UM Shore Regional Health Receives 4th Magnet® Designation

UM Shore Regional Health (UM SRH), a member organization of the University of Maryland Medical System, has earned re-designation as a Magnet® organization from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). ANCC’s Magnet Recognition Program® distinguishes health care organizations that meet rigorous standards for quality patient care, nursing excellence and innovations in professional nursing practice. The coveted recognition is the highest national honor for professional nursing practice and requires re-designation every four years.

The 2024 Magnet® designation includes Shore Regional Health at Cambridge, Shore Medical Centers at Chestertown and Easton, Shore Emergency Center at Queenstown, and UM Shore Medical Group medical practices. This year’s re-designation marks the hospital system’s 4th consecutive Magnet® designation. UM SRH received its first designation in 2009 for UM Shore Medical Centers at Easton and Cambridge.

Achieved by less than 10% of all registered hospitals in the U.S., Magnet® recognition is the ultimate distinction for high quality nursing care. At present, UM SRH is one of only 9 health organizations in Maryland, including both campuses of the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) in Baltimore, that are Magnet® designated.

Surrounded by UM SRH team members both virtually and in-person, Jenny Bowie, Chief Nursing Officer and Senior Vice President of Nursing and Patient Care Services, received the news from ANCC officials via a videoconference held in the Board room of UM Shore Medical Center at Easton.

“Sustaining a Magnet® culture to reach a fourth consecutive Magnet® designation is a testament to the dedication and commitment of this organization to provide quality, compassionate care while striving for excellence,” said Bowie. “I am immensely proud of the entire Shore Regional Health team.”

UM Shore Regional Health’s Magnet® re-designation process included an extensive application and documentation process, followed in early March 2024 by a three-day visit to all sites conducted by a team of appraisers from ANCC.
“Over the three-day site visit, the Magnet® appraisers heard first-hand from the SRH team the countless ways SRH makes a difference,” said Kathy Elliott, Director of Professional Nursing Practice/Magnet® program. “Every encounter with the appraisers validated what they had read in the application document.”

More information about the American Nurse Credentialing Center’s Magnet® Program may be found at nursingworld.org/organizational-programs/magnet.