Inova Fair Oaks Hospital Receives Magnet® Designation for Nursing Excellence
Also Recognized for Fourteen “Exemplars” for Top Performance
Falls Church, VA –– Inova Fair Oaks Hospital is proud to announce it has been re-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 about 8 percent of the approximately 6,100 hospitals in the United States have achieved Magnet status.
“This Magnet re-designation is a testament to the exceptional quality of care provided by our nurses and the strength of our nursing leadership, said Raj Chand, MD, President and Chief Operations Officer, Inova Fair Oaks. “We are incredibly proud of and grateful for the nurses at Fair Oaks, who create a dynamic clinical practice environment where extraordinary clinical outcomes are achieved.”
In addition to receiving its Magnet designation, Inova Fair Oaks also achieved fourteen “exemplars” for top performance in nursing satisfaction, infection prevention for central lines and urinary catheters, care coordination, and patient satisfaction for responsiveness and careful listening. Exemplars are nationally recognized best practice models.
“Magnet designation is the gold standard of excellence in nursing, and I am proud to be part of an organization that has achieved this level of recognition,” said Deborah Fulbrook, Chief Nursing Officer at Inova Fair Oaks. “Our exceptional nursing team is the cornerstone of our organization and their dedication to excellence in caring for our patients and each other is the embodiment of Inova’s mission, vision, and values.”
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 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. Inova Alexandria hospital is actively pursuing the designation.
About Inova
Inova is Northern Virginia’s leading nonprofit healthcare provider. 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 20,000 team members care for patients through more than 2 million visits annually across an integrated network of hospitals, primary and specialty care practices, emergency and urgent care centers, outpatient services and destination institutes.
Inova’s five hospitals are consistently recognized by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals and Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades for excellence in healthcare.
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.