Yale New Haven Hospital created a video to welcome Magnet appraisers for their virtual site visit March 29 - April 2. Sheena McFarlane, RN, Smilow Cancer Care Center, St. Francis Hospital, was among the video participants. 

YNHH nurses prepare for a different kind of Magnet site visit 

Yale New Haven Hospital is preparing for its third Magnet® designation site visit, March 29 - April 2. Due to COVID-19 precautions, Magnet appraisers will connect with nurses via Zoom.

Four appraisers from healthcare or academic organizations throughout the U.S. will conduct the virtual visit on behalf of the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), the credentialing body for the Magnet Recognition Program. Magnet is the most prestigious distinction a healthcare organization can receive for nursing excellence and quality patient outcomes.

The virtual site visit, along with an extensive application document, will help determine whether YNHH achieves its third designation, becoming one of just 552 Magnet hospitals worldwide. The document and site visit show the past four years of patient outcomes and nursing practice in the four Magnet domains: Transformational leadership, structural empowerment, exemplary professional practice and new knowledge, innovations and improvements. 

During the virtual site visit, Magnet appraisers will talk in detail with nurses from the York Street and Saint Raphael campuses, Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital’s Bridgeport Campus and ambulatory settings. 

While the appraisers will spend most of their time interfacing with nurses, they will also connect with organization leaders, physicians, hospital board members, community partners and others. 

 “Our first two Magnet site visits were in person, so the appraisers got a real feel for the hospital by touring the facilities and talking to nurses, both formally and informally,” said Ena Williams, RN, chief nursing officer. “The virtual visit will make that a little more challenging, but I know our commitment to nursing excellence and dedication to patients will come through.”

The appraisers will look for evidence of collaboration and teamwork, nursing leadership at all levels, evidence-based practice and research, nurse decision-making, ethical practice and innovations. Appraisers will also explore how the hospital supports nurses’ professional development and YNHH’s Nursing Professional Governance structure, which gives nurses a voice in policies and practice.

To prepare for the visit, Nursing developed Magnet re-designation readiness materials; Magnet leads throughout the hospital have presented during department meetings; and the Magnet team is conducting special rounds and mock visits with nursing unit staff. 

“The mock unit visits have been energizing,” said Judith Hahn, RN, PhD, director of Nursing Professional Practice. “This is a time to reflect on and share our rich culture of excellence. It is a time to shine and brag.”

“All nurses have contributed to our Magnet re-designation effort,” Williams said. “We look forward to meeting with the appraisers to show them nursing excellence in action at Yale New Haven Hospital.” 

To learn more and read the Magnet document, visit YNHH Nursing on the intranet (in network only).