Recognized for exceptional patient care and excellence in nursing practice, VCU Medical Center has been re-designated as a Magnet® hospital by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). The Magnet Recognition Program is the highest national credential for nursing programs and is considered a gold standard.

According to the ANCC, VCU Medical Center demonstrates high quality and patient-centered care through transformational leadership, structural empowerment, and exemplary professional practice. The organization was specifically noted for its strategic initiative to reduce workplace violence and improve safety for patients and team members and the success of its Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)-accredited Nurse Residency Program to transition new graduate registered nurses, particularly with a 100 percent retention rate during the COVID-19 pandemic.

VCU Medical Center was also recognized for the Emergency Department and Stroke Program’s collaborative efforts to minimize or eliminate the irreversible loss of brain tissue for patients experiencing acute ischemic stroke through the timely administration of thrombolytics. The organization consistently outperformed the benchmark door to needle (DTN) median times of less than 45 minutes consistently since the third quarter of 2017.

“To be re-designated as a Magnet hospital for the fourth time – amid a year that has presented unthinkable challenges for health care workers – speaks to the incredible resilience and expertise of VCU Medical Center nurses,” said Jeniece Roane, interim chief nursing officer of VCU Health. “Our care teams bring their innovative spirits and deep sense of humanity with them to work every day, and I am so proud of the countless ways they go above and beyond expectations to care for our patients."

VCU Medical Center nurses like Lindsey Smith, a clinical nurse in the Acute Neuroscience Unit, were applauded for their compassionate, quality and safe patient care.

“Our patients here at VCU Health are receiving the absolute best care by the best nurses, creating the best patient outcomes,” says Lindsey Smith, who is also chair of VCU Health’s Nursing Recognition and Retention Committee. “Working at a Magnet designated hospital means feeling empowered to do amazing things for not only our patients, but also our fellow nurses. I would never be able to grow so much in my professional nursing career without the support this organization provides for their nurses.”

A Magnet-designated hospital for the past 14 years, VCU Medical Center is the only hospital in the Richmond area to receive the honor four times consecutively. 

“Being a nurse at a Magnet-designated hospital allows me the opportunity to share my voice in decisions affecting my unit and the organization – through a shared governance model, champion groups and quality committees – while remaining at the bedside with patients. I am encouraged to continue my professional growth with exceptional benefits, and being part of an organization that supports me from every angle allows me to be the best version of myself for my patients,” said Claudia Diggs, a nurse and clinical coordinator for Acute Care Surgery. “Our patients receive the best and safest care because VCU Medical Center nurses are provided with the most up to date evidence-based practice and have continued advancements in innovative medicine.”