Nurse-Tested, Patient-Approved

from Shine Newsletter, Winter 2007

The Children's Hospital is one of just four hospitals in Colorado to receive the prestigious Magnet Recognition Program? Award from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). The Magnet program specifically recognizes the excellence of Children's nursing staff, but all hospital caregivers collaborate to create a culture that emphasizes quality of care and patient safety while attracting and retaining well-qualified nurses.

Magnet designation offers the added benefit of helping parents identify healthcare organizations with exceptional nursing care. A survey published by Wirthlin Worldwide found that an overwhelming 93 percent of the public has more confidence in the overall quality of a Magnet-designated hospital. Patients also can expect better outcomes, shorter lengths of stay and greater levels of patient satisfaction at Magnet-designated organizations, according to the ANCC.

What Magnet Status Means to a Mother

In almost 20 years at The Children's Hospital, Jana Paquet, now director of the Children's Care Center in Broomfield, has witnessed how the magnetism of Children's goes far beyond its prestigious status.

"The caring atmosphere at Children's is full of exceptionally talented staff who have chosen to work here because of their passion for taking care of children," says Paquet, whose first experience with Children's occurred when her nephew was born with a heart defect. "Our nurses have devoted their professional careers to the care of kids, and we provide that care at the highest level."

Achieving the coveted Magnet Recognition Program® Award requires years of preparation and the demonstration of 14 "Forces of Magnetism," which range from quality of nursing leadership to interdisciplinary relationships. However, Children's measures up in the ultimate test of quality - a mother's trust.

"I would entrust the lives of my children to the nursing staff at Children's," Paquet says. "As a mother, that's the highest honor I could grant anyone."

Jana Paquet appreciates what Magnet status means to The Children's Hospital - both as an employee and as a mother.