Exemplary Nursing Practice

Magnet Nurses

At Bristol Hospital, our nurses are “Caring Today for Your Tomorrow.”

Magnet Nursing at Bristol Hospital

When first achieved in 2015, Bristol Hospital was the only hospital in Hartford County to receive Magnet recognition. Our continued dedication to nursing excellence and our drive to go above and beyond to ensure the highest quality care is delivered to you each and every day has now earned us our second Magnet re-designation in 2020 from the American Nurses Credentialing Center — the highest national honor for nursing practice.

The Magnet Award recognizes exemplary nursing practice that shines above the rest, a healthcare environment where you can find comfort bringing your family. 

2022-2023 Nursing Annual Report

Patient Focused

The true essence of our nursing practice is a patient centered focus where nurses use therapeutic healing, empathy and research to deliver care. Promoting excellence and growth in nursing through professional degrees, certifications and shared governance are just a few qualities making us stand out. 

Magnet recognition for nurses means you will have a voice in your nursing practice and greater autonomy in your nursing career at Bristol Health. We provide educational needs and professional growth guidance throughout your career development stages. We have true shared governance that has an impact on staffing, rewards and recognition and clinical outcomes through our nurse executive council and staffing council, nursing professional practice council and a robust ongoing research council. In addition our nurse team added a wellness pillar as part of our nursing strategic plan to never lose sight of improving our own healthcare work environment and for nurses to be the very best they can be. 

For your patients, it means the very best care because as nurses you have a voice to advocate for best quality and safety at the bedside.

Who we Are

Bristol Hospital and Health Care Group employs 426 nurses. Of that, 52% are full-time, 12% are part-time, and slightly over 36% are per diem. Over 71% of the nurses at Bristol Hospital below have 15 or more years of nursing experience, and 28% have between 5 and 14 years. The average age of a clinical nurse is 45 years and the average length of service is 12 years. The Bristol Hospital nursing community mirrors the local community with a higher proportion of White nurses (80%) and a lower proportion of Black/African American nurses (7.5%), Asian (2.5%), and Hispanic (6.1%) nurses.  

Bristol Hospital joined the Connecticut Hospital Association’s Diversity Collaborative in 2011. This statewide initiative is working together to identify improvement strategies and interventions to increase diversity in hospital governance, senior management and nursing to improve cultural competence in the delivery of care, and increase supplier diversity. In 2018, Bristol Hospital obtained leadership status in Healthcare Equality Index Promoting LGBTQ patient centered care. Bristol Hospital remains the only hospital in Bristol and is committed to differentiating and distinguishing itself from other regional hospitals through extraordinary service and excellence in quality outcomes, thereby supporting patient safety in health care.

As a part of the American Hospital Association's Institute for Diversity and Health Equity #123forEquity Campaign to eliminate healthcare disparities, Bristol Healths annual corporate goals includes diversity equity inclusion and belonging which has led to annual diversity competency training on topics such as unconscious bias, equity treatment, etc.

Nurse Residency Program

Bristol Hospital’s 12 month graduate nurse residency program is designed to support and transition nursing graduates from academic education into professional practice in an acute care setting.  The foundation of the program is to provide insight and development opportunities intended to optimize their experience for the first year and create a positive foundation for the rest of their nursing career. The curriculum supports evidence-based practice, communication, collaboration, & autonomy. Our graduate nurses experience a 1:1 preceptorship, monthly seminars with their peers, and support from their leaders, peers, and professional development team. Transitioning from student to nurse is challenging. Our program is designed to strengthen that transition to practice and establish strong, competent, and professional nurses.

Promising a Bright & Healthy Tomorrow

Nursing presents best practice to internal and external audiences cultivating a relationship of trust and education.  Our nursing culture promotes mindfulness and self-care, a physical and mental rejuvenation, cultivating a patient care focus on quality and satisfaction. Collaboration with our interprofessional teams helps develop strong bonds and improve communication across the continuum for patient safety. 

Our qualities of transformational leadership in nursing practice promise a bright and healthy tomorrow in the future of healthcare excellence. 

Recognized for nursing excellence in 2015, with re-designation achieved in 2020.

Our joint program has met the highest standards for safety and quality.

The first healthcare system in the state to earn Silver Recognition in the 2020 ENA Baldrige-based Quality Award program.

Recognized by the International Hospital Federation for our initiative, agility and innovation in our COVID response

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