Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla First in San Diego to Achieve Magnet Nursing Re-designation

La Jolla, Calif. — Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla has received re-designation as a Magnet hospital for nursing excellence from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC).


The new four-year Magnet designation acknowledges Scripps La Jolla’s continued success in delivering high-caliber patient-centered care as well as innovation in professional nursing, and provides consumers with the ultimate benchmark to measure the quality of care that they can expect to receive.


“To be the first hospital in the San Diego area to earn Magnet status was a tremendous accomplishment and a great source of pride for our staff,” says Mary Ellen Doyle, RN, chief nursing executive at Scripps La Jolla. “To achieve Magnet re-designation and retain that status for another four years underscores the commitment of our nursing staff to continually strive for excellence and provide the best care possible.”


Scripps La Jolla, which employs 971 nurses, was the first facility in San Diego to be recognized as a Magnet hospital in 2005. Only six percent of the nation’s 6,000 hospitals are recognized as Magnet facilities by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. Only three percent of the nation’s hospitals have achieved Magnet re-designation.


“Magnet re-designation is not only a tremendous award for our nurses, it reflects on everyone at Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla,” says Gary Fybel, chief executive, Scripps La Jolla. “We are a better care provider today because of our Magnet designation four years ago. And this re-designation re-affirms that our nurses, physicians and hospital staff continue to be committed to the development and promotion of nursing excellence.”


According to the ANCC, the leading nursing credentialing organization in the United States, Magnet designation is widely accepted as the gold standard of patient care. The Magnet program recognizes excellence and professionalism in nursing management, philosophy and practices, adherence to standards for improving the quality of patient care and attention to cultural and ethnic diversity. Applicants undergo an extensive evaluation, and members who are awarded Magnet status must continue to pass bi-annual reviews as part of their four-year designation.


Scripps La Jolla maintained its Magnet designation following a rigorous process that included the submission of 2,900 pages of written documentation in October, a three-day site visit by Magnet appraisers this past March and a review of the document and site visit summaries by the Commission on Magnet Recognition, which decides whether to award Magnet status.


Scripps La Jolla offers a number of professional development opportunities for nurses, including tuition reimbursement and scholarships, committee involvement, continuing education hours, support for attendance and presentations at national conferences, assistance with national certifications, and an onsite degree program. Nurses are encouraged to participate in shaping professional nursing practice through committee engagement, research utilization, and community involvement.


The Magnet Recognition Program, established in 1993, recognizes quality patient care and nursing excellence to provide patients and hospitals with the ultimate benchmark to measure the quality of care they can expect to receive. For more information on the Magnet program, visit www.nursecredentialing.org.


Learn more about Scripps La Jolla’s Magnet nurses.


Contact: Suzi Bustamante

Phone: 858-626-7143

E-mail: bustamante.suzi@scrippshealth.org

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