Inova Fairfax Hospital Receives Magnet® Designation for Nursing Excellence

Also Cited as “Exemplar” for a Best Practice Care Model

Falls Church, VA – (December 16, 2020) – Inova Fairfax Hospital is proud to announce it has once again been designated as a Magnet® hospital by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). Magnet status is considered the highest organizational honor awarded for nursing excellence. Currently only 8.5 percent of the approximately 6,100 hospitals in the United States have achieved Magnet status.

“Achieving Magnet designation is truly a testament to the pride, passion and unwavering professionalism of our world-class nursing team and amplifies our mission to provide world-class healthcare – every time, every touch – to each person in every community we have the privilege to serve,” said Patricia Hill, RN, Chief Nursing Officer for Inova Fairfax Hospital. “We are incredibly proud of and grateful for our nurses, who create a dynamic clinical practice environment where extraordinary clinical outcomes are achieved – honoring their work is a cornerstone of our culture. Realizing this meaningful milestone during the World Health Organization’s ‘Year of the Nurse’ is particularly magical.”

“We are truly honored to have once again achieved this designation,” said Steve Narang, MD, President of Inova Fairfax Medical Campus. “This is a wonderful capstone to what has been a challenging year. Our exceptional nursing team is the cornerstone of our organization. Their dedication to excellence in caring for our patients and each other is inspiring.”

In addition to receiving its Magnet designation, Inova Fairfax also was singled out by ANCC with an “exemplar” for its Merit Rounding program that has been a central part of its care for COVID-19 patients. Exemplars are nationally recognized best practice models.

Hospitals applying for Magnet status must meet demanding criteria, including benchmarks in nursing leadership, excellence in patient care, quality clinical standards, and a commitment to continued quality review and improvement. The process for earning the status is lengthy and measures four years’ worth of performance data.

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 makes a substantial commitment to the professional growth and development of our team members,” said Hill. “One example is our state-of-the-art Inova Center for Advanced Medical Simulation based here on the Inova Fairfax Medical Campus. Having an opportunity to work through hands-on simulations of new procedures or skills, particularly when multidisciplinary teams are involved, is invaluable and fosters our ability to provide highly reliable quality care.”

Inova Loudoun and Inova Fair Oaks hospitals have maintained Magnet status since 2006 and 2009, respectively. Inova Mount Vernon and Inova Alexandria hospitals are also both actively pursuing the designation. 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. In 2017, the commitment to once again attain Magnet status was initiated, culminating in the new 2020 designation.

Work at Inova! Join Inova Fairfax Hospital’s Magnet® team of nurses.

About Inova

Inova is Northern Virginia’s leading nonprofit healthcare provider, recognized in 2019 and 2020 by U.S. News & World Report, which named Inova Fairfax Hospital the #1 hospital in the Washington, DC region. Each of Inova’s five hospitals holds a 5-star rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), distinguishing Inova as the highest-rated large health system in the U.S., and the only system to have all hospitals receive five stars.  All five Inova hospitals were awarded ‘A’ grades for the Fall 2020 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades, recognizing Inova’s achievements in protecting patients from harm and providing safer healthcare. Inova Fairfax Medical Campus was named to the Fortune/IBM Watson Health 100 Top Hospitals list, ranking in the top 10 nationwide among Major Teaching Hospitals. Our mission is to provide world-class healthcare – every time, every touch – to each person in every community we have the privilege to serve. Inova’s 18,000 team members serve more than 2 million individuals annually through an integrated network of hospitals, primary and specialty care practices, emergency and urgent care centers, outpatient services and destination institutes. Inova is home to Northern Virginia’s only Level 1 Trauma Center and Level 4 Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Its hospitals have a total of 1,936 licensed beds. More information and statistics about Inova can be found at www.inova.org.