Magnet Initiative: Our Magnet Site Visit – Your Time to Shine

Dear Colleagues,

On April 17-20, UC Davis Health will receive a Magnet site visit by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. This tour of our facilities represents UC Davis Health’s opportunity to show the appraisers how the Magnet model components have become an intrinsic part of our organization’s culture, so preparation is extremely important. The Magnet designation is the nation’s highest form of recognition for nursing excellence and a benchmark for the quality-of-care patients receive.

For our first steps, we are now in the process of prominently displaying the required written documents and posting the public notice, as a Magnet site visit involves important organizational communication concerning all aspects of site visit preparation. Also, nursing managers and supervisors will be in touch with their teams and staff members about how to prepare for this visit.

On April 17 through 20, UC Davis Health will receive a Magnet site visit by American Nurses Credentialing Center. This tour of our facilities represents UC Davis Health’s opportunity to show the appraisers how the Magnet model components have become an intrinsic part of our organization’s culture.
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Our nurse champions will play a vital role in this visit. Below are a few key institutional points to keep in mind about the visit:

UC Davis Health nurses provide extraordinary compassion, courage, and integrity in every situation. These core values guide us while we provide science-based, technologically precise, compassionately delivered care.

To ensure patients receive the exceptional care they need and deserve, our nursing team utilizes the professional practice of nursing model to support a structure and a process that will enhance and sustain a culture of excellence in patient care. The two concepts central to the professional practice of nursing are environment of care and relationship-based care.

At UC Davis Health, we practice primary nursing, which is based on responsibility, accountability, and authority and includes therapeutic presence, autonomy, evidence-based practice, and collaboration. The work environment and leadership support nurses and empower them to make the necessary changes and decisions that result in optimal patient outcomes. Empowered nurses establish respectful, caring relationships with patients, families, and colleagues, which promote health, healing, and collaboration.

A Relationship-Based Culture is also vital for improving quality and safety, the patient experience, employee satisfaction, and financial performance. It focuses on three key relationships: relationship with self, with colleagues, and with patients and families. It is designed to support every team member's ability to provide attuned, compassionate, high-quality care. This model of care helps us remember that each person is unique and ensures we keep the patient at the center of everything we do.

In 2014, UC Davis Medical Center joined the ranks of elite clinical-care institutions in the nation with its Magnet Recognition Program® status.

Only about 8 percent of U.S. hospitals carry Magnet designation. There are 595 Magnet Hospitals in the nation and 50 of those are in California. The medical center is the only hospital in the Sacramento region to earn the highly regarded recognition. The medical center was redesignated in 2018 and submitted its third submission form in 2022, with a planned site visit in April. Additional information can be found in these Magnet FAQs and resources.

The Magnet designation represents the dedication and hard work of our nurses and the entire UC Davis Health team, and we look forward to earning our redesignation in 2023. Thank you for your support, it is truly appreciated.

Yours in health,

Christine Williams, M.S., R.N., C.N.S.
Interim Chief Nursing and Patient Care Services Officer
Chief Nursing Informatics Officer