UW News

April 6, 2000

University of Washington hosts nurses for international conference

The University of Washington is among the hosts of the fourth annual National Magnet Nursing Conference through Friday. Nurses from all backgrounds, from all over the world, are in Seattle to attend “Navigating the Future: Charting Your Course To Best Practice” at the Bell Harbor International Conference Center.

This is the first time this Magnet Nursing conference has come to the West Coast near the University of Washington Medical Center, which was the first hospital to be awarded magnet nursing status in 1994. The conference sponsors are UW Medical Center, the UW School of Nursing and the American Nurses Credentialing Center.

The conference is designed to bring together nurses from diverse clinical settings to find new ways to improve patient outcomes and foster organizational systems that promote excellence in nursing practice. By sharing strengths with one another, participants hope to study best practices for their organizations and for the nursing profession as a whole.

The Magnet Nursing Services Recognition Program was launched in 1994 by the American Nurses Credentialing Center to recognize outstanding achievement by nursing services in institutions across the United States. The distinction honors institutions that develop effective leadership teams, provide excellence in patient care, increase staff satisfaction, and expand the influence of professional nursing within their organizations and communities.
In 1994, UW Medical Center was the first hospital to be awarded the Magnet Nursing Service Recognition for excellence in nursing service. UWMC Nursing Service was also the first agency to be redesignated as a Magnet Hospital in 1998. The Magnet award is the highest level of recognition the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) can accord to organized nursing services in acute care facilities.

Earlier this week, the UW School of Nursing was ranked as the best nursing school in the nation, according to U.S. News & World Report’s annual rankings of graduate programs. This is the seventh time that the magazine has ranked the UW School of Nursing No. 1.