University of Colorado Hospital named Magnet care facility

The University of Colorado Hospital has recently earned international recognition for its continued excellence in nursing and overall patient care.

"It's an awesome achievement. One of the best moments of my career," said Carolyn Sanders, vice president of patient services and chief nursing officer at the hospital.

The American Nurses Credential Center's Magnet Recognition Program accredits the "magnet" distinction every four years to hospitals that display superior commitment to patient care, positive work environment, and overall excellence.

This year's recognition marks the third straight time the university hospital has been given magnet status.

Danielle Schloffman, magnet program director at the hospital, said the status recognizes not just the nursing staff, but everybody working at the hospital.

Sanders agreed. "I also want to recognize the efforts of the entire organization, because the nursing staff couldn't have done it alone," she said.

The university hospital is now in the top percentile of hospitals in the nation. There are about 6,000 hospitals in the United States, including 359 magnet hospitals. Out of those 359, only 31 have received the magnet status three times in a row.

Schloffman said that although the hospital has been recognized by the magnet program multiple times, the process does not get easier. "It's not a guarantee," she said. "They expect more and more every time you go for this."

According to Schloffman, in order to earn the magnet status, the hospital has to submit over 3,000 pages of documentation. After the submission, which equals 14 volumes of evidence, the American Nurses Credential Center performs a site visit. During the visit, the appraisers spend time interviewing as many people as possible and observing daily routines.

"They verify that we are living what we wrote out," said Schloffman. "That a culture of excellence is represented everywhere."

The magnet distinction creates an atmosphere of excellence at the hospital, according to Schloffman. Although the hospital does not receive extra funding or grants as a result of this honor, it does benefit from the classification. "The distinction is validation for what we're doing," Schloffman said, "and an objective measure for patients to use."

Aside from a benchmark for patients to use for choosing a health care facility, the distinction also helps in recruiting nurses and retaining staff.

Also, the US News and World Report now uses the magnet distinction when ranking the country's top 100 hospitals.

According to Schloffman, by obtaining magnet status, the hospital has solidified itself as a competitive research hospital, and one committed to serving patients and staff.

"We're really proud," said Schloffman. "We are the first in Denver to get this three times. It's not just for us; what we do here in the hospital is also for the patients."