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One in a Million ... or 1,300 in a Million
Meridian Celebrates Nursing Excellence
Beth Martin of Freehold knows a few
things about the nurses of Meridian
Health. Her son Bobby, 20, was
diagnosed with cerebral palsy when he was
9 weeks old. Because of repeated bouts of
pneumonia, he has returned to K. Hovnanian
Children's Hospital many times. "Over the
past 20 years, we have found ourselves in
the hospital about once a year," says Beth.
"These visits are tough times for Bobby and
our whole family, and we have come to
rely on our nurses as clinicians, advocates,
researchers, and sometimes even shoulders
to cry on. They are truly amazing."
Leading the Nation
Ten years ago, Meridian became the first
health system in the nation to receive the Magnet Award for Nursing Excellence,
which is widely accepted as the gold
standard for nursing care. Since then, the
nurses at Jersey Shore University Medical
Center, Ocean Medical Center, Riverview
Medical Center, and K. Hovnanian
Children's Hospital all have been recertified
as Magnet nursing staffs.
"Less than 3 percent of the nation's
hospitals qualify for Magnet designation,"
says Richard Hader, R.N., PhD, senior vice
president of Nursing and chief nursing
officer for Meridian Health. "Magnet recognition
is just one example of the dedication
to nursing that one finds at Meridian.
Our continuing development of Meridian's
nursing program creates a better healing
environment for patients and a better work and career environment for nurses."
In addition to extensive scholarship
and career development programs,
Meridian has pioneered an innovative
approach to nursing. Meridian's Model
of Care Nursing Units offer higher nurseto-
patient ratios, which allows nurses to
have more time at each patient's bedside.
In addition, Meridian nurses are enabled
to make operational decisions with the
hospital's physicians, and they are offered
robust professional development and education
programs with dedicated educators
just for nurses.
As a result, Meridian has one of the
lowest nurse-vacancy rates in the nation.
Also, 41 percent of Meridian nurses are
nationally certified in their areas of clinical
expertise, compared with the national
average of only 11 percent to 13 percent.
Meridian nurses also are extremely wellpublished
in national professional journals
and regularly present Meridian's nursing
approaches nationally and internationally.
The Caring Touch
"I am very proud to say that the nurses at
Meridian's hospitals are some of the most
highly trained and clinically proficient
nurses around," says Hader. "But in addition
to all their knowledge and skill,
what our patients most often remember
is their compassion."
Beth agrees. "The nurses have known
Bobby so long that they know what he
is capable of, how he responds — in
short, they know him and care for him as
if he was their own," she says. "And
they know our family. I remember a
nurse coming in for her morning shift
who brought me coffee because she
knew I would be there. They really
care, and it's that relationship with a
patient and their family that is
irreplaceable."
 – Michael Valentino
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