Arkansas Children’s Hospital Achieves Repeat Magnet® Recognition for Clinical Care and Nursing Excellence

LITTLE ROCK, AR. (April 20, 2022) – Arkansas Children’s Hospital has again received the highest international recognition for excellence in nursing, achieving redesignation as a Magnet^® hospital on Wednesday.

Just 8 percent of U.S. health care organizations earn Magnet^® designation, widely considered the highest international credential for professional nursing practice and signifying excellence in clinical care.

Magnet^® status is awarded by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), the largest nursing credentialing organization in the world, as a four-year designation highlighting exemplary professional nursing practices, interprofessional teamwork and superior patient care. The designation is widely viewed as a hallmark of outstanding health care cultures built on empowerment of teams and dedication to patient safety.

“A commitment to excellence drives the entire Arkansas Children’s team, demonstrated by meeting the rigorous standards of Magnet^® for a second time,” said Arkansas Children's President & CEO Marcy Doderer, FACHE. “By recognizing our world-class nursing care, this achievement further underscores terrific collaboration across our entire system as we advance children’s best interests together.”

Magnet recognition has been shown to provide specific benefits to health care organizations and their communities, including higher patient satisfaction, lower mortality rates and increased job satisfaction among nurses.

“Repeated Magnet^® recognition is a credit to our steadfast team members who strive daily to ensure children thrive,” said Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer Jamie Wiggins, MBA, RN, FACHE. “We are beyond proud of how the Arkansas Children’s team sets a standard for excellence as they champion children by making them better today and healthier tomorrow.”

To nurses, Magnet^® recognition means education and professional development through every career stage, which leads to greater autonomy at the bedside. To patients, it means the highest quality of care, delivered by teams empowered to reach their true potential.

U.S. News & World Report’s annual showcase of “America’s Best Hospitals” includes Magnet^® recognition in its ranking criteria for quality of inpatient care. The Magnet^® Model provides a framework for nursing practice, research and measurement of outcomes. 

The comprehensive designation process includes an electronic application, written patient care documentation, an on-site visit and a review by the Commission on Magnet^® Recognition, all demanding widespread participation from leadership and staff. Organizations reapplying for Magnet® must provide evidence of how staff members sustained and improved Magnet^® concepts and quality since their original designation. Arkansas Children’s Hospital’s redesignation process included more than 500 staff interviews over the course of three days.

Arkansas Children’s Hospital previously received Magnet designation in 2017.

ABOUT ARKANSAS CHILDREN'S
Arkansas Children's is the only health care system in the state solely dedicated to caring for Arkansas' more than 700,000 children. The private, non-profit organization includes two pediatric hospitals, a pediatric research institute and USDA nutrition center, a philanthropic foundation, a nursery alliance, statewide clinics, and many education and outreach programs — all focused on fulfilling a promise to define and deliver unprecedented child health. Arkansas Children’s Hospital (ACH) is a 336-bed, Magnet-recognized facility in Little Rock operating the state’s only Level I pediatric trauma center; the state's only burn center; the state's only Level IV neonatal intensive care unit; the state's only pediatric intensive care unit; the state’s only pediatric surgery program with Level 1 verification from the American College of Surgeons (ACS); the state’s only magnetoencephalography (MEG) system for neurosurgical planning and cutting-edge research; and the state's only nationally recognized pediatric transport program.  Additionally, ACH is nationally ranked by U.S. News & World Report in four pediatric subspecialties (2021—2022): Cardiology & Heart Surgery, Nephrology, Pulmonology and Urology. Arkansas Children’s Northwest (ACNW), the first and only pediatric hospital in the Northwest Arkansas region, is a level IV pediatric trauma center. ACNW operates a 24-bed inpatient unit; a surgical unit with five operating rooms; outpatient clinics offering over 20 subspecialties; diagnostic services; imaging capabilities; occupational therapy services; and Northwest Arkansas' only pediatric emergency department, equipped with 30 exam rooms. Generous philanthropic and volunteer engagement has sustained Arkansas Children's since it began as an orphanage in 1912, and today ensures the system can deliver on its promise of unprecedented child health. To learn more, visit archildrens.org.

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