With only about 100 hospitals in the United States earning “Magnet” status from the American Nurses Credentialing Center, the nurses at Raritan Bay Medical Center had cause to celebrate this week.
After receiving word that the hospital, with divisions in Perth Amboy and Old Bridge, was chosen for the designation, the nurses joined with other Raritan Bay employees to celebrate at an afternoon reception Tuesday.
Raritan Bay underwent a comprehensive application process, detailed site visits and lengthy interviews with appraisers from a Maryland-based credentialing center in order to receive Magnet status, one of the highest achievements in nursing.
The Magnet Recognition Program was developed to recognize healthcare organizations for excellence in nursing care within a professional practice. The program disseminates successful practices and strategies among nursing systems.
“Today’s celebration is in honor of every one of our nurses, whose diverse expertise makes for a superb team,” said Michael R. D’Agnes, Raritan Bay’s president and chief executive officer. “I’d like to extend special appreciation to the medical center staff who spent the past year working on this application, which made the credentialing center see how special we are.”
Dr. Constance Patten said the designation demonstrates the quality of the nursing staff, as well as all the medical professionals who interact with the nurses on a day-to-day basis.
“This is a wonderful validation for the quality of care that we give,” Patten said.
The accreditation will also boost Raritan Bay’s effort to recruit and retain the best nurses available, officials at the hospital said.
According to the American Nurses Credentialing Center, 93 percent of the public has more confidence in the overall quality of a hospital if it complies with the strict standards of the Magnet program requires for accreditation. Its research also shows the designation also attracts high-quality physicians and specialists.