MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center has earned Magnet redesignation for excellence in nursing services by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Magnet Recognition Program – the highest level of recognition a nursing program can achieve in the United States. Only three percent of the nation’s hospitals have earned the honor.

The Magnet designation honors medical facilities with the highest standards of patient care and innovation. Only six percent of hospitals nationwide, or less than 500, have achieved it. Only five other hospitals in Maryland are Magnet hospitals.

During an amplified phone call in the hospital’s Kotzen auditorium, Brian Selig, vice-chair of the nurse magnet designation for the commission, informed an audience of nurses that a survey revealed visible and trusted nursing leadership at MedStar Franklin Square. Additionally, he cited the family-oriented hospital culture, commitment to quality and interdisciplinary teamwork, combined with a strong reputation that keeps nurses working at the hospital for decades.

“The data that you provided outperformed your vendor’s national benchmark one-hundred percent of the time for all eight quarters. Some really exceptional work there,” he said.

“Patients at MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center should know the care they receive is rated among the highest in the country,” said Debbie Kisner, PhD, RN, CNOR, NEA-BC the hospital’s vice president of nursing and chief nursing officer. “This is the third time MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center has been honored with this designation and we know it’s because of the hard work, great attitude, and professionalism of our nurses. We are so proud to be ranked among the most elite hospitals in the country for our nursing standards.”

“It’s virtually impossible to achieve magnet status without a team, and I think that is what distinguishes MedStar Franklin Square: the richness of the collaboration and the teamwork,” said Maureen McCausland, DNSc, RN, FAAN, chief nursing officer and senior vice president at MedStar Health.

The designation also confirms MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center’s approach to treating nursing as an integral part of the patient experience, with nurses at the hospital supported, guided and respected in their career path.

MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center was the first community teaching hospital in the state of Maryland to receive redesignation. The hospital received its initial designation in 2008, something only five percent of U.S. hospitals and two others in Maryland had achieved at the time.

To be redesignated twice is a rare accomplishment.

Hospitals are rigorously evaluated during the Magnet designation process, submitting significant paperwork to document nursing excellence and hosting ANCC Magnet representatives for an on-site review.