Page 2 - 2017 Nursing Annual Report | Summa Health

Pursuit of
Excellence

The Journey to Magnet Excellence® is thorough, rigorous and demanding within a healthcare organization.
The American Nurses Credentialing Center grants Magnet® recognition only to those that have demonstrated an
environment of excellence for nursing practice and patient care. To nurses, Magnet recognition means having the
structures and processes in place to support shared governance, autonomy in nursing practice, interdisciplinary
collaboration, nursing professional development, evidence-based practice, quality improvement, and research.
To patients, it means the very best care, delivered by nurses who are supported to be the very best that they can be.

The principles of the Magnet Recognition Program® promote improved patient outcomes, support excellence
in nursing practice and dissemination of best practices in nursing. Like most journeys, travelers must know the
optimal route to take. The Magnet Recognition Program provides the blueprint for success through the “magnetic”
forces that result from teams of dedicated people all working together, all committing themselves to one common,
unifying goal: Nursing Excellence.

Summa Health System Akron and St. Thomas Campuses, which first earned Magnet status in 2011 and is now
working toward its second redesignation (2020), found the journey to be revealing; creating an opportunity for
organizational advancement, team building and enhancement of individual professional self-esteem.

Summa Health System Barberton and Wadsworth Campuses will submit their Magnet document in 2019. The
document is a showcase of four years of nursing excellence. It is our way of documenting with evidence and data,
how Summa nurses have followed the Magnet blueprint to improve patient care, collaborate, innovate, and elevate
our nursing practice and profession.

Within this 2017 Nursing Annual Report, you’ll discover how our nurses are driving change throughout Summa
Health and our community. By creating new processes, leading hospital initiatives, enhancing patient care and even
improving our environment, Summa Health nurses are embodying all five key components of the Magnet model:

• Transformational Leadership
• Structural Empowerment
• Exemplary Professional Practice
• New Knowledge, Innovations & Improvements
• Empirical Quality Outcomes

Creating and sustaining a culture of excellence is what it means to be on the Magnet journey. It is the highest and
most prestigious distinction a healthcare organization can receive for nursing, and soon Summa expects to have
two such designations!

Our goals in 2018 are centered on “connections” developing connections with patients and staff. Thank you for all
you do in your support of Summa Health and those we are privileged to serve.

Lorie Rhine, MSN, RN, NE-BC Anthony (TJ) DeAngelis, MBA, BSN, RN, NE-BC
Vice President/Chief Nursing Officer, Summa Health Vice President/Chief Nursing Officer, Summa Health
System Akron and St. Thomas Campuses System Barberton and Wadsworth Campuses

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