After gathering in James 518 to await a phone call from the chair of the
Commission on the Magnet Recognition Program®, James staff applaud
the Sept. 19 announcement that the hospital has received the Magnet®
designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center.

OSUCCC – JAMES ACHIEVES PRESTIGIOUS MAGNET® DESIGNATION
Following countless hours of work and dedication by nurses, faculty and staff over the past few years, Ohio State’s James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute has achieved the highly prestigious Magnet® designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC).

Only 392 hospitals out of more than 6,000 across the United States have earned Magnet status. The Magnet Recognition Program® recognizes healthcare organizations for quality patient care, nursing excellence and innovations in professional nursing practice. Consumers widely view Magnet status as the ultimate credential for quality nursing.

OSUCCC – James Chief Nursing Officer Susan Brown, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, received official word of the Magnet designation in a Sept. 19 phone call from Deborah Zimmermann, DNP, MS, RN, NEA-BC, chair of the Commission on the Magnet Recognition Program®, who shared accolades from the site visit team that came to The James last July. Among her comments were:

  • “The level of engagement related to your primary nursing care delivery model was exemplary. Nurses at all levels are fully engaged in the implementation.”

  • “Your patients shared with the appraisers how they depended on and respected their primary nurse. They said it was a comfort to be cared for by such caring and expert nurses.”

  • “Throughout your organization, nursing research is richly acculturated and used by your team at all levels. You have strong structures and processes to develop, expand and advance nursing research.”

The James officially applied for Magnet Recognition® in February 2011 and submitted a written application containing approximately 3,100 pages in February 2013. After the application scored in the “excellence” range, the hospital earned a three-day Magnet site visit in July.

“The Magnet application and review process was rigorous and demanded widespread participation from our leadership and staff,” wrote Brown and Michael A. Caligiuri, MD, OSUCCC director and James CEO, in a congratulatory staff memo. “We would like to extend a special thank you to: Jamie Ezekielian, MS, RN, OCN, director of professional practice; Christine Krall, MSN, RN, OCN, Magnet Recognition program manager; Linda Johnson, MS, RN, professional practice program manager; Louise Williams, BSN, RN, CNOR, Magnet council chair; and Sue Hines, office manager, for leading our Magnet journey.”

Brown and Caligiuri also congratulated “all of our James nurses who work tirelessly every day to help create a cancer-free world for our patients. This is a very well-deserved honor.”

Magnet Recognition will remain in effect for four years and can be renewed if the hospital reapplies and continues to demonstrate performance according to quality benchmarks and reporting.  

Watch the phone call from the Commission on Magnet