Magnet recognition is the highest national honor for nursing excellence.
Evanston, Illinois – October 20, 2025 — Saint Francis Hospital – Evanston, a member of the Prime Healthcare Foundation, achieved Magnet® with Distinction Recognition by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), the gold standard for nursing excellence.
The ANCC Magnet Recognition Program® distinguishes organizations that meet rigorous standards for nursing professionalism, teamwork, and superior patient care. Magnet with Distinction is an elevated designation introduced in 2023 to celebrate hospitals that exceed the scoring thresholds required for Magnet designation. This recognition honors top-tier organizations that demonstrate exceptional nursing excellence, innovation, and outcomes.
With this recognition, Saint Francis joins a select global community of Magnet-recognized organizations. Only a small percentage of U.S. healthcare organizations have achieved Magnet recognition, and just 51 hospitals nationwide have earned Magnet with Distinction.
Saint Francis is also the only hospital in Illinois recognized with 13 categories of Exemplar status, the highest number in the state — a testament to the hospital’s leadership in quality, patient experience, and nurse engagement.
“Magnet with Distinction is the highest national honor for nursing excellence, leadership, and innovation,” said Rosenda M. Barrera, MSN, RN, Chief Nursing Officer and Chief Operating Officer at Saint Francis Hospital – Evanston. “Earning 13 Exemplar categories is extraordinary, and a direct reflection of the passion, expertise, and dedication of our nursing team. This recognition belongs to them — and to the culture of compassion and collaboration that defines Saint Francis.”
Research demonstrates that Magnet recognition provides measurable benefits to healthcare organizations and their communities, including:
- Higher patient satisfaction with nurse communication, responsiveness, and discharge education.
- Lower risk of 30-day mortality and lower failure-to-rescue rates.
- Higher job satisfaction and lower turnover among nurses.
Annmarie McDonagh, DNP, MBA, RN, Magnet Program Director, explained, “Earning Magnet® recognition — and doing so with Distinction — is a historic achievement and one of the greatest honors in nursing. This accomplishment reflects the exceptional skill, passion, and unwavering commitment of our nurses to deliver extraordinary care every day. It speaks to a culture where excellence is expected, innovation thrives, and professional growth is championed. Together, we have built something
remarkable — a nursing community grounded in purpose, driven by compassion, and united in advancing patient-centered care. We could not be prouder of our nursing team.”
The Magnet Model provides a framework for nursing practice, research, and measurement of outcomes. Through this framework, ANCC evaluates applicants across a number of components and dimensions to gauge an organization’s nursing excellence.
The foundation of this model comprises various elements deemed essential to delivering superior patient care. These include the quality of nursing leadership and coordination and collaboration across specialties, as well as processes for measuring and improving the quality and delivery of care.
Our nurses’ voices epitomize what Magnet means to them:
- “Magnet means being recognized as a part of a facility that provides first- class patient centered care”. – Ade Adeniyi, BSN, RN
- “To me, Magnet represents a culture of excellence in nursing, where high standards, evidence-based practice, and continuous improvements are part of everyday”– Karina Marquez, BSN, RN
- “Magnet is more than a title. It’s a mindset, one in which nurses drive change, lead innovation, and own the quality of care we deliver.” – Annie Michel, BSN, RN, CCRN, RN
- “It’s validation that the compassion we bring to the bedside is just as important as the science behind what we do. Magnet celebrates both heart and skill.” – Venice McNish, BSN, RN
- “Magnet represents who we are, not just as nurses, but as a team that refuses to settle for average. It’s the culmination of every idea we’ve tested, every process we’ve improved, and every patient we’ve advocated for.” – Rebecca Wile, MSN, RN, CCRN, NEA-BC
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About Saint Francis Hospital
Founded in 1900, Saint Francis Hospital in Evanston, IL, a not-for-profit member of the Prime Healthcare Foundation, is a 197-bed teaching facility that offers specialized care alongside 24/7 emergency services, including a Level I adult trauma center, the highest level of critical care possible for trauma patients. Saint Francis provides advanced surgical interventions for serious and life-threatening conditions. It also offers expertise in cardiology, oncology, and orthopedics, and an array of minimally invasive procedures including robotic-assisted surgery that often results in same-day discharges and significantly shorter recovery times. Its dedicated care teams prioritize understanding their patients’ health needs to deliver the most appropriate care tailored for them.
About ANCC’s Magnet Recognition Program
The Magnet Recognition Program — administered by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, the largest and most prominent nurses credentialing organization in the world — identifies health care organizations that provide the very best in nursing care and professionalism in nursing practice.
The Magnet Recognition Program is the highest national honor for nursing excellence and provides consumers with the ultimate benchmark for measuring quality of care. For more information about the Magnet Recognition Program and current statistics, visit www.nursingworld.org/magnet.