Recognition for the fourth time reinforces a commitment to nursing excellence.
Houston, TX— The Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center announced today that it attained Magnet recognition again in 2019, a testament to its continued dedication to high-quality nursing practice. The American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Magnet Recognition Program® distinguishes health care organizations that meet rigorous standards for nursing excellence. This credential is the highest national honor for professional nursing practice.
Receiving Magnet recognition for the fourth time is a great achievement for the Houston VA as it continues to proudly belong to the global community of Magnet-recognized organizations. Just 8% of U.S. hospitals have achieved Magnet recognition. Houston VA is the first VA in the country to attain Magnet recognition four times.
“Magnet recognition is a tremendous honor and reflects our commitment to delivering the highest quality of care to our Veterans,” said Kelly Irving, MEDVAMC Associate Director for Patient Care Services. “To earn Magnet recognition once was a great accomplishment and an incredible source of pride for our nurses. Our repeated achievement of this credential underscores the foundation of excellence and values that drive our staff to strive harder each day to meet the health care needs of the Veterans we serve.” Houston VA maintains the lowest nursing turnover of any VA in the nation.
Research demonstrates that Magnet recognition provides specific benefits to health care organizations and their communities, such as:
- Higher patient satisfaction with nurse communication, availability of help and receipt of discharge information.
- Lower risk of 30-day mortality and lower failure to rescue rates.
- Higher job satisfaction among nurses.
Magnet recognition is the gold standard for nursing excellence and is a factor when the public judges health care organizations. Houston VA treats more than 113,000 Veterans in southeast Texas. As one of the largest and most complex VA Medical Centers in the country, the Houston VA is home to a Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Clinic; Network Polytrauma Center; an award-winning Cardiac and General Surgery Program; Liver Transplant Center; VA Epilepsy and Cancer Centers of Excellence; VA Substance Abuse Disorder Quality Enhancement Research Initiative; Health Services Research & Development Center of Innovation; VA Rehabilitation Research of Excellence focusing on mild to moderate traumatic brain injury; Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center; and one of the VA’s six Parkinson’s Disease Research, Education, and Clinical Centers. Including the outpatient clinics in Beaumont, Conroe, Galveston, Houston, Katy, Lake Jackson, Lufkin, Richmond, Texas City, and Tomball, Houston outpatient clinics log nearly 1.4 million outpatient visits annually.