KMC named Magnet hospital
Kootenai Medical Center has been named a Magnet hospital for nursing care, a designation held by less than 3 percent of hospitals nationwide.
The American Nurses Credentialing Center granted the hospital its highest honor this month, making KMC the first in the Inland Northwest to achieve the status, hospital spokeswoman Karen Pearl said.
KMC joins St. Luke’s Regional Medical Center in Boise as the second Magnet hospital in Idaho. The University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle also holds the designation.
The award certifies the skill and contentment of KMC’s nursing staff, which includes 422 registered nurses and 16 licensed practical nurses, said Marian Wilson, a KMC registered nurse who helped write the application to the ANCC.
“You’re saying that your hospital is committed to a pro-nursing environment,” Wilson said.
About 200 hospitals nationwide have been awarded Magnet status.