Health Policy and Systems
Yorck B. Kalke, MD
Head SCI Center
SCI Center Orthopaedic Department Ulm University
Ulm, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany
Nursing and the healthcare system in general are also facing major challenges not only in the DMGP (Deutschsprachige Medizinische Gesellschaft für Paraplegiologie / German Speaking Medical Society for Paraplegiology) countries Austria, Germany and Switzerland but also across the globe to ensure excellent patient care through continuous process and outcome improvements. It is therefore crucial to create a resilient and adaptable organization that attracts and retains highly professional nursing staff.
Our flagship project regarding "Leadership in Nursing Excellence" is to be the first hospital in Germany to become a "Magnet" hospital and to implement the US "Magnet" principles. This includes organizing and conducting an international Nursing Summer School that deals with concepts and evidence in the organizational context of nursing practice, and a nursing management congress that illustrates what it means to learn from the best and to promote excellence in nursing and healthcare.
That is where our spinal cord injury center comes into play with its interprofessionalism and flat hierarchy to support and thereby accelerate "the journey" to becoming a Magnet hospital. The highlight so far was the participation of our Magnet representatives at the ANCC (American Nurses Credentialing Center) National Magnet Conference in New Orleans in 2024 and in Atlanta 2025 with over 15,000 (!) participants.
Have a look on the magnificent steps of this journey to understand what it means to become a leader in nursing excellence. "Proud to be a nurse" is expression of a continuous quality development in the spirit of the best possible patient care in rehabilitation.
