Nursing Earns Magnet for Third Time

For the third time, MD Anderson has been granted Magnet recognition, a prestigious international status that honors nursing excellence from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC).

MD Anderson first received Magnet recognition in 2001 and was re-designated in 2006. A panel from the ANCC voted unanimously to re-designate MD Anderson a Magnet hospital this year after it successfully completed a rigorous four-day, on-site survey.

“Our nursing community makes Magnet recognition a major goal, and it’s a status that we share with each other, our MD Anderson colleagues and certainly, our patients and survivors,” says Barbara Summers, Ph.D., vice president and chief nursing officer at MD Anderson. “This designation recognizes our extraordinary community of nurses, their commitment to their profession and those they care for.”

MD Anderson employs more than 2,800 registered nurses, one of the largest contingents of clinical nurses in a highly specialized, high-acuity setting in the nation. Approximately 15% of the institution’s employment is its nursing staff, and its ranks are expected to increase as new units open with the expansion of the Albert B. and Margaret M. Alkek Hospital in the coming year.

Also in the coming year, MD Anderson’s new academic department within the Division of Nursing will continue to grow nursing research and evidence-based practice initiatives and enhance educational opportunities for all levels of nurses. Currently, about 550 nurses have master’s degrees and an increasing number have doctoral degrees.

The Magnet Recognition Program^® was developed by the American Nurses Credentialing Center to recognize health care organizations that demonstrate nursing excellence. Magnet status requires ongoing monitoring of standards and is valid for four years, after which recipients must reapply.