SVMC Announces 2010 Magnet Award Winners

Feb. 18, 2011 - PRLog -- BENNINGTON — The nursing staff at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC) grants two annual awards to recognize the collaboration and creativity necessary to be a Magnet Hospital for Nursing Excellence. The 2010 winners of the Magnet Physician Award and Magnet Spirit Award are Emergency Room Physician Paul Vinsel and Kathleen McGuire, an emergency room unit coordinator.

When SVMC became a three-time designee as a Magnet Hospital for Nursing Excellence in October, nursing leadership praised the entire SVMC staff for their contributions to patient care. The Magnet Physician Award and Spirit of Magnet Award are two ways nursing staff recognizes employee contributions to the excellent medical care SVMC is known for.
   
Nursing staff members nominate individuals for each award. The nominees were posted without their names and all SVHC staff members were invited to vote for the winners.
The Magnet Physician Award recognizes “a physician who demonstrates collaborative and collegial relationships with nursing and other disciplines. Collaborative practice includes mutual respect, good communication and concern for the patient and the patient’s family….”

This year’s nominees were Dr. Vinsel; Dr. Frank Famiano and Dr. Joshua Sherman, both SVMC Hospitalists; Dr. Andrew Young of the Southwestern Vermont Regional Cancer Center; Dr. Martin Luloff of SVMC Pediatrics; and Pediatrician Judy Orton.
   
Dr. Vinsel was nominated by two members of the emergency room nursing staff. One nominator stated, “In terms of Dr. Vinsel’s commitment toward patient-focused care, he…believes his role as a physician is to help the patient and nurses…understand the plan of care as it progresses… Dr. Vinsel carefully explains information so that the patient and/or family can understand in plain, non-medical language…He is honest to a fault…because he possesses a professional and moral obligation to do what is right for the patient.”

The other added, “Paul is a strong patient advocate… [who is] always seeking to improve his own efficiencies within the department… Paul is a generous, kind and caring person…He is never hesitant to show his appreciation… Paul truly seems to think of others and wants to provide the best he has to his coworkers and his patients and their families…He truly is a part of the team and SVMC family.”

The Spirit of Magnet Award was created to recognize someone who is not a registered nurse who exhibits the collaborative and collegial “Spirit of Magnet.” The 2010 nominees were McGuire; Tammi Loomis, an LNA on 2 East; and Mary Lou Rivera, an LNA on 2 West and East.

McGuire was also nominated by two individuals. Her first nominator wrote, “On a daily basis, she assists physicians, nurses, staff, patients and their families in making their experience in the emergency department a positive one….Each shift she works you will always hear from her, ‘What can I do to help?’ and you are guaranteed to have the job done right…. {McGuire] is an integral part of our family.”
   
The second nominator agreed. “The outcomes of her work ethic for the department and patient care are visible in every way….Her supportive role as unit coordinator is performed with grace and equanimity…She sets a high standard for herself and teaches that same standard to every new ED technician… Her presence makes all the difference in patient flow and department efficiency…

“[McGuire] … has a special ability to know when others need help. Kathy is the person that you will want to care for your loved ones.”

The SVMC nursing staff congratulates all of the 2010 nominees and the award winners.
In October of 2010, SVMC became one of only 30 hospitals in the world and only the third hospital in New England to earn the designation of Magnet Hospital three times. SVMC was the first Magnet hospital in Vermont, the third in New England and is one of only 377 Magnet hospitals in existence.

The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) designates Magnet Hospitals after a thorough review of quality indicators and standards for nursing practice. According to the ANCC, independently-sponsored research shows that Magnet-designated facilities consistently outperform non-Magnet organizations in areas such as shorter hospital stays for patients, delivering better patient outcomes, and recording higher rates of patient satisfaction.

SVMC continuously pursues new levels for quality and patient satisfaction. The emergency department is one of only four in the nation to be awarded a Summit Award for Patient Satisfaction four times in a row by Press Ganey. Press Ganey is a national company that administers patient satisfaction surveys for thousands of U.S. healthcare facilities.

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About SVMC: SVMC is part of Southwestern Vermont Health Care, a community-based, not-for-profit health system that exists solely for the benefit of the communities it serves. To find out more, visit their website at www.svhealthcare.org.