Is Magnet Status The Path For Job Satisfaction?

Forces of magnetism, nurse-sensitive quality indicators, which reflect elements of patient care that, are directly affected by nursing practice (Schmidt and McFarlane 2015). These indicators are said to reflect three aspects of nursing care: structure, process, and outcomes. The establishment of Forces of Magnetism (14) by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) 2013 was created to provide the conceptual framework for the Magnet appraisal process. Must of the original design was to differentiated organizations best able to recruit and retain nurses during the nursing shortages of the 1970s and 1980s (Schmidt and McFarlane 2016 and Forces of Magnetism 2018).

This indicates a magnet accreditation is only allocated to hospitals and health care organisations that are involved in providing health care of the very best quality and has active engagement of nurses where they must lead, manage, and collaboratively follow all the clinical protocol. Since then, magnet accreditation has been viewed as recognition of hospitals that have created excellent patient-care environment and support the professional practice of nursing (American Nurses Credentialing Centre (ANCC), 2014). Currently, there are 441 magnet hospitals in the nation out of which 35 falls in Texas.

On practical lines, although the hospital has appointed nursing leaders and is practically active in creating community awareness and education program, in some ways it has failed to remain consistent with all of the forces. For this reason, questions can be raised on retention and support of qualified workforce. Moreover, the Adventist La Grange Hospital is overly dependent on online recruitment. As a result, there is a high chance that the organization will not be able to reach many potential nurses. The organization will have to consider opening other channels for recruitment. The organization will also have to consider the inconsistencies that are present in the organization due to which it has failed to achieve Magnet accreditation .

There are many major challenges facing the nursing shortage environment today. One of those challenges includes the facility recruitment of registered nurses and then the facility retention of the registered nurses that they have recruited. Factors to consider would be as to why a registered nurse chose to accept a particular job and will they choose to stay at the facility after being given an employment opportunity. A facility’s reputation, union status, autonomy and salary are among some of the factors that influence recruitment. Factors that influence retention includes the inclusion in decision making, practice

Currently, 6% of hospitals in the United States hold Magnet status (Lowell General Hospital, n.d.). Being a Magnet hospital is an accreditation awarded by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (Lowell General Hospital, n.d.). Such recognition is given to hospitals that aim to focus on quality-patient care provided by nurses (Lowell General Hospital, n.d.). This status is earned and achieved after extensive review, and is good for four years before they are required to meet 35 different areas of focus again (Lowell General Hospital, n.d.). Trinkoff et al. (2010) review the working conditions of hospitals to determine whether Magnet status improves nursing working conditions. The authors of this article come from different areas of expertise as they hold nursing degrees, PhD degrees, ScD degrees, and many others with an educational background in statistics, epidemiology, and nursing. However, the authors fail to study the patient outcomes between Magnet and non-Magnet hospitals and to see if Magnet status has an impact on patient outcomes. They fail to look at the entire picture, as their primary focus is on the working conditions of nurses, and not the patients.

The employee engagement measure is to increase number of certified nurses with RNC-NIC or CCRN designation. This will be accomplished by implementing a certification class for interested nurses on the unit. Success of this certification class will aide in improving the level of nursing knowledge on the unit, also increasing NDNQI scores and help in maintaining our Magnet designation as a hospital.

Nurses working for Magnet hospitals are encouraged to increase their professional knowledge. Nurses are encouraged to grow as a clinician by participating in clinical ladder programs, obtaining certifications, and pursuing advanced degrees. Magnet status is a designation for hospitals that wish to provide excellent patient care and promote nursing leadership. Many hospitals offer tuition reimbursement to encourage nurses to continue their education to pursue an advanced degree. Clinical ladders offer professional and monetary gains. A local Magnet hospital in Richmond, Virginia offers reimbursement for the cost of certification exams to help their nurses have an opportunity for certification in their specialty. McClure explains that magnet hospitals develop a culture of excellence by demonstrating best practices and involving nurses in decision making and policy development. There is a correlation between the nurse with a higher level of education and certifications in their area of expertise and positive patient outcomes. (McClure, 2005).

With over 2 million jobs, registered nurses represent the largest health care occupation (Windle, 2008, p. 209). Although nurses are the biggest health care occupation, there continues to be a shortage in the United States. The shortage has worsened because of rising healthcare costs and a focus on cost containment, which has negatively impacted nurse work environments (Keeler and Cramer, 2007, p. 350). With demand for healthcare expecting to continue to increase and financial pressures becoming more burdensome, these shortages will likely become even more critical in coming years if not adequately addressed (Love et al., 2006, p. 558). The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates 1.2 million nurses will be required to fill new and vacated nursing positions by the end of 2014 (Windle, 2008, p. 209).

Many organizations face the hard decision of whether or not to pursue a Magnet designation, which is awarded through the American Nurses Credentialing Center, known as the ANCC. In the early 1980’s, the term “Magnet” was developed by the American Academy of Nursing, in regards to a hospital that could attract, and maintain nursing professionals. During an initial study of 163 hospitals, it was found that 41 of those hospitals possessed similar qualities that enabled them to not only attract, but retain nurses because of the quality of the nurse’s work environment (Pierson & Moore, 2007). In conjunction, there were similar characteristics among these hospitals that set them aside from others; which are today known as “the 14 Forces of Magnetism.” The 14 Forces of Magnetism were later configured into a

Registered nurses are healthcare professionals who have a profound impact on patient’s lives and are a key component in providing quality care to patients. Nurses have made tremendous contribution to care in the healthcare field today. This is what nurses are known for, and what they have always done and will continue to do. Whether they are providing care for the sick and injured, treating wounds, giving medications or educating patients and their families, nurses have a far more integral role in patient care than any other health care professional. Additionally, nurses provide compassion and emotional support to patients and their families, which is a skill, most health care providers do not harness. Despite these vast responsibilities, there are issues that exist within the workplace that make it difficult for nurses to achieve the high standard they expect of themselves. Large amounts of paperwork, nursing shortage, facilities with inadequate resources, overtime, long shifts, and lack of communication, are some examples of this (Kelly, McHugh, & Aiken 2011). The concept of magnet status can provide nurses with the tools necessary to navigate the problems that are inherent within the nursing profession.

Many healthcare organizations worldwide are striving to achieve magnet designation. Having the magnet title is essential because it recognizes healthcare organizations that act as a “magnet” for excellence by establishing a work environment that identifies, rewards, and promotes professional nursing (ANCC Magnet Designation, 2012). A magnet hospital is considered to be one where nursing provides excellent patient care, where nurses have a high level of job satisfaction, and where there is a low staff

In the early 1980s there was a significant nursing shortage and high turnover at hospitals. Research by the American Academy of Nursing recognized forty-one hospitals that attracted nurses to work at their location because of their more collaborative and supportive work environments. These hospitals were more effective with filling nursing job vacancies compared with similar hospitals. The American Nurse’s Credentialing Center (ANCC), an organization of American Nurses Association developed a voluntary recognition program to formally credential Magnet hospitals, and the first Magnet hospital was credentialed in 1994 (Kelly, 2011). ANCC review certain criteria that are design to measure the quality and strength of nursing practice at the hospital. Nurses who work at these Magnet hospitals have higher job satisfaction and reports that they have better communication between the nurses and other healthcare team. Most importantly, Magnet hospitals have high quality nursing care, better patient outcomes, and high patient satisfaction.

Also, to attain magnet status hospitals must follow a set of steps. They must first perform a gap analysis to prove that each of the fourteen forces of magnetism are present within the hospital (Turkel, 2004). Next, they must educate the organization, develop a work plan to fix the gaps identified in the gap analysis, and submit the application (Flores, 2007). After they submit their application, they must prepare a written document for submission to the American Nurses Credentialing Center, prepare for the ANCC site survey, and prepare

Previous research has shown that those hospitals with high levels of nurses experiencing burnout have a lower score for patient satisfaction. In studies performed by Russell (2016) and Stimpfel et al. (2012), there is corresponding data to reveal that those nurses who are burned out do not

From what I have read about, the main concerns with Magnet hospitals is that the hospitals are using the award as a “promotional tool” (“Magnet status,” 2008) instead of using it to actually help implement effective, positive change for nurses, their patients, and the hospital in general. Nurses want “Magnet status” to be more largely controlled by nurses, both within the hospitals they work at and on a larger scale, instead of the teams of management personnel that oversee the Magnet program currently. Many nurses believe that the award “[offers] only the illusion of nurse empowerment,” (“Magnet status,” 2008) since hospitals have continued to treat nurses as second-tear employees. A list of changes to the Magnet program were written up by The Truth About Nursing’s founder, Sandy Summers. Among these changes were suggestions such as zero tolerance policies for abuse, nursing residency programs, higher education benefits, and my personal favorite, that “the CEO of the hospital should be a nurse” (“Magnet status,” 2008). What I could gather from these suggestions was that nurses wanted the Magnet program to actually be about nursing, instead of a marketing gimmick used by hospital higher-ups to impress patients. The purpose should be to allow for exceptional patient-centered nursing care and to promote an egalitarian workplace that keeps staff motivated. In my opinion, the Magnet program should incorporate some if not all of the suggestions offered by Summers. The award should be looked at as a long-term goal where conditions are met slowly but effectively, so that hospitals can commend each achievement and learn to appreciate their nurses. At the end of the day, satisfied nurses equal satisfied patients, (Molyneux, 2011) and the Magnet program should whole-heartedly reflect