Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital earns prestigious designation for outstanding nursing care

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (Good Things Utah) – Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital has been named a Magnet Facility by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, the nation’s highest honor for nursing excellence and recognition of its outstanding and innovative care for children.

How significant is this designation? Fewer than 10 percent of the hospitals in the United States have achieved Magnet designation.

“Intermountain Primary Children’s nurses are among the most skilled, empowered, and supportive nurses in the profession,” said Rachelle Rigby, RN, nursing director at Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital. “Nurses are key in a patient’s experience and are with patients around the clock during their hospital stay. Primary Children’s nurses are patient and family-focused, and put ‘The Child First and Always’ in all that we do.”

The Magnet Recognition Program was developed by the American Academy of Nursing to highlight hospitals that could attract and retain top nursing professionals.

Magnet facilities demonstrate excellence in five areas:

• Transformational Leadership

• Structural Empowerment

• Exemplary Professional Practice

• New Knowledge, Innovations, and Improvements

• Empirical Outcomes.

Magnet facilities meet rigorous standards for nursing excellence, including professionalism, superior patient care, leadership, teamwork, and sensitivity to cultural and ethnic diversity. Magnet facilities have lower mortality rates, shorter lengths of stay, and increased patient and staff satisfaction.

The ANCC report noted Primary Children’s nurses demonstrate a strong safety culture and “laser-focus” on accountability, a welcoming and collaborative environment. Nurses are highly respected, dedicated to evidence-based practices, and devoted to patients and families.

“Primary Children’s are with our patients throughout their care journey,” said Kellee Mudro, RN, nurse coordinator at Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital. “We keep patients safe and continue to improve our care through education and evidence-based protocols. This magnet designation reflects this work and will help us to continue to attract the nation’s top nurses to work at our hospital.”

Intermountain Primary Children’s nurses are a beacon of hope to generations of children.

Several children treated for cancer at Primary Children’s Hospital grew up to become Primary Children’s oncology nurses and provide the same loving care – from painting fingernails to playing games – to their patients.

Patients treated for long-term illness often return to the hospital to visit their favorite nurses. During the COVID-19 pandemic, nurses donned Santa suits and cradled tiny infants to ensure the neonatal ICU’s “My First Christmas with Santa” photo tradition would continue.

“Our beautiful boy stayed in the Primary Children’s newborn ICU for 34 days, where he received outstanding care and met his favorite nurse, Sam,” baby Sutton’s mother, Amber, said when nominating Sam for a Daisy Award recognition. “Sam brought her positive radiating energy, and you couldn’t help but feel happiness in her presence, even after a stressful day. She also never let me miss a precious moment or time to celebrate Sutton’s milestones, even when I had to travel back and forth to Wyoming.”

The ANCC report also highlighted the hospital’s support of nursing professional development, including tuition and certification reimbursement, flexible scheduling, educational programs, and incentives.

“This credential is testament to the countless contributions your nurses, in collaboration with other team members, have made in their commitment to provide quality patient care through innovations in professional nursing practice,” the ANCC said in its Magnet Recognition Program Executive Summary Report for the hospital. “Congratulations to the entire organization on your significant achievement.”