Morristown Medical Center Receives 5th Consecutive Magnet

Atlantic Health System’s Morristown Medical Center today announced it has been redesignated as a Magnet® hospital for the fifth consecutive time by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). The ANCC’s Magnet Recognition Program® honors healthcare organizations for quality patient care, nursing excellence and innovations in professional nursing practice.

Only 13 out of 482 Magnet-designated hospitals have been accredited five times.

Jeanette Ives Erickson, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, Chair of the Commission for the Magnet Recognition Program, shared the news with over 100 of Morristown Medical Center’s 1,800 nurses on Wednesday morning. See a video of how our nurses found out here.

“Our fifth consecutive Magnet desingation is a powerful testament to our communities that Morristown Medical Center nurses are committed to clinical excellence and exceptional patient care,” said Carol Jones, RN, Chief Nursing Officer, Morristown Medical Center. “For nurses, this redesignation shows that we attract and retain well-qualified nurses who promote quality patient care. For physicians, it means they can be confident they are working with a well-qualified group of nurses who work across specialties and multidisciplinary teams to deliver the best patient outcomes.”

“As the President of Morristown Medical Center, and as a nurse, I am extremely proud of Morristown Medical Center and our commitment to excellent patient care, improvement in care delivery, focus on education and research, strong partnership with our medical staff and communities, and continued opportunities for nurse empowerment and innovation,” said Trish O’Keefe, PhD, RN, president of Morristown Medical Center and nurse at the medical center for over 30 years.

To achieve Magnet recognition, organizations must pass a rigorous and lengthy process that requires widespread participation from leadership and staff.

Magnet redesignation is based on several factors including staff empowerment, shared decision making, professional development, nurse recruitment/retention, and a higher standard of practice.

Examples of these in practice at Morristown Medical Center include:

• A robust Shared Governance model for nurse empowerment that gives decision-making responsibility to the bedside nurse, which fosters accountability, promotes collaborative care, and results in more effective and efficient patient care.

• A nursing empowerment model that fosters a culture of nursing excellence that encourages and rewards nurses who go beyond existing performance standards.

• A professional practice model with patients and families at the center, driving all aspects of nursing care.

• In 2018, the nursing administration at Morristown Medical Center created a Center for Nursing Innovation and Research—a designated space for nurses to design and conduct nursing research to improve patient outcomes, explore evidence-based practice, and create innovations for nurses within Atlantic Health System and across the nation.

• Continued and higher education opportunities are plentiful and encouraged.

“Adaptation and innovation have been part of our nursing culture for years and the goal now is to prepare our nursing practice for the future of nursing excellence,” said Jones.

“When patients are cared for by Magnet nurses in a Magnet hospital, they know that they are being cared for by a nursing staff that is well-supported by administration, and well-respected by the physician colleagues they work with every day,” said Brandee Fetherman, RN, Director of Nursing, Morristown Medical Center. “Simply put, Magnet nurses make a significant contribution to patient outcomes every day.”

Learn more about nursing at Morristown Medical Center: https://www.atlantichealth.org/professionals-medical-education/nursing-programs/nursing-morristown-medical-center.html.