An Ambassador for the Gold Standard in Nursing
There were crossword puzzles, caring story contests and brag books. Information-packed bulletin boards, evidence-based practice projects and weekly huddles. But most importantly, the constant reinforcement of world-class nursing standards. Nursing is both a caring and creative field, and the nurses at Moffitt Cancer Center exemplified this in fiscal year 2024 as they prepared for Magnet redesignation, which was awarded in June 2024.
“Magnet designation represents the best of nursing at Moffitt. It showcases the quality of care we deliver. It showcases the difference we make in the outcomes of our patients, and it certainly recognizes nurses for what they do,” said registered nurse Leslie Rogers, PhD, the Magnet program director at Moffitt. “It is also that external validation of what we see and live every day. Magnet designation validates that we are the best. It is the gold standard for nursing in the world.”
Moffitt first achieved Magnet designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) in 2015 and earned a subsequent designation in 2019. Although Moffitt nurses live up to the Magnet standards every day, when it comes time to submit for redesignation, the department must put together an excruciatingly detailed application with supporting documentation showing how nurses at all levels specifically meet the 84 Magnet standards.
Rogers spearheaded the redesignation effort, and she relied on a team of 75 Magnet nurse ambassadors to champion the standards across their units. Leading up to the survey, each of Moffitt’s nearly 2,000 registered nurses had to be comfortable talking about the components of Magnet, quality metrics and real-life examples of how Moffitt embodies Magnet standards.
When it came time to select ambassadors for training in October 2023, Rogers knew Christine Simonelli would be a perfect choice.
Simonelli has been a registered nurse at the cancer center for 31 years, joining the team straight out of nursing school at the University of South Florida. She started at Moffitt in the bone marrow transplant unit, then went on to become a research nurse. She has been back on the clinic side since 2011, working in the outpatient hematology clinic.
“I’ve seen so many amazing things here at Moffitt. I’ve seen medical advancements. I’ve seen new treatments, new therapies, new innovations and patients living longer. Being part of those cancer journeys with these patients is pretty amazing,” she said.
The Magnet nurse ambassador was a special role for her, though. “Magnet is the gold standard that every hospital and every nursing department should strive for. It’s the summit. It’s the crème de la crème. It shows that our nursing is second to none.”
As an ambassador, Simonelli set up regular huddles with her unit of around 30 nurses to talk about what Magnet means and why the designation is important. She also went over the research the team was conducting and the metrics measuring nurse-sensitive outcomes and patient experience. The goal was to ensure every nurse in the unit felt comfortable discussing the material when it came time for an ANCC Magnet surveyor to visit.
As part of Magnet preparation, the nurses hosted a brag book competition, where units compiled scrapbooks like this one, filled with shout-outs and uplifting notes about colleagues.
To keep the preparation lively, Simonelli and her fellow ambassadors got creative. They held a caring story contest, where nurses could submit team member stories that exemplified the Magnet standards. They hosted a brag book competition, where units compiled scrapbooks of shout-outs and uplifting notes about colleagues. They even came up with games, like a crossword puzzle crafted from key Magnet terms.
When it came time for the Magnet surveyors to visit Moffitt in April 2024, Simonelli and fellow ambassadors Kandy Scimone and Allie Hendron volunteered to be escorts. They took the surveyors through each nursing unit across all Moffitt campuses. The surveyors spent about 20 minutes with each unit. They talked to clinic nurses about the Magnet standards, learned about the research they were doing, and reviewed the bulletin boards packed with important information and metrics that demonstrate how the Magnet standards are incorporated into Nursing’s daily practice.
Simonelli was both impressed and proud of the work she got to see in each unit she toured with the surveyor. There was the massive coloring wall that was part of a project to help prevent nurse burnout. They toured a starlight therapy room that aims to reduce anxiety in patients with breast cancer. The amount and variety of nursing research across Moffitt was inspiring.
“To take the surveyor around this institution and see firsthand all the cool things that our nurses are doing, how they’re bettering or improving the patient experience, how they’re improving their work-life balance and mental health, how they’re improving workflows. I just couldn’t have been prouder to show off where I work every day,” Simonelli said.
By the time Moffitt received the Magnet redesignation in June 2024, Simonelli had hung up her hat as ambassador. But she was still feeling the motivation of the creative and compassionate minds all around her.
“Moffitt is my home away from home, and being a Magnet ambassador is one of the most memorable experiences and opportunities I’ve had here.”
