Prestigious recognition considered the industry ‘gold standard’
Four Arkansas hospitals currently have what is generally considered the most hardest-to-earn certifications available in the healthcare industry.
Magnet certification from the American Nurses Credentialing Center recognizes excellence in nursing practices and quality patient care and is considered the gold standard for nursing.
The Arkansas institutions with Magnet certification are Arkansas Children’s Hospital and UAMS Medical Center, part of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, in Little Rock; Conway Regional Medical Center; and CHI St. Vincent in Hot Springs.
Another Arkansas hospital, Baxter Health in Mountain Home, has previously been awarded Magnet designation but was not recognized in the last cycle. Magnet designation is not given on a regular schedule but is awarded based on an organization’s successful application and assessment process, which can vary in timing, the ANCC states.
An institution can reapply for Magnet designation every four years.
Only about 10 percent of all U.S. hospitals carry Magnet distinction. Currently, there are 663 Magnet-designated hospitals in the U.S.
Angie Longing is the chief nursing executive for the CHI St. Vincent Arkansas market, which includes hospitals in Little Rock, Hot Springs, Sherwood and Morrilton, and she also serves as president of CHI St. Vincent Morrilton.
Angie Longing
She said the designation does not come easily.
“The Magnet with Distinction recognition for CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs is a testament to the nursing team’s commitment to providing excellent, compassionate care to our patients,” she said. “I couldn’t be prouder of our frontline staff’s hard work and dedication.”
Magnet hospitals are not only recognized for the work of their nurses but for promoting a supportive work environment that attracts and retains top nursing talent. Magnet designation, as almost any nurse can attest, is considered among the most rigorous credentialing processes in all of healthcare.
Tammy King-Jones
“In order to achieve Magnet designation, an organization must excel in multidisciplinary collaboration, nurse engagement, patient satisfaction and high-quality patient outcomes,” said Tammy King-Jones, chief nursing officer and associate vice chancellor for patient care services and clinical operations at UAMS. “The journey requires years of sustained commitment, documented evidence of excellence and a culture where every single person, from the welcome desk to environmental services, food services, pharmacy, diagnostic imaging, respiratory therapy, physicians and nurses, is invested in the standard of care this organization delivers.”
Conway Regional Medical Center received its first Magnet designation in 2020 and its second in 2025. Suzanne Harris, corporate director of clinical excellence, education and professional development, said it is an honor to be among only a small percent of hospitals recognized by the Magnet program. She added that the recognition is a testament to the hospital’s hardworking, dedicated nursing teams.
Nurses at Conway Regional Health System
(Photo courtesy of Conway Regional)
“Nurses at Conway Regional consistently go above and beyond in their commitment to patient care,” she said. “Their dedication is evident not only at the bedside but across the entire organization. They strive to deliver exceptional, compassionate care every day, ensuring that patients and families feel supported, informed and valued.”
About 50 of the 663 institutions currently holding Magnet designation are pediatric hospitals, said Lametria Wafford, director of nursing excellence and Magnet program director at Arkansas Children’s.
“For Arkansas Children’s Hospital to be one of only a few pediatric hospitals, we are part of an elite community focused on empowering our nurses while creating the best experience for our patients and families,” she said.
Arkansas Children’s Hospital nurses (Photo courtesy of Arkansas Children’s)
The Magnet program provides a road map of what excellence should be for patients, teams and hospitals. Preparation to become a Magnet-designated hospital begins years in advance, she added.
“The process centers on ‘sources of evidence,’ examples that affirm the enculturation of the Magnet model in your organization,” she said. “There are 102 SOE examples based on the model components of transformational leadership; structural empowerment; exemplary professional practice; new knowledge, innovations and improvements; and empirical outcomes. We also provide in-depth information about our organization’s policies and practices in the organizational overview requirements.”
At the heart of Magnet certification, of course, are patients.
Lametria Wafford
“When you are a Magnet-designated organization, the patient is at the center of everything you do,” Wafford said. “What immediately comes to my mind are what we call the ‘big three’ of exemplary professional practice — nurse engagement, nurse-sensitive indicator and patient satisfaction.
“Engaged nurses impact patient safety and optimal patient outcomes. Decreased hospital-acquired conditions mean better patient care for our patients and families. This is possible due to tracking nurse-sensitive actions that nurses influence and lead. Effective communication, collaboration and patient-centered care create the best patient experience.”
Numerous studies have found that Magnet designation provides benefits beyond simple recognition of nurses, including higher job satisfaction among nurses, higher patient satisfaction and even lower mortality rates.
King-Jones said Magnet designation aligns with the UAMS mission of being nationally distinguished for care delivery, research advancement, workforce development and community health improvement.
UAMS nurses celebrate Magnet designation.
(Photo courtesy of UAMS)
“Magnet certification signals to the healthcare community that excellence at UAMS is not a department or an initiative — it is an identity, and [patients] can expect excellence in any interaction,” she said. “Magnet hospitals consistently demonstrate better patient outcomes, lower complication rates, better patient experience and stronger staff retention.”
Patients who receive care at UAMS can be confident that everyone they encounter is engaged, supported and committed to their care and experience, she added.
“At UAMS, we invest in the people delivering patient care every day. The return on that investment is excellent patient care and a culture where people thrive and want to work,” she said. “The pursuit of excellence in Magnet recognition is a continual, never-ending commitment to raising the bar and working to excel.”
Once an organization achieves Magnet designation, there is no “free pass” moving forward, she added.
“Every four years, Magnet redesignation requires the proof that excellence is not a moment in time but a standard the entire organization continues to raise,” she said. “At UAMS, Magnet is not something we do; it is the heart of who we are, and it shows in every hallway, every interaction and every life we touch. The continued elevation of excellence and pursuit of providing a great patient experience daily at UAMS is how we will achieve this next designation and those to come.”
Suzanne Harris
Nursing education is a part of the process and represents another component of Conway Regional’s success. In 2025, Harris said, 70 percent of Conway Regional’s registered nurses had a bachelor’s degree or higher in nursing compared to just less than 48 percent for all RNs across Arkansas in 2024, and 25 percent of the hospital’s RNs had a professional board certification in 2025. Harris said Conway Regional helps fund continuing education for its nurses.
Conway Regional is working toward its third Magnet designation and plans to submit a self-study document in 2029. Harris said the hospital hopes to continue growing its transition-to-practice programs and expand support for nurses who are returning to school, seeking professional certifications, or hoping to participate in research and quality improvement projects.
“Nurses are an essential part of Conway Regional,” she said. “Their blend of exceptional clinical expertise and genuine compassion creates the foundation for high-quality care and meaningful patient experiences.”
The journey to Magnet status at Conway Regional began in 2016 with a commitment from senior leaders and the nursing leadership team, Harris said. After compiling a four-year self-study document showing that Conway Regional met or exceeded the criteria, the credentialing organization conducted a site visit virtually amid the COVID-19 pandemic to achieve the first designation. A similar process led to the second designation, she said.
Harris credited the hospital’s interdisciplinary culture of shared professional governance with helping garner Magnet recognition. The model allows clinical nurses to lead or co-lead initiatives alongside physicians, pharmacists, therapists and others with the goal of improving outcomes for patients.
“Conway Regional has an interprofessional shared decision-making model and a co-management agreement with its physicians,” she said. “The synergy of these two models results in positive outcomes for patients, the organization and the clinical professionals who practice here. Councils led by nurses and other clinical professionals identify opportunities for improvement, then work collaboratively to implement solutions leading to improved outcomes.”
Like her counterpart at UAMS, Wafford knows that achieving and maintaining Magnet status are one and the same.
“You are not done once you achieve the four-year Magnet status,” she said. “There are designation requirements that you must meet each year to maintain your status. It is a continuum that keeps you focused and looking for ways to make things better. It is an intense process, and once you achieve it, you are excited to maintain what you’ve accomplished, especially when you know how much it really means for our patients. Magnet recognition is the highest honor and one every Arkansas Children’s Hospital team member should be proud of.
“When our patients and families see the Magnet logo, we want them to truly feel our mission, vision and values each time they experience us.”
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