HealthLeaders: A 'Culture Of Expectation' Nets Children's Mercy Its Fifth Magnet Recognition

By Carol Davis and Son Hoang

Making sure nurses feel recognized, appreciated and heard—a culture that starts from the top—helped Children's Mercy in Kansas City recently earn its fifth Magnet Recognition®, which recognizes healthcare organizations that provide superior quality in nursing care.

Children's Mercy, first designated as a Magnet Recognition organization in 2003, is one of less than 8% of U.S. hospitals or healthcare organizations that are recognized as Magnet Recognition hospitals. The ANCC Magnet Recognition Program provides a path to nursing excellence, which benefits patients, as well as the organization.

HealthLeaders talked with Paula Blizzard, MSN, RN, NE-BC, senior director of Nursing-Excellence and Magnet Programs at Children’s Mercy and Jodi Coombs, RN, executive vice president and chief operating officer about the hospital’s culture of excellence.

HealthLeaders: What has it been like to earn another Magnet Recognition? 

Blizzard: It's amazing. I would say this one's sweeter than the first one. Magnet just continues to raise the bar … so every time we achieve it, it's just a validation for the culture for nursing that we have here in the organization, and it's just such a great recognition for all of our staff and what we're able to do for our patients and families.

Coombs: I would just add [that] I've been at Children's Mercy just about 13 months, and I've been a nurse for 25 years and one of the things that drew me to Children's Mercy was the Magnet designation because it really is a gold seal of nursing and organizational excellence. And so just to watch this process for the first time here at Children's Mercy, it was special and exciting to see all the work and what the nurses do within the organization.

HL: What actions did Children's Mercy take to earn this Magnet Recognition?

Blizzard: I go back to culture. And one of the things that we've done here in the organization is it's not about getting Magnet, it's about being Magnet. So, we have a culture of excellence, a culture of expectation of our nursing staff and their contributions to advancing healthcare for our patients and families and engaging in a professional development culture. And when we go to write our Magnet stories, we're not writing to the document; we're finding work that our staff are doing already to fit the expectations of Magnet.

Read the full conversation via HealthLeaders

Learn more about Nursing at Children's Mercy