There are nearly 2.7 million registered nurses in the United States, and 2.2 million of them are actively employed. Nurses work at all levels in healthcare, in both clinical and administrative capacities. Despite their constant presence in the healthcare setting, despite their invaluable contribution to patient care, their efforts are often under appreciated, their skills and compassion often taken for granted. But rest assured, without them, there would be no healthcare system.
Since 1990, healthcare centers around the U.S. have paid tribute to and honored nursing and nurses with National Nurses Week, a week-long celebration that occurs every May 6 through May 12. In addition to formally recognizing the contributions nurses make to caring for patients, National Nurses Week helps build awareness of the crucial role that nurses and nursing play in healthcare.
In 1981, the American Academy of Nursing established a task force to study factors distinguishing hospitals that had been successful in maintaining competent nurse workforces during a time of serious nursing shortages. As a result of this study, the American Nursing Association (ANA) approved the Magnet Hospital Recognition Program in 1990. The goal of the program was to identify hospitals that exhibited excellence in nursing services, attracted and retained nurses, and create a work environment that recognizes and rewards professional nurses. Magnet designation is the highest level of recognition that the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), the credentialing arm of ANA, can award to healthcare organizations that provide the services of registered professional nurses. Magnet is awarded for a four-year period, after which organizations must reapply again for recognition. This application process involves the review of thousands of pages of documentation, and a five-day site visit by ANCC professional appraisers who evaluate organizations against more than 65 stringent quantitative and qualitative standards that epitomize excellence in nursing service, clinical outcomes, and patient care delivery. Cleveland Clinic was awarded Magnet status in 2003 and again in 2008.
The Cleveland Clinic is indebted to its nurses for their professionalism, energy and extraordinary ability to administer care. Nurses help the Clinic deliver world-class care to every patient. They serve as an inspiration to all of us. For that, and so much more, the Clinic has established numerous programs to recognize its nurses:
