Connecting the Dots on Engagement

Margarita Baggett

MSN, RN

Magnet^®

Margarita Baggett is the chief clinical officer (CCO) for UC San Diego Health System. In this role she serves as a key member of the hospitals’ senior management team and is responsible for planning, organizing, directing, and controlling all functions of Nursing Services, Pharmacy Services, Care Coordination, and Volunteer Services.

Margarita Baggett is the chief clinical officer (CCO) for UC San Diego Health System. In this role she serves as a key member of the hospitals’ senior management team and is responsible for planning, organizing, directing, and controlling all functions of Nursing Services, Pharmacy Services, Care Coordination, and Volunteer Services. She played a key role in leading the organization to attain ANCC Magnet Recognition® Status in December 2011. Margarita and her team transformed their practice environment by supporting and promoting the role of the professional nurse, using the Magnet® Model as a framework.

She is a highly accomplished nursing leader with extensive experience in quality management, service excellence, patient throughput, staff recruitment and retention, and regulatory affairs. Previously, Margarita served for 27 years in the North Shore-Long Island Jewish Healthcare System in Manhasset, New York. During that time she held many roles including deputy executive director, nurse executive, and associate executive director for Patient Care Services and Care Coordination. She also led North Shore University Hospital to Magnet Recognition® in 2001.

Margarita consults nationally and internationally, assisting organizations in developing strategic plans to address gaps in Magnet readiness. Her vast knowledge of hospital operations gives her the ability to help organizations demonstrate how their mission, vision, values, and strategic plans relate to the Magnet Recognition Program®. She is also a facilitator at the ANCC Journey to Magnet Excellence® workshops.

Summary of Services

Reduces complex tasks to manageable steps, empowering those with whom she works with the confidence to succeed.
Coaches organizations to implement successful strategies for incorporating shared governance, evidence-based practices, and research into their professional practice environments.
Conducts system- or organization-wide gap analyses.
Develops customized education and training to support organizational needs.
Conducts comprehensive on-site reviews in preparation for site visits.

Education

BSN, Molloy College, Rockville Centre, NY
MSN, Adelphi University, Garden City, NY
Graduate of the Wharton Nursing Leaders Program, Philadelphia, PA

Certifications

American Nurses Credentialing Center – Certificate Holder in Fundamentals of Magnet®

Professional Memberships

Nursing Spectrum, Advisory Board Member
California Institute for Nursing and Health Care
American Nurses Association
Association of California Nurse Leaders
San Diego State University, Adjunct Clinical Professor

The Journey to Magnet Excellence® calls for creating a platform to engage nurses at all levels of the organization in understanding the benefits of the Magnet Recognition Program® and the role of the professional nurse.

The platform can describe who you are and your vision for the future. Start by profiling the nurses in your organization with respect to the following information:

Number of nurses.
Number of advanced practice nurses.
Percentage of direct care nurses with advanced degrees and certifications in their specialties.
Percentage of nurses who belong to professional organizations.
Percentage of nurses who are men/women.

Next, ensure that nurses at all levels understand their accountability in terms of lifelong learning, decision making, peer review, and the unique role of the professional nurse in advocating for the concerns, hopes, and dreams of our patients.

Recognize that clinical excellence has no finish line, and consider the following nine strategies in achieving and sustaining a Magnet® practice environment

Recruit and retain nurse leaders who share the belief that excellence has no finish line.
- Must have a can-do attitude.
- Understand that change is gradual.
- Will stay the course.
Create a vision statement for nursing that aligns with that of the organization and the Magnet Recognition Program.
Develop a strategic plan for your journey that aligns with the hospital-wide plan.
Create structures and processes to distribute the vision statement and the strategic plan.
Develop dashboards (both organization-wide and at the department or unit level) to measure results.
Implement these four best practices to improve patient satisfaction:
- Hourly rounds.
- Nurse-to-nurse handoff at the bedside.
- Daily interprofessional rounds at the bedside.
- Discharge follow-up calls.
Engage physicians and clinicians in developing a mature culture of performance improvement.
Hardwire a common purpose among leadership, physicians, nurses, and staff to achieve organizational goals.
Seek innovations in patient care, care delivery models, and the practice environment. This is the hallmark of organizations that are leading the way toward quality and cost-efficient care.

This article was originally published in August 2014.

*Use of ANA Consultation Services does not guarantee you will achieve an ANCC credential. ANA consultants and staff cannot influence the actions of ANCC program staff nor decisions of the Commission on Magnet® Recognition, Commission on Pathway to Excellence®, or Commission on Accreditation in Practice Transition Programs and the Commission for Nursing Continuing Professional Development..