Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare Makes History in Nursing and Patient Care by Achieving the American Nurses Credentialing Center Triple Crown

Manal Saleh

·       JHAH is the first multi-hospital system outside the US to achieve the designation across all its sites through a single, system-wide appraisal, with nursing performance exceeding international benchmarks on every eligible inpatient unit.

JHAH is also the only organization globally to simultaneously hold Magnet, PTAP and NCPD accreditations, all with Distinction.

Dhahran, Saudi Arabia - September 2, 2026:  Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare (JHAH) has achieved the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) Magnet Recognition® with Distinction across all JHAH sites, placing it among a select group of the highest-performing healthcare organizations globally for nursing excellence, quality care and patient outcomes. With this milestone, JHAH is now one of the only five organizations outside the United States to hold the credential with distinction.

The recognition encompasses JHAH’s five campuses in Dhahran, Ras Tanura, Al-Hasa, Abqaiq and Udhailiah, making JHAH the only hospital system outside the United States to achieve this recognition tier through a single, unified, multi-hospital, multi-site appraisal.

The achievement also makes JHAH the only organization in the world 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 American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), Magnet Recognition® is widely regarded as the highest international credential for nursing excellence. Magnet with Distinction recognizes organizations that exceed the rigorous standards required for Magnet designation. JHAH achieved the recognition on its first application for a four-year term.

Dr. Howard Podolsky, Chief Executive Officer of Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare, said: “This is an extraordinary achievement for JHAH and, above all, a recognition of our nurses and the colleagues who support them every day. 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.

JHAH’s Magnet Recognition Program® journey has been supported by a structured collaboration with Johns Hopkins Medicine (JHM) since 2022. JHM experts worked closely with JHAH Nursing leadership throughout the multi-year process, providing specialist assessment and guidance, onsite workshops, observership opportunities, a comprehensive mock Magnet assessment and ongoing expert review as JHAH prepared for the formal appraisal.

The ANCC appraisal examined eight consecutive quarters of unit-level clinical and patient experience data across JHAH’s inpatient and ambulatory settings. JHAH outperformed the international benchmark and comparison cohort on 100 percent of eligible inpatient units for hospital-acquired pressure injuries at stage two and above, device-related pressure injuries and peripheral intravenous infiltrations. Across ambulatory settings, JHAH outperformed the benchmark on 100 percent of units for falls with injury, patient burns and surgical errors.

Dr. Hani Ayyad, Chief Nursing Officer at Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare, said: “This recognition belongs to our nurses, whose expertise, leadership and commitment to patients are at the heart of this achievement. 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.”

Saudi nationals represent 23 percent of JHAH’s approximately 1,600-strong nursing workforce. JHAH continues to invest in developing nursing capability through professional development, transition-to-practice programs and international knowledge exchange, supporting the advancement of the nursing profession and Saudi Arabia’s broader healthcare transformation.

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About Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare

Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare (JHAH) is a healthcare provider established in 2014 as a joint venture between Saudi Aramco and Johns Hopkins Medicine. The partnership combines Saudi Aramco’s long-standing healthcare legacy, dating back to the Saudi Aramco Medical Services Organization (SAMSO) in 1945, with Johns Hopkins Medicine’s global leadership in clinical innovation, cutting-edge medical research, and world-class medical education.

JHAH provides patient-centered care across multiple specialties, including cardiology, oncology, orthopedics, women’s health, pediatrics, mental health, neurology, and musculoskeletal care.  It integrates advanced care models such as remote medicine, hospital-at-home services, and AI-enabled diagnostics to support accessible and effective healthcare delivery. JHAH has recently launched its Cardiovascular and Oncology Centers of Excellence, further strengthening specialized care services.

For more information, please visit: www.jhah.com and follow Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare on LinkedIn, Instagram, X, Facebook and YouTube.