CentegraHealthSystem
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To learn more about Centegra Health System Foundation, go to
centegra.org/foundation.
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health
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Your donations to the Centegra Health System Foundation’s Nursing
Education Fund make the scholarship program possible.
CALL
815-788-5870
to fnd out how to designate your gif to the Nursing Education Fund.
IF THERE WERE a Medal of Honor for
nurses, it would be Magnet designation.
“Magnet status is the highest-level
nursing designation a hospital can
obtain,” says Trisha Musich, MSN,
Director of Professional Practice at
Centegra. “It’s given to hospitals where
nursing care is the best of the best.”
That’s a good description of Centegra
hospitals, where nurses are dedicated
to delivering the highest-quality patient
care. Centegra is currently working
toward Magnet status as a recognition of
its achievements. The Centegra Health
System Foundation is playing a large
role in this effort through its Nursing
Education Fund. The fund provides
scholarships for nurses to achieve a
signifcant goal: specialty certifcation.
BETTER FOR PATIENTS
Magnet status is awarded by the
American Nurses Credentialing
Center (ANCC)—and the bar is set
high. Hospitals must exceed national
benchmarks for factors such as patient
satisfaction, innovative practices and
nursing leadership. One important
benchmark Magnet hospitals must
meet is nursing certifcations. The
ANCC requires Magnet hospitals to
have a continually growing number of
specialty-certifed nurses.
The result is that Magnet hospitals
deliver the highest-quality care. They
are more likely to employ the most
talented professionals and to focus on
collaborative care. In fact, according
to the ANCC, 8 of the top 10 medical
centers named on the
U.S.News &
World Report
“Best Hospitals Honor
Roll” are Magnet organizations.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Nurses can become certifed
in a large variety of specialties,
such as pediatrics, orthopaedics,
gastroenterology, emergency, cardiac or
infusion nursing. According to Musich,
specialty certifcations elevate the level
of care Centegra is able to provide.
At Centegra, many nurses who don’t
have specialty certifcation want to obtain
it—not only for their own professional
advancement, but to provide the best
patient care possible and to move the
hospital toward Magnet status.
“The ANCC looks at organizations
where nurses are always furthering their
education,” Musich says. “We have more
than 70 nurses committed to becoming
specialty certifed within the next year.”
LAYING THE FOUNDATION
The specialty certifcation process
involves classes and exams that can be
expensive. That’s where the Centegra
Health System Foundation comes in.
The Foundation works tirelessly to
secure funding for programs to advance
healthcare in McHenry County, and that
includes helping nurses at Centegra with
specialty certifcations. For example,
the Foundation has funded several
extensive review classes for areas such
as orthopaedics and pediatrics.
“The funds allowed us to host
web-based classes at our facility. So
40 Emergency Room (ER) nurses are
going through the program together,
instead of each paying $500 to take the
class somewhere else,” Musich says.
Catie Schmit, RN, is one of the nurses
who benefted from the Foundation
funds. “This fnancial gift allows us to
really elevate our professional practice,”
says Schmit, who practices in the
ER at Centegra Hospital – McHenry.
“It is helping 45 percent of Centegra
Hospital – McHenry’s and Centegra
Hospital – Woodstock’s ER nurses to
become certifed, and that’s a tremendous
accomplishment.”
PAYING IT FORWARD
Magnet status is a great example of
how Centegra Health System consistently
strives to bring quality healthcare to the
community. It will place Centegra with the
very best hospitals, not only in the state,
but also nationwide.
The scholarships are an important
part of this effort, and more help is
needed. Many more nurses look forward
to meeting their certifcation goals, and
Centegra looks forward to achieving this
honor and providing the very best service
to the community.
“Donating to the Nursing Education fund
is an investment in healthcare that will bring
returns for many years,” Schmit says.
FUNDING THE FINEST:
Scholarships for Magnet certifcation