Inova Fairfax Medical Campus Celebrates Magnet® Redesignation for Nursing Excellence

Top-Ranked Hospital in Virginia Achieves Prestigious Honor Following Successful ANCC Site Visit

Falls Church, VA – Inova Fairfax Medical Campus (IFMC) is proud to announce its continued recognition by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) as a Magnet® hospital – a distinction considered the gold standard for nursing excellence and a mark of the highest quality in patient care and clinical outcomes. Fewer than 10 percent of hospitals in the United States have earned Magnet status.

“This achievement is a testament to the passion, expertise, and excellence of our nursing teams and care providers across Inova Fairfax,” said Ashley Virts, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, Interim Chief Nursing Officer, Inova Fairfax Medical Campus. “Maintaining our Magnet status is not only a point of pride—it’s essential to fulfilling our mission to provide worldclass care to every patient in each community we have the privilege to serve.”

Magnet designation is the most prestigious nursing credential a healthcare organization can receive and validates that IFMC’s nurses consistently deliver the highest standards of care. Hospitals applying for Magnet status must meet demanding criteria, including benchmarks in nursing leadership, excellence in patient care, quality outcomes, innovation, professional development and collaborative practice. The process for earning the status is lengthy and measures four years’ worth of performance data.

“While Magnet is led by nursing, it reflects the collective excellence of clinical and support services, providers, and staff across the entire IFMC enterprise,” said Steve Narang, MD, President, IFMC. “Every major service line and department was evaluated during the site visit—underscoring that Magnet truly is a team sport.”

The work environment created by those designated as Magnet hospitals has proven to result in higher job satisfaction for nurses. A growing body of research shows this has a direct effect on the quality of patient care, evident not only in decreased mortality rates and shorter hospital stays, but also in higher patient satisfaction ratings.

To achieve Magnet status, organizations must demonstrate support for education and development through every career stage for its nursing staff including a nurse residency, specialty practice fellowships, a research and evidence-based practice program, and tuition reimbursement for Bachelor of Science in Nursing degrees and higher education.

Inova remains one of the largest health systems in the country where every eligible hospital has earned Magnet status—further distinguishing its system-wide commitment to quality and innovation in care delivery. Inova Loudoun and Inova Fair Oaks hospitals have maintained Magnet status since 2006 and 2009, respectively. Inova Fairfax Hospital was among the first in the country to be recognized as a Magnet hospital in 1997 and maintained the designation through 2015 and was designated again in 2020. Inova Mount Vernon Hospital earned Magnet Status in March 2022 and Inova Alexandria Hospital in 2023.

About Inova

We are Inova, Northern Virginia and the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area’s leading nonprofit healthcare provider. With expertise and compassion, we partner with our patients to help them stay healthy. We treat illness, heal injury and look at a patient’s whole health to help them flourish. Through our expansive network of hospitals, primary and specialty care practices, emergency and urgent care centers, and outpatient services, Inova provides care for more than one million unique patients every year. Total patient visits exceed four million annually, demonstrating our ability to deliver the best clinical care and ensuring a seamless experience for all who rely on us for their healthcare needs.

Consistently ranked and recognized as a national healthcare leader in safety, quality and patient experience, Inova’s world-class care is made possible by the strength and breadth of our network, our 25,000 team members, our technology and our innovation. In 2025, Inova was named the Health System of the Year by Press Ganey, a national leader in healthcare experience, recognizing our excellence in patient care, team member engagement, and commitment to continuous improvement.

Inova is home to Northern Virginia’s only Level 1 Trauma Center and Level 4 Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and provides high-quality healthcare to each person in every community we are privileged to serve – regardless of ability to pay – every day of their life. More information about Inova can be found at www.inova.org.