Nurse leaders lead the way through Northwell Health’s Magnet® journey

The Magnet Recognition Program^® by the American Nurses Credentialing Center designates organizations around the world as nursing leaders in education and development and in exceptional care delivered to patients. Often considered the gold standard for nursing excellence, many of Northwell Health’s hospitals are on the journey to earning this elite status.
We’re proud to announce that as of this month, Northwell now has eight Magnet-designated hospitals in our system. The road to Magnet isn’t easy, it takes a lot of work, dedication, preparation and leadership. It’s an accomplishment that wouldn’t be possible without the nurses and nurse leaders at all of our facilities.

Earning Magnet-designation at Lenox Hill Hospital

Starting as a registered nurse in the Emergency Department (ED), Andrew Wong, MS, RN, AGACNP-BC, CEN, CPEN, CCRN-K, has grown his nursing career at Lenox Hill Hospital (LHH). After becoming an ED nurse educator for LHH and Lenox Health Greenwich Village, Andrew’s career continued to grow. Today, he’s a Clinical Impact nurse practitioner with the Critical Care team – a role he helped create himself. When LHH started its journey toward earning the prestigious designation, Andrew’s work played a vital role.
As part of the designation, Andrew’s evidence-based practice project to create a new Clinical Impact NP role earned an exemplar by the Magnet Commission. For Andrew, it was a true culmination of the hard work throughout the last couple of years, as well as a reflection of the support Northwell provides in investing in their team members. This project was a dream for Andrew, who had felt this role was a vital addition to provide resources to his team while improving patient outcomes.
Since the creation of the Clinical Impact NP role, LHH has seen evidence of increased collaboration within the multidisciplinary team and increased standard of critical care to patients who require it. Today, LHH now has two Clinical Impact NPs.
“When I was watching the designation call and heard about the Clinical Impact Nurse Practitioner program being named one of the five exemplars, I immediately reflected on how we got there,” says Andrew. “Through mentorship, scholarship, and transformational leadership, our program was able to be successful and highlighted.”

Growing alongside North Shore University Hospital’s Magnet journey

Tameka Wallace, MSN-RN, CPAN, CCRN-K started her career at North Shore University Hospital (NSUH) as a lobby service representative and then as a nursing assistant at NSUH where she was first inspired to pursue becoming a nurse. Tameka embraced her ambition and leadership ability and today is a nurse manager in the PACU at NSUH. As part of NSUH’s Magnet journey, Tameka was proud to serve as a Magnet Champion and Magnet Ambassador.
Both roles played a key importance in NSUH’s designation. As a champion, Tameka acted as a driving force of the Magnet Program at the hospital, utilizing the pillars of the process and implementing them within her units. And as an ambassador, Tameka and her team members networked with leaders from around the country to share best practices from other hospitals.. During the appraisal, Tameka also escorted a member from the appraisal team to different units, helping to showcase the hard work and accomplishments that the units prepared, a big honor during the Magnet review session.
It was these opportunities that helped Tameka to further develop her leadership skills and played a part in her promotion to nurse manager. Now as nurse manager, Tameka believes firmly in transformational leadership for her nurses. “Believing in the vision of the hospital and instilling it in your unit and your team inspires them to embrace it and work for it,” says Tameka. “This journey has taught me that involving clinical nurses at every opportunity is very important. In addition to support and nurse empowerment, as leaders we must ensure agility and the ability to facilitate innovations throughout an organization.”
Now as part of the re-designation team, Tameka is part of NSUH’s team, working to ensure re-designation. “I learned that Magnet is not something you get, but something you are. It’s something to be proud of and recognizes your nursing excellence. That is what makes the journey worthwhile.”
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