National reputation for nursing excellence
Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC), part of Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC), has attained its fifth designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s (ANCC) Magnet Recognition Program®. SVMC was the first hospital in Vermont to receive the designation in 2002. When SVMC received its fifth consecutive recognition, it was among an elite group of only three five-time hospitals in New England and only 28 five-time hospitals worldwide.
Obtaining Magnet recognition challenges hospitals to integrate the program’s concepts—transformational leadership, structural empowerment, exemplary professional practice, innovation, and the measurement of outcomes—into the fabric of their nursing operations. Nurses work with the support and guidance of their supervisors and in collaboration with other departments to improve care. They document and submit the results of dozens of complex multi-year improvement projects during each redesignation, which occurs every 4 years.
An American Nurses Credentialing Center
As an American Nurses Credentialing Center Magnet Center for Nursing Excellence since 2002, SVMC nurses live the principles of Transformational Leadership, Structural Empowerment, Exemplary Professional Practice, and New Knowledge, Innovations, and Improvements.
Lantern award
The Kendall Emergency Department at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC) has been selected as a recipient of the Emergency Nurses Association’s 2024 Lantern Award for demonstrating excellence in leadership, practice, education, advocacy and research performance.
The Lantern Award showcases emergency department’s (ED's) accomplishments in incorporating evidence-based practice and innovation into emergency care. As part of the application, EDs are encouraged to share stories that highlight a commitment to patient care, as well as the well-being of nursing staff. The award serves as a visible symbol of a commitment to quality, safety and a healthy work environment.
Frequently asked questions
What is Magnet?
In evaluating whether a healthcare organization should achieve ANCC Magnet Recognition®, ANCC considers the following five components, which are regarded as global issues in nursing and healthcare:
- Visionary leadership transforming the organization to meet changing needs
- Empowered staff properly prepared to face all challenges
- Competent, dedicated, and empowered nurses
- Continued innovation within staff knowledge, clinical practice, and systemic improvements
- Outcomes measurement systems in place throughout the entire organization
When did SVMC receive its first Magnet?
SVMC became Vermont's First Magnet Hospital in 2002 when the American Nurses' Credentialing Center (ANCC) recognized SVMC for nursing excellence. The ANCC offers Magnet designation every four years, and SVMC was redesignated in 2006, 2010, and 2015. SVMC was only the third hospital in New England to earn Magnet designation for a fourth consecutive time.
How is Magnet recognition evaluated?
To achieve Magnet recognition, organizations must pass a rigorous and lengthy 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 onsite review process, the Commission on Magnet will review the completed appraisal report and vote to determine whether Magnet recognition will be granted.
An organization seeking to reapply for Magnet recognition must provide documented evidence of how Magnet concepts were sustained over the four-year period since the hospital’s most recent Magnet recognition. As organizations that have mastered these areas, Magnet-recognized healthcare organizations serve as the fount of knowledge and expertise for the delivery of nursing care globally.
Why choose a Magnet hospital?
Across the board, Magnet organizations demonstrate higher patient satisfaction with nurse communication, availability of help, and receipt of discharge information, as well as lower risk of 30-day mortality, lower failure to rescue, and lower rates of falls.
Magnet recognition has become the gold standard for nursing excellence and is taken into consideration when the public judges healthcare organizations. In fact, 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.
What's working for a Magnet hospital like?
The principles that Magnet recognizes—leadership, empowerment, competence, innovation, and the measurement of outcomes—make Magnet hospitals deeply rewarding places for nurses to work. Under this model, each nurse in the hospital has the power to research and propose transformational changes to improve patient care. For more information about working at SVMC, visit the Careers page.