COOPERSTOWN — Bassett Medical Center in Cooperstown has achieved Magnet® Recognition for Nursing Excellence, the highest national honor a hospital can attain for nurse satisfaction, patient outcomes, and nursing quality. On April 23, officials from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) gathered Bassett Medical Center nurses, other caregivers, and leaders for a video conference to announce they had earned the distinction. When officials delivered the news, cheers were heard throughout the room as clinical staff celebrated all the hard work that led to this milestone achievement.
With this credential, Bassett Medical Center joins an elite group of approximately 10% of U.S. hospitals. The rigorous process involves years of in-depth review, research, and process improvements to demonstrate an organization’s nurses and nursing leaders adhere to stringent principles for quality care, strategic planning, and professional development.
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This included a more than 1,500 page application, public comment period, and an ANCC site visit in February 2025, during which more than 100 employees and community members were interviewed in 70 survey sessions.
“This designation means everything to the nurses at Bassett Medical Center and is truly a testament to their talent, skill, and dedication to excellence,” says Christina Curcio, MSN-RN, Chief Nursing Officer and Vice President of Nursing at Basset Medical Center. “It’s gratifying to see so many years of hard work by so many people come to fruition. Magnet designation is an indication to patients and the public, as well as current and future Bassett nurses, that Bassett Medical Center meets the most rigorous, evidence-based standards.”
Bassett Medical Center not only earned Magnet designation, but the ANCC also recognized the hospital for several exemplars, which are performance-based results and achievements that make Bassett Medical Center an exemplary institution nationally among Magnet facilities. Bassett Medical Center’s exemplars include best practices in:
Preventing hospital-acquired pressure injuries
Preventing hospital-acquired blood stream infections
Quickness of triaging and treating patients who present with heart attacks (door-to-procedure room times outperform national benchmarks)
Nursing collaboration, shared governance, and clinical nurse empowerment
“Transformational leadership, structural empowerment, innovation, exemplary professional practice, and empirical quality results are the five components of the Magnet model and the nurses at Bassett Medical Center demonstrated their commitment and achievement in these areas, making this designation possible,” says Samuel Campbell, MS, CCRN, CNML, Director of Nursing Quality and Education and Magnet Program Director for Bassett Healthcare Network. “Congratulations on all on this well-deserved honor.”
The ANCC Magnet Recognition Program designates organizations worldwide where leaders successfully align nursing strategic goals to improve the organization’s patient outcomes. The program provides a roadmap to nursing excellence, which benefits the whole of an organization. To nurses, Magnet Recognition means education and development through every career stage, which leads to greater autonomy at the bedside. To patients, it means the very best care, delivered by nurses who are supported to be the very best that they can be.
Magnet recognition is the gold standard for nursing excellence and is a factor when the public judges healthcare organizations. U.S. News & World Report’s annual showcase of “America’s Best Hospitals” includes Magnet recognition in its ranking criteria for quality of inpatient care.
“The nurses at Bassett Medical Center have made the entire network proud with this achievement,” says Angela Belmont, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, Senior Vice President and Chief Nurse Executive at Bassett Healthcare Network. “Magnet designation is not just a validation of our nursing excellence but a testament to our unwavering dedication to delivering exceptional patient care. Congratulations on this most prestigious achievement. We have reached the summit.”
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