The Magnet Recognition Program®

The Magnet Recognition Program®

The Magnet Recognition Program®, the highest honor awarded by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), was developed in the 1980s to recognize the work of nursing in an organization. The program acknowledges organizations for continual innovation in nursing practice, excelling in quality patient outcomes, and the ability to draw patients and employees to the organization. Protestant Memorial Medical Center, Inc. (PMMCI), Memorial Hospital in Belleville, and Memorial Hospital in Shiloh achieved Magnet designation in 2008 and were redesignated in 2013, 2018, and 2022. Every four years, the hospital must reapply and provide extensive documentation of compliance with standards and data to maintain Magnet status. 

Magnet recognition promotes a culture of a positive working environment, professional autonomy, advancing standards of practice, nursing professional development, attracting and retaining professional talent, and a focus on continuous improvement. As the public grows more medically savvy, they rely on Magnet designation as an important indicator of quality patient care when choosing a health care provider.

The Magnet Recognition Program has provided Memorial Hospital with a road map in our quest for excellence. The program has allowed us to implement, revise, and sustain a strong professional governance model; nurses at the bedside make decisions about how to provide care to their patients through integration of best practices and clinical expertise. 

We have also been able to provide more professional development opportunities for nursing staff, including support for returning to school for higher education, and encouraging nurses to become certified in their specialty, validating their expertise as a nursing professional. Through the Magnet Recognition Program, our nurses—along with other interprofessional disciplines—have enhanced patient care at the bedside, reviewed and implemented strategies to improve outcomes, and adopted relationship-based care as a central theme for how patient care should be delivered at Memorial.