Lake Forest Hospital receives highest nursing honor
LAKE FOREST - Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital attained Magnet recognition by the American Nurses Credentialing Center for the hospital's commitment to high-quality patient care, nursing excellence and innovations in nursing practices.
The credential is the highest honor an organization can receive for professional nursing practice.
"Whether in our emergency department or one of our many outpatient clinics, our dedicated nursing staff always puts patients first by providing comfort, compassion and experienced clinical care," said Thomas J. McAfee, president of Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital. "This tremendous honor validates their commitment to every patient who walks through our hospital doors."
Lake Forest Hospital first achieved Magnet recognition in 2010. To achieve initial recognition, hospitals must pass a process that demands widespread participation from leadership and staff. The process begins with the submission of an electronic application, followed by written documentation demonstrating qualitative and quantitative evidence regarding patient care and outcomes. If scores from the written documentation fall within a range of excellence, an on-site visit will occur to thoroughly assess the applicant. After this rigorous on-site review process, the Commission on Magnet reviews the completed appraisal report and votes to determine whether Magnet recognition will be granted.
During the redesignation process, the Lake Forest Hospital nursing team provided documented evidence demonstrating how Magnet concepts, performance, and quality were sustained and improved over the past four years since the hospital was first designated in 2010. After the on-site evaluation in June, the ANCC highlighted five exemplary nursing practices that made a significant impact on patient care. These included the strength and maturity of the nursing leadership, the strong relationship between the chief nursing officer and clinical nurses and the positive influence the Lake Forest Hospital nurses had on their environment and patient care outcomes.
"Our nurses are outstanding caregivers who work very hard to support each other while providing the most compassionate and comprehensive patient care," said Denise Majeski, MSN, RN, vice president of operations and chief nurse executive at Lake Forest Hospital. "I am so proud that our hard work and commitment to nursing excellence has been recognized with this Magnet designation - a well-deserved honor."
Magnet recognition has become the gold standard for nursing excellence. The ANCC reports that only 7 percent of hospitals in the United States have achieved Magnet status.