The encore begins.
A couple of weeks ago, I sat in our Project Launch sessions and witnessed something extraordinary. As each nurse stood to share what’s happening in their area, I watched passion ignite passion. One person’s enthusiasm lit a fire in the next, and the next, until the room was buzzing with energy and pride. Story after story of excellence, quality initiatives, patient care innovations, process improvements, all happening right here, right now, across UAMS. You inspired me even more than you already have over those two days. You once again showed me that excellence isn’t something we need to create for Magnet 2.0. It’s already here. We just need to tell our story.
That’s what an encore is all about. It’s not repeating the same performance. An encore is giving the audience something they didn’t know they needed, showing them how we have grown, evolved, and elevated our practice in ways that surprise and inspire. We have already achieved magnet designation once; now it’s time to show what we have become since then.
This month, the writing team and I begin the work of telling our stories in our writing workshop. We’re kicking off the process of documenting the excellence demonstrated every single day. But we need you to keep sharing. Keep submitting your stories. Keep telling us about the innovations, the improvements, the moments when you questioned “we’ve always done it this way,” and instead you searched and found evidence to help reshape our practice.
The CNO Town Hall on March 16, 2026, at 9:30 am in the Hospital Lobby Gallery kicks off our season of celebrating nursing. Our CNO Tammy Jones will unveil our 2026 nursing mantra, our strategic plan, and share what’s ahead as we enter this exciting next chapter. From there, we move into Certified Nurses Day on March 19th, and then Nurses Week in May. This is our time to celebrate who you are and what you do.
Rear Admiral Sylvia Trent-Adams, former Deputy Surgeon General, reminds us: “For so long, our profession has been silent on the contributions that we make to society… we have begun to understand how powerful our voice can be when it’s heard.”Your voice is powerful. Every story matters. This encore isn’t about proving we are excellent…it’s about showing the world what excellence looks like when it evolves.
Magnet 2.0- An Encore to Excellence…Let’s tell our story together. Are you in?
