rate of retention among nurses.

One of those key team members was Barbara J. (B.J.) Hannon, MSN, RN, who helped champion the effort to attain the Magnet Hospital Award. "This award confirms what our talented nursing staff already know, that the practice of nursing at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics is setting the bar for excellence in nursing practice, innovation, research and patient care in this country," said Hannon.

The Magnet Nursing Services Recognition Program was established in 1993 to recognize health care organizations that provide the very best in nursing care and uphold the tradition within nursing that supports professional nursing practice. It is the highest level of recognition that the American Nurses Credentialing Center can accord to organized nursing services in the national and international health care communities.

The ANCC is the nation's largest and foremost accrediting and credentialing organization for the nursing profession. The Magnet Recognition Program provides important national and international recognition to health care organizations that demonstrate sustained excellence in nursing care.