Expertise and rankings

Mayo Clinic is committed to nursing excellence through education, research and outstanding patient care and innovation. The Mayo Clinic Department of Nursing is one of the largest and most respected groups of nurses in the world.

Magnet designation

Mayo Clinic's campuses in Arizona, Florida and Minnesota have been awarded Magnet designation for excellence in nursing. In the nursing profession, Magnet status is considered the gold standard that demonstrates a commitment to quality, safety and improvement, teamwork, evidence-based practice and research, and formal nursing education. The ANCC Magnet Recognition Program awards this prestigious designation to health care organizations that exemplify transformational leadership, structural empowerment, exemplary professional practice, and continual innovation and improvement in professional nursing practice.

In 2020 Mayo Clinic in in Rochester, Minnesota, was one of six organizations in the United States to receive a sixth ANCC Magnet designation. Since then Mayo Clinic in Arizona, Florida and Minnesota has each achieved designation or re-designation through a process of continual improvement and an unwavering commitment to excellence in nursing.

Level 1 Surgery Center

Mayo Clinic Children's Center is a Level 1 Children's Surgery Center, the highest verification awarded by the American College of Surgeons (ACS). This distinction recognizes the surgical excellence of our multispecialty teams — including surgeons, anesthesiologists, physicians, nurses and more — who meet or exceed ACS criteria for quality of care for newborns, babies, children, and teenage surgical patients.

Top-ranked surgical programs

Mayo Clinic is consistently ranked as one of the best hospitals in the nation by US News & World Report, reflecting overall excellence but also high scores in the ranking's surgical categories, including but not limited to:

  • Cardiology & heart surgery
  • Ear, nose & throat
  • Gastroenterology & GI surgery
  • Neurology & neurosurgery
  • Pulmonology & lung surgery

Learn more about Mayo Clinic's quality rankings.