Long Island Jewish Valley Stream hospital has earned its first-ever Magnet designation, the highest national recognition for nursing excellence awarded by the American Nurses Credentialing Center.
The achievement has placed the hospital among a select group of healthcare organizations recognized for superior nursing care, professional practice and patient outcomes, marking a major milestone for the Valley Stream community.
“This is for our community — that they know that they are getting excellent care every time that they come into this building,” Jason Tan, the hospital’s president, said. “I can’t believe we’re here. This is such a freaking great moment.”
Magnet designation is widely regarded as the gold standard for nursing, awarded for sustained excellence across five core components: transformational leadership, structural empowerment, exemplary professional practice, new knowledge and innovation, and empirical outcomes. Fewer than 10 percent of hospitals in the United States hold this distinction, reflecting the rigorous nature of the process and the high level of performance required.
For LIJ Valley Stream, the designation is the result of years of preparation, data collection and organizational transformation. The formal process began in 2023, when the hospital declared its intent to apply to the American Nurses Credentialing Center, or ANCC, for Magnet status. The hospital then started to compile and submit four years of performance data and detailed documentation demonstrating how Magnet principles were embedded into daily practice.
The final written submission, which can total hundreds of pages, was completed earlier in 2025, and included evidence related to patient quality outcomes, patient experience, nursing satisfaction, nurse retention and professional development. In April, the hospital formally submitted its documentation, followed by a three-day on-site evaluation in October, conducted by ANCC-appointed Magnet appraisers.
The appraisers, who are all experienced ANCC-trained nurses, visited inpatient units, ambulatory settings and clinical practice areas. They met with nurses, leadership, and interdisciplinary teams, reviewed policies and performance data, and validated that what was described in the written application was consistently happening in practice.
Kate O’Neill, the hospital’s chief nursing officer, described the designation as the culmination of a multi-year effort to strengthen nursing excellence and patient care. While Magnet is a nursing designation, O’Neill emphasized that it reflects the work of the entire healthcare team and the overall culture of the organization.
“It’s really an institutional designation, because nurses are part of a care team,” O’Neill said. “We don’t work independently, and it really speaks to the excellent care that patients receive here.”
Hospital leaders noted that achieving Magnet status required consistent performance over time. The ANCC evaluates organizations on trends — and not one-time results — which is why four years of data’s required. This includes metrics related to nursing-sensitive indicators, patient satisfaction, workforce engagement and quality outcomes. Only organizations that meet eligibility requirements and demonstrate sustained excellence are allowed to apply.
Renee Sanchez, director of patient care services for the Magnet program and the nursing quality and staffing office, has worked closely on the initiative for more than four years. She explained that initial Magnet designations often take many years of groundwork before an organization is ready to apply. That preparation includes building shared governance structures, supporting nursing education and certification, fostering nurse-led research and creating systems that prioritize nurse wellbeing and engagement.
“It was almost like they read the book, and they came to see the movie,” Sanchez said of the appraisers’ visit. “And as you know, sometimes the book is better than the movie when you go watch a movie, but they came and said the movie was way better than the book. And they were emotional when they were here. They saw the passion. They saw the family vibes for Valley Stream, and they saw that it actually is a living document.”
Magnet standards require hospitals to meet specific benchmarks for nurse engagement before they can even be considered. At LIJ Valley Stream, leadership pointed to strong nurse engagement as a key driver of positive patient outcomes and overall quality performance.
David Marshall, chair of the ANCC Commission on Magnet, formally delivered the decision on the designation. In his remarks, Marshall highlighted several areas in which the hospital demonstrated exceptional performance. These included strong cultures of staff recognition, with numerous practices in place to acknowledge and reward nursing excellence, as well as consistently high performance on nursing-sensitive clinical quality indicators.
Among the outcomes highlighted were inpatient measures such as falls with injury, hospital-acquired pressure injuries, catheter-associated urinary tract infections, and central line-associated bloodstream infections, all of which outperformed national benchmarks over multiple reporting periods across hospital units. In ambulatory settings, performance related to falls with injury, surgical errors, pain management, patient engagement and patient-centered care also exceeded benchmarks.
The Commission on Magnet also recognized the Valley Stream hospital as one of 51 Magnet-designated organizations in the state.
The designation must be renewed every four years, requiring continued data submission and re-evaluation to ensure standards are maintained.
The hospital will be formally recognized at the national Magnet ceremony in Chicago in October 2026, when organizations from across the country will be celebrated for achieving and maintaining this prestigious designation.
