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University Hospital seeks special nursing status - If it's successful, UH would be the first "magnet" hospital in San Antonio
>University Hospital is getting ready for an important visit. Next month, the will be traveling to San Antonio to see if UH deserves an award.
is a busy place, with thousands of patients and more than 900 full time nurses. "We have the sickest," explained Nancy Ray, RN, Chief Nursing Officer. "We take care of people from all over the region."
Now, how those nurses perform their jobs is coming under scrutiny, as the ANCC determines if the hospital deserves Magnet status, a symbol of excellence in the field.
The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) is seeking public comment on University Hospital until Nov. 5. Send them your comments at:
ANCC Magnet Recognition Program Office, 8515 Georgia Ave., Suite 400 Silver Spring, MD 20910
Fax: (301) 628-5217
Phone (toll free): (866)588-3301
Email:
Magnet status would be a coup for University Hospital. About 300 of the nation's 5,000 hospitals have earned this seal of approval. Only 21 in Texas have it. None in San Antonio. University would be the first.
Ray says her facility has worked hard to standardize practices so that any patient on any floor on any day receives the same quality of care.
"If you do things the same way every time," she said, "you are less likely to introduce human error and human frailty."
Earning Magnet status is considered a "gold standard" of excellence. Ray is confident her hospital will be named to the list, a designation that lasts for four years.
"Quality is something that you are always measuring," Ray emphasized. "You are always looking to improve. This is a journey that will go on forever."
The ANCC is asking for public input. They want to hear from former and current patients of University Hospital about the nursing care.
