Southwestern Vermont Medical Center recognized nationally for nursing excellence

Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC), a member of Dartmouth Health, has attained its sixth designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s (ANCC) Magnet Recognition Program. 

SVMC was the first hospital in Vermont to receive the designation in 2002, and is now one of only three hospitals in New England, and 32 worldwide, to earn the accreditation for a sixth time. Only 642 organizations worldwide are Magnet facilities. 

“Obtaining a sixth Magnet designation represents SVMC’s consistent commitment to quality, safety, clinical communication and strong patient outcomes,” said Pamela Duchene, PhD, APRN, SVMC’s chief nursing officer and vice president of patient and quality services. “I’m immeasurably proud of our nursing leaders and teams who, with their clinical and non-clinical colleagues alike, put SVMC on the map for excellence.”

According to Duchene, obtaining Magnet recognition challenges hospitals to integrate the program’s concepts—transformational leadership, structural empowerment, exemplary professional practice, innovation, and the measurement of outcomes—into the fabric of their nursing operations. Nurses work with the support and guidance of their supervisors and in collaboration with other departments to improve care. They document and submit the results of dozens of complex multi-year improvement projects during each re-designation, which occurs every four years.

SVMC received 12 “exemplars” during the review process. Exemplars are concepts, practices or programs worthy of imitation, highlighting excellence in nursing practice. SVMC’s exemplars included its Nursing Pipeline Program, workplace safety initiatives, care coordination and outperforming several benchmarks related to clinical quality and patient experience, at both the inpatient and outpatient level. 

“Receiving the sixth-consecutive Magnet designation puts SVMC into an elite category, and truly demonstrates the quality of our nursing teams,” said Tom Dee, SVMC’s president and CEO. “Our nurses have led this charge for sustained excellence —collaborating with physicians and colleagues to deliver excellent patient outcomes and reshape healthcare in our region.”

Magnet’s review of applicants’ documentation is a rigorous and lengthy process, including hundreds of pages of research, implementation, and outcomes, Duchene said. The hospital must meet the highest standard in order to advance to the next level, a site visit, which occurred in September. The appraisal is a thorough review of all aspects of nursing, including the collection of feedback from leaders, staff, and community members. 

SVMC’s Magnet program director Alison Camarda, PhD, RN, managed the rigorous process for the sixth designation. 

“The evidence is clear that Magnet organizations have lower turnover rates among registered nurses and that nurses experience higher job satisfaction,” Camarda said. “Those benefits to our nurses impact every area of our hospital and practice sites, creating a stronger health care system and encouraging us to strive for continuous improvement and excellence.”

Magnet hospitals demonstrate better outcomes in key performance indicators and have higher job satisfaction among nurses, more highly trained nurses, and lower turnover rates, according to ANCC. Highly qualified and satisfied staff members are shown to have a positive impact on patient safety.

“Dartmouth Health could not be prouder of SVMC’s sixth Magnet designation,” said Susan A. Reeves, EdD, RN, Dartmouth Health’s chief nursing executive. “We know and appreciate the investment required to support nurses and nursing practice at this level, especially because it is our patients and families who benefit most when nursing care is delivered at this level of excellence. All of Dartmouth Health nursing salutes Dr. Pam Duchene and her entire team on this tremendous achievement.” 

SVMC adopted Magnet standards in 1998 and was first designated in 2002. At every stage, facilities undergoing the re-designation process must provide evidence that their nursing teams have sustained and surpassed their execution of Magnet standards since the previous review.