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By
Tammy J. Gay
Karen
Stefaniak, chief nursing officer, UK Hospital Nursing
Services, congratulates a UK nurse on one year of
magnet status.
"For
UK Hospital, patient care is our highest priority,
and the Magnet Award recognizes the staff's commitment
to quality patient care."
--
Joseph Claypool,
director,
UK Hospital
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Lexington,
Ky. (Oct. 22, 2002) -- University
of Kentucky Hospital staff held a reception today
to celebrate the first anniversary of being named
a Magnet Hospital.
UK Hospital
was the first in Lexington - and only the 38th of
almost 6,000 hospitals in the nation - to achieve
the recognition from the American Nurses Credentialing
Center (ANCC), a subsidiary of the American Nurses
Association.
"Just
as a magnet attracts and retains, so this designation
means we attract and retain nurses and patients,"
said Karen Stefaniak, Ph.D., R.N., chief nursing officer,
UK Hospital Nursing Services. "Being a Magnet
Hospital is an ongoing challenge because we have to
report any changes that take place during the four
years between award applications."
Since becoming
a Magnet Hospital, Stefaniak's office gets at least
three to four phone calls or e-mails each day from
other hospitals and nursing facilities requesting
speakers, site visits and leadership advice.
"For
UK Hospital, patient care is our highest priority,
and the Magnet Award recognizes the staff's commitment
to quality patient care," said Joseph Claypool,
director, UK Hospital.
According
to a report in the March 2000 American Journal of
Nursing, a study found Magnet Hospitals had a 4.6
percent lower mortality rate for Medicare patients;
a 60 percent lower death rate for AIDS patients; higher
nurse-to-patient ratios; and shorter lengths of stay
for patients.
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