Nursing Excellence
Nursing Excellence
At St. Peter’s Hospital, we are proud of our nurses and the care they provide. We are honored to have received multiple designations and accolades highlighting our nursing excellence. We’re one of a select few hospitals to achieve four consecutive Magnet designations. We’re the first in the region to be designated Baby-Friendly. Our Nursing Philosophy focuses on combining evidence-based practices with the dedication to our patients and families.
Join Our Team
We have open nursing roles across specialties and facilities that offer excellent benefits, sign-on bonuses, flexible schedules, and a dedicated community.
Explore RolesA Message from Christopher Jordan, RN, Chief Nursing Officer
I am proud of the nurses of St. Peter’s Hospital (SPH). They are integral to the achievement of high-quality patient outcomes, consistently providing compassionate, exemplary, evidence-based care to our patients and families. In collaboration with the health care team, they are making a positive difference in the lives of the patients and families we serve. As the caregivers and educators who interface with the patients and families most frequently, they influence the quality of care and safety of each patient.
Nursing practice within SPH is grounded not only in the evidence-based practices of physical science but also in the caring philosophy of theorist Jean Watson and the principles of Shared Governance.
SPH nurses believe Shared Governance creates an environment that promotes professional growth and allows them to:
- Define their roles.
- Regulate their practice.
- Exert authority in those areas for which they are legally and morally accountable.
Our Professional Nursing Practice Model is the tangible expression of our nursing culture. The Model provides guidance in the development of professional nursing practice and demonstrates our commitment to supporting an environment that fosters excellence. Nurses use the premises of Jean Watson, principles of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses Healthy Work Environment, and 5 Model Components in daily practice to build strong, collaborative relationships with patients, peers, and all members of the health care team. Within SPH, we are committed to promoting nurses’ professional growth through educational programs, inservices, our Nurses’ Day of Inquiry, as well as financial assistance and flexible scheduling to support formal continuing education. St. Peter’s nurses make visible the principles of Magnet® every day through:
- Transformational leadership in unit/hospital interdisciplinary councils and committees
- Innovative programs such as Diabetic Resource Nurse and Pain Resource Nurse
- Achievement of Beacon Award, Baby-Friendly, and other honors
- Participation in key patient care committees such as Ethics Council, Surgical Services, Medication Safety
I am proud of our nursing team’s commitment to continually improving care for our patients and families.
Christopher Jordan, RN
Chief Nursing Officer
Vice President
Patient Care Services
Our Nursing Recognition
The following designations and awards are for Nursing Excellence at St. Peter's Hospital. St. Peter's Health Partners is proud to have additional accolades across our health system.
Magnet® Designation
In 2021, St. Peter’s Hospital became one of less than one percent of hospitals in the United States to earn a fourth consecutive re-designation as an American Nurses Credentialing Center® (ANCC) Magnet-designated organization.
The prestigious Magnet® designation recognizes excellence in nursing services and represents sustained and demonstrated patient care outcomes that are a result of superior nursing and interdisciplinary care. St. Peter’s Hospital is the only hospital in Albany, Rensselaer, or Schenectady counties, and one of only 41 in New York state, designated by Magnet®.
St. Peter’s is a Magnet® Hospital, earning the designation initially in 2005 and the re-designation in 2009, 2015, and 2021.
To achieve Magnet® status, organizations must apply to the ANCC and undergo a rigorous, multifaceted evaluation, including an on-site appraisal. Those who earn this designation must re-apply and demonstrate sustained excellence in nursing care.
Baby-Friendly
St. Peter’s is the first hospital in the Capital Region to receive Baby-Friendly designation - considered the gold standard in maternity care – launched by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).
Becoming a Baby-Friendly facility is a comprehensive, detailed, and thorough journey toward excellence in providing evidence-based maternity care with the goal of achieving optimal infant feeding outcomes and mother/baby bonding, according to Baby-Friendly USA. The Baby-Friendly designation is awarded after a rigorous on-site survey is completed. The designation is based on the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding, which was developed by a team of global experts and consists of evidence-based practices that have been shown to increase breastfeeding initiation and duration.
Beacon Award for Excellence
St. Peter’s Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit is a Silver Beacon Award-winning unit. The Beacon Award recognizes hospital units that distinguish themselves by improving every facet of patient care. The three-year designation acknowledges excellence in nursing and clinical practice as well as outcomes that lead to improved quality and safety for patients.
Good Catch and Patient Safety Hero Awards
The Josie King Foundation is dedicated to the memory of Josie, an eighteen-month-old who died Feb. 22, 2001, from medical errors. The Foundation’s mission is to prevent patients from dying or being harmed by medical errors. By uniting healthcare providers and consumers, and funding innovative safety programs, the Foundation hopes to create a culture of patient safety.
St. Peter's Health Partners (SPHP) mission to be a transforming, healing presence in the community parallels this goal. The Josie King Hero Award recognizes health care professionals who prevent harm and promote safety. Through this program, St. Peter’s builds on its culture of safety and transparency as it works towards becoming a high-reliability organization.
Daisy Award
DAISY is an acronym for Diseases Attacking the Immune System. The family of Patrick Barnes, who died at age 33 of complications of Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP), created the Daisy Award to honor his memory and recognize the healing work of the nurses who had cared for him and continue to care for patients everywhere. Since the Daisy Award was first piloted at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, it has been adopted by health care facilities across the United States.
It is now part of the culture of St. Peter’s, with patients and families nominating nurses from all areas of the hospital. Nominees and the Daisy honoree are recognized in public ceremonies throughout the year.