WVUH nurses continue record of excellence
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – WVU Healthcare will celebrate its 3,200 nurses and nursing staff during National Nurses Week beginning May 6 and ending May 12, on Florence Nightingale’s birthday.
This year, WVU Healthcare’s quality nursing staff has earned the hospital its third consecutive Magnet designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). The Magnet Recognition Program® recognizes healthcare organizations that have a proven track record of excellence in nursing services. Fewer than 400 of the nearly 6,000 hospitals in the U.S. have received Magnet designation. WVU Healthcare is the only hospital in the state to receive Magnet designation
“Nurses are the largest healthcare work force in the hospital, therefore they have the ability to influence the quality of care and patient outcomes. At WVUH, we utilize evidence-based best practice and are very proud to have our sophisticated professional nursing staff validated by receiving the Magnet designation,” Dottie Oakes, R.N., M.S.N., WVU Healthcare chief nursing officer, said.
WVU Healthcare employs an exceptional number of nurses who hold a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (B.S.N.) degree. WVU Healthcare’s B.S.N. rate of 77 percent is significantly higher than the averages for the state of West Virginia and among other Magnet-designated hospitals.
“Our nurses demonstrate their excellence in service and patient care every day. They are committed to WVU Healthcare and to the health of West Virginians and everyone they serve,” Mary Fanning, D.N.P., R.N., N.E.A.-B.C., director of nursing administration at WVU Healthcare, said. “We are so grateful for their hard work and everything they do for our patients and their families, staff, students, profession, and community."
In honor of National Nurses Week, WVU Healthcare is hosting several events on the theme “Believe and Achieve.”
• Throughout the week, hospital volunteers with Operation Gratitude will deliver gestures of gratitude to nursing departments.
• WVU Healthcare nursing employees have organized the Back-to-School Drive to help prepare local children in need for the upcoming school year. Items will be collected from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, May 6, at the former Foodland building on the Mileground, in conjunction with the United Way Day of Caring.
• WVU Healthcare is co-sponsoring a Nurses Week Carnival Celebration with the WVU School of Nursing and other local businesses. The carnival will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursday, May 7, at the WVU Erickson Alumni Center. Nurses can enjoy games, raffles, chair massages, face painting, a photo booth, a Kona Ice truck, carnival food, and special appearances by Monti Bear and the WVU Mountaineer. All WVU Healthcare nurses are invited, as well as School of Nursing faculty, staff, students, and local alumni. A shuttle service from the hospital will allow all nurses to join the celebration.
One tradition unique to Nurses Week is the Blessing of the Hands. Throughout the week, chaplains visit individual units throughout the hospital to provide this service.
The first national week of recognition for nurses was celebrated October 11-16, 1954, to observe the 100th anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s mission to Crimea. National Nurses Week was first observed on the current dates in 1991, and it became an annual event in 1994.