Fox Chase Cancer Center today announced that it has received the American Nursing Association's (ANA) highest honor for outstanding nursing. The ANA has bestowed Magnet Nursing Services Recognition Award upon Fox Chase, making it the first hospital in Pennsylvania and the first cancer specialty hospital in the nation to receive such recognition.
"This award demonstrates our nurses' dedication and commitment to the patients at Fox Chase Cancer Center and to each other," said Joanne Hambleton, R.N., director of nursing services at Fox Chase. "We believe in the individual and group excellence of our nursing staff, and now a national review board has also recognized our nurses for their superb professionalism and quality of care."
The Magnet Nursing Services Recognition Program for Excellence in Nursing Services was established in 1993 to uphold and rigorously review the voluntary guidelines that demonstrate superior nursing. Only 18 other institutions nationwide have been recognized as Magnet hospitals. These institutions serve as "magnets" to attract and retain professional nurses who experience a high degree of professional and personal satisfaction through their practice.
In the award letter received today, it states "It is with great pleasure that the Commission accords this important national recognition for excellence in nursing service to the Fox Chase Cancer Center acute care nursing service. This award denotes national recognition for your commitment to the delivery of quality nursing service… The American Nurses Credentialing Center commends you on this achievement and your commitment to maintaining the highest standards in the provision of nursing services."
The Magnet Program provides a framework to recognize excellence in: the management philosophy and practices of nursing services; adherence to standards for improving the quality of patient care; leadership of the chief nurse executive in supporting professional practice and continued competence of nursing personnel; and attention to the cultural and ethnic diversity of patients and their significant others, as well as to the care providers in the system.
"The overall goal of the program is to identify excellence in nursing and to recognize institutions that act as a 'magnet' by creating a work environment that recognizes and rewards professional nursing," explains Hambleton. "The very best nurses want to work at 'magnet' institutions. That translates into excellent patient care."
"This award recognizes what we already knew about our dedicated and caring nurses," said Fox Chase president Robert C. Young, M.D. "Having the Magnet status will create very tangible results for Fox Chase Cancer Center. It will enhance recruitment and retention of highly qualified professional nurses, thus facilitating consistent delivery of quality patient care."
The Magnet recognition status is valid for a four-year period, after which Fox Chase must reapply.
Fox Chase Cancer Center, one of the nation's first comprehensive cancer centers designated by the National Cancer Institute in 1974, conducts basic and clinical research; programs of prevention, detection and treatment of cancer; and community outreach. For more information about Fox Chase activities, visit the Center's web site at: www.fccc.edu.