Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare earns ANCC Magnet Recognition with Distinction across all sites
 

(DHAHRAN) - Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare (JHAH) has earned Magnet Recognition® with Distinction from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) across all five of its campuses, placing the Saudi Arabia-based healthcare system among a select group of organizations globally recognized for excellence in nursing, quality of care, and patient outcomes.

The achievement makes JHAH one of only five organizations outside the United States to hold ANCC Magnet Recognition with Distinction. It is also the only hospital system outside the U.S. to achieve this recognition tier through a single, unified appraisal covering multiple hospitals and sites.

The recognition encompasses JHAH’s campuses in Dhahran, Ras Tanura, Al-Hasa, Abqaiq, and Udhailiah.

JHAH has also become the only organization worldwide to simultaneously hold three ANCC recognitions with Distinction: Magnet Recognition®, Practice Transition Accreditation Program (PTAP) Accreditation, and Nursing Continuing Professional Development (NCPD) Accreditation.

Awarded by the ANCC, Magnet Recognition is widely regarded as the highest international credential for nursing excellence. The Magnet with Distinction designation is awarded to organizations that exceed the rigorous standards required for Magnet recognition.

JHAH achieved the distinction on its first application, receiving the credential for a four-year term.

“This is an extraordinary achievement for JHAH and, above all, a recognition of our nurses and the colleagues who support them every day,” said Dr. Howard Podolsky, Chief Executive Officer of Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare. “Achieving Magnet with Distinction across all our sites demonstrates the standard of excellence our teams have built throughout JHAH.”

“It also reflects the strength of the partnership behind our organization, bringing together Saudi Aramco’s longstanding commitment to excellence with Johns Hopkins Medicine’s global healthcare expertise. I am immensely proud of what our people have achieved and what this global recognition represents for the patients and communities we serve,” he added.

Multi-year partnership supports Magnet journey

JHAH’s Magnet Recognition Program® journey has been supported by a structured collaboration with Johns Hopkins Medicine (JHM) since 2022.

Throughout the multi-year process, JHM experts worked closely with JHAH’s nursing leadership, providing specialist assessment and guidance, onsite workshops, observership opportunities, a comprehensive mock Magnet assessment, and ongoing expert review ahead of the formal ANCC appraisal.

The appraisal evaluated eight consecutive quarters of unit-level clinical and patient experience data across JHAH’s inpatient and ambulatory care settings.

JHAH outperformed international benchmarks and its comparison cohort on 100% of eligible inpatient units for several key measures, including stage 2 and higher hospital-acquired pressure injuries, device-related pressure injuries, and peripheral intravenous infiltrations.

In ambulatory settings, JHAH outperformed benchmarks on 100% of units for falls with injury, patient burns, and surgical errors.

“This recognition belongs to our nurses, whose expertise, leadership and commitment to patients are at the heart of this achievement,” said Dr. Hani Ayyad, Chief Nursing Officer at Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare. “To achieve this standard consistently across our entire system is particularly meaningful.”

“Our focus now is on sustaining these standards, continuing to develop nursing talent, and raising the bar for the patients and communities we serve,” he added.

Investing in nursing excellence

JHAH has approximately 1,600 nurses, with Saudi nationals accounting for 23% of its nursing workforce.

The organization continues to invest in nursing capability through professional development, transition-to-practice programs, and international knowledge exchange. These initiatives support the development of nursing talent while contributing to the advancement of the profession and Saudi Arabia’s broader healthcare transformation.

The recognition reflects JHAH’s performance against ANCC standards for nursing practice, patient outcomes, and quality of care across its five campuses.

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