UC Davis Health earns prestigious Magnet Designation for third time

UC Davis Health has once again been ranked among the nation’s elite institutions for valuing the nursing profession, earning its third Magnet Designation from the Magnet Recognition Program on Thursday. The Magnet program is the nation’s highest form of recognition for nursing excellence, and less than 10% of hospitals in the nation earn the designation.

Members of the UC Davis Medical Center leadership team, including Chief Executive Officer David Lubarsky, Chief Administrator Brad Simmons, and Interim Chief Nursing Office Christine Williams were on hand for the celebratory phone call announcing the renewal of the award. They were joined by dozens of nurses, nurse leaders, physicians, and other patient care staff to celebrate the announcement.

The Magnet Recognition Program was developed by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) to recognize health care organizations with high quality patient care, nursing excellence, and innovations in professional nursing practices. To achieve the designation, the medical center provides documentation that demonstrates qualitative and quantitative proof of outstanding patient care and outcomes. The rigorous certification process also includes a multi-day, on-site visit by ANCC representatives, who confirm the key roles and responsibilities of nurses as leaders across the organization.

UC Davis Medical Center is the only hospital in Sacramento and one of 52 hospitals in California to earn a Magnet designation, earning its first Magnet designation almost 10 years ago, in 2014. UC Davis Health submitted its renewed documentation in September 2022 and site visits were held in April 2023. The UC Davis Medical Center finished the visit with an “excellent” score.

"This is many people contributing to our designation, it's a multi-disciplinary effort. It exemplifies our excellence in practice, it exemplifies our nurses improving patient outcomes, and it also exemplifies our work environment - our relationship-based care, and the peer-to-peer teamwork that we have," Williams said. "It's a wonderful representation of who we are, what we've accomplished, and how we live our lives here at UC Davis Health."

In a phone call with UC Davis Medical Center staff on Thursday, Adam Meier, a member of ANCC's Commission on Magnet Recognition Executive Committee said UC Davis Health notably "outperformed the national mean" on 100% of reporting units in two key areas: reducing hospital-acquired pressure injuries Stage 2 and above, and patient education.

"I just want to again congratulate you all on this phenomenal work. We recognize that the majority of this work was done during some of the darkest days of the pandemic, and this signifies, truly, the work you've done as an interprofessional team and the focus you place every day around patients," Meier said.

After Williams thanked her team and the crowd of mostly nurses and nursing leaders for their hard work, Dr. Lubarsky thanked Williams for her leadership and ability to smoothly step in amongst her predecessor's departure.

Ellen Kissinger, Magnet Program Director, and Joleen Lonigan, Associate Chief Nursing Officer, both members of Williams' team, oversaw much of the documentation submission. Lonigan told the crowd, "this is a day to celebrate."

Added Kissinger: "It really is a team effort. There are so many Magnet champions in this room. This is really a celebration of all of our hard work."

The Magnet award is a four-year designation.