WakeMed is the First Health System in North Carolina to Earn Magnet Recognition with Distinction™

RALEIGH, N.C. (September 19, 2025) – WakeMed is setting the standard for high-quality nursing care as one of just 47 health care organizations in the world to earn Magnet Recognition with Distinction™ (Magnet with Distinction). David Marshall, JD, DNP, CENP, NEA-BC, chair of the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Magnet® made the announcement via conference call to a group of WakeMed nurses, providers, administrators and leaders who gathered for the news in the Andrews Conference Center at WakeMed Raleigh Campus today.  

The Magnet Recognition Program designates organizations worldwide where nursing leaders successfully align their nursing strategic goals to improve the organization’s patient outcomes. The Magnet Recognition Program provides a roadmap to nursing excellence, which benefits the whole of an organization. To nurses, Magnet Recognition means education and development through every career stage, which leads to greater autonomy at the bedside. To patients, it means the very best care, delivered by nurses who are supported to be the very best that they can be. WakeMed first earned Magnet recognition in 2015. Only 629 hospitals worldwide – 11 in North Carolina -- are designated Magnet.

Magnet with Distinction is a designation recognizing the highest performing Magnet organizations around the world. Based on validated empirical data, only a select few hospitals achieve this elite level of performance. They serve as exemplary role models for nursing excellence and for creating an environment of care that improves patient outcomes. Magnet with Distinction raises the bar to recognize top-tier organizations that have achieved the highest level of nursing excellence while addressing emerging challenges and changes in health care moving forward. WakeMed is the first health system in North Carolina to earn the honor.

About WakeMed Health & Hospitals

Serving the community since 1961, WakeMed is a not-for-profit health care system founded and based in Raleigh, N.C. WakeMed exists to improve the health and well-being of our community by providing outstanding and compassionate care to all. WakeMed’s 973-bed system comprises a network of facilities throughout the Triangle area, including three full-service hospitals, a mental health & well-being hospital, eight emergency departments, a dedicated Children’s Hospital and Rehabilitation Hospital, two exceptional Trauma Centers—a Level I Trauma Center in Raleigh and a Level III Trauma Center in Cary, and more than 175 physician and physical therapy practice offices. WakeMed’s mission-driven team includes more than 12,500 employees, 1,200 volunteers, and 1,300 affiliated physicians along with a network of 900+ primary care and specialty providers with WakeMed Physician Practices—all representing the best minds and the biggest hearts and the finest quality in health care and community health. For more information, visit www.wakemed.org or follow WakeMed on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.