Exeter Hospital Nears National Recognition for Nursing Care

EXETER, NH - Exeter Hospital could soon be among the top seven percent of hospitals nationwide for providing consistently high quality nursing care to patients.

Hospital staff is energized and optimistic following a site visit from representatives of the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) Magnet Recognition Program
in December. The Magnet Recognition Program is based on research that revealed a link between the characteristics of hospitals that are able to attract and retain highly trained
nurses and those that also achieve exceptional outcomes for patient safety and satisfaction, quality of care and decreased mortality rates.

The intensive three-day site visit by representatives from the ANCC was the last step in a multi-year application process undertaken by the hospital to achieve
Magnet Recognition. The hospital will be notified of the ANCC decision in late winter. There are only three hospitals in New Hampshire that are currently recognized
as Magnet facilities including Dartmouth Hitchcock, Southern New Hampshire Medical Center and St. Joseph’s Hospital.

“Magnet Recognition is the gold star for nursing, which signifies to physicians, potential employees, and patients that a hospital has a very high level of nursing care,” explained Karen Richards, DNP, RN, NE-BC, Exeter Hospital’s Magnet Program director. “It is not easy to achieve and requires a long-term commitment by the hospital to advancing the practice of nursing and the role of nurses in patient care.”

As part of its journey towards providing a consistently higher level of nursing care, Exeter Hospital places a priority on hiring nurses who have a minimum of
a baccalaureate level education in nursing,
explained Fran Bonardi, MBA, RN, vice president of Acute Care Services and associate chief nurse for Exeter Hospital. Nurses are supported in furthering their education and to become certified in their clinical specialty through a
tuition reimbursement benefit, while nurses already employed by Exeter Hospital who are not educated at the baccalaureate level in nursing are also offered tuition
reimbursement to further their education.

“Exeter Hospital has always worked to foster a professional environment that supports learning and development among staff,” said Susan Burns-Tisdale, MPH, RN,
NEA-BC, Exeter Hospital’s executive vice president of Patient Care Services and chief nurse executive. “We found that our philosophy that embraces education and professional development gels with the approach Magnet Recognition requires among its hospitals.”

The hospital embraces the Relationship Based Care team approach to patient care and created a shared governance structure in which direct care nurses lead councils
and committees designed to improve patient care. There is very low turnover of nursing staff at the hospital.

“The nurses are highly satisfied working here, they feel they have a voice,” Burns-Tisdale said.

The hospital submitted a lengthy written document to the Magnet Recognition Program detailing their approach to nursing care and patient outcomes in June of 2012.
They received a score of excellent on that part of the application which ensured they would receive a site visit, the next step in the recognition process. Only 70 percent of hospitals that apply score well enough to get a
site visit. During that December visit, the representatives from the ANCC took part in over 50 meetings with everyone from nurses to support staff to doctors
to senior leadership at the hospital. They also solicited feedback from those in the community about how the hospital is viewed as a neighbor in terms of outreach and philanthropy.

“The nurses were thrilled to have the opportunity to share their work with the visitors and the joy was palpable here throughout those three days,” said Bonardi. “People shared why they come to work every day—to provide safe, high
quality patient care, to experience joy in their work and to have the chance to own their practice.”