Magnet Status Summary

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).

Over the last decades both public and private hospitals have been experiencing severe financial situations (Everhart, Neff, Al-Amin, Nogle, & Weech-Maldonado, 2013). The financial shortage is associated with delay or even lack of governmental sponsorship and competition from their rivals. Enacting the policy will mount financial pressure on these hospitals that are on cost-cutting strategies. The salaries and wages of nurses are dominating the costs of operation in the hospitals and therefore adding more staff to correct the understaffing will be like creating another problem (Goddard, 2003). Contrary, Empirical studies prove that adequate nurse staffing produces better outcomes for both the staffs and the patients (Donaldson & Shapiro, 2010). These do not mean that the financial performance of the health centers will be at stake. Quality is associated with profitability. Understaffing leads to increased workloads, fatigue and job dissatisfaction. These situations that can be corrected on the implementation of proper staffing policies (Everhart, Neff, Al-Amin, Nogle, & Weech-Maldonado, 2013). The policy aims at offering quality service, reasonable patient-doctor ratios, reducing high mortality rates, improving the health of patients through proper examination and disease diagnosis among other

This paper will describe current quality outcome measures and the significance for improving medical care. Organizational accountability and transparency has improved with the emergence of Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting (IQR) programs and Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPs). This article will review the role of the nurse manager in creating a culture for quality care as well as the nurse for meeting organizational and patient expectations. Organizations like The Joint Commission (JC), Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), and The American Nurses Association (ANA) have been critical in establishing standards for quality. This paper will also report on the most recent hospital statistics and steps taken to improve HCAHP scores and reduce readmission rates at the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville (UTMCK). Statistics at UTMCK will also be compared to the Tennessee and National averages found on the Medicare website Hospital Compare. The aim of this paper is to explore if healthcare system initiatives are improving quality and enhancing patient outcomes.

The Institute of Medicine’s 2010 report on The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health acknowledges the changing healthcare sector in the US and describes future vision of healthcare and the role of nurses to fulfill that vision. The United States always strives to provide affordable and quality healthcare to the entire population of the country. In order to achieve this goal an overall restructuring of the healthcare system was necessitated. Nurses are considered to be the central part of the healthcare system to provide high quality and safe patient care. Nursing in the US is the single largest segment of the healthcare workforce with almost 3 million nurses working in different areas across the county. The changing

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).

Magnet recognition is a performance recognition that was started by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (Drenkard, 2010). The recognition is awarded to facilities who have applied and met the requirements (Magnet Recognition and Pathway to Excellence, 2018). The goals of the Magnet recognition are to improve positive patient outcomes while also providing an environment which promotes growth and safety for the nurses (Magnet Recognition and Pathway to Excellence, 2018). The opportunities for nurses that are provided by the Magnet recognition are continued education, promotion of growth by certifications and licenses, recognition of individual nurses, and staff satisfaction (Magnet Recognition and Pathway to Excellence,

The magnet hospital model is an international design to provide optimal framework for nursing care and future research. The model is composed of transformational leadership, empirical outcomes, exemplary professional practice, structural empowerment, and new knowledge combined with innovations and improvements. Hospitals that participate in the model and were awarded the title are constantly looking to improve and expand. They strive to provide expert care globally. Scheduling and staffing are done in a way to keep nurses from burning out. The lower the burnout rate the higher the rate of satisfaction and overall health of patients. When nurses are not burnt out they work optimally and want to work with their patients and that creates

Patients want and expect to receive high quality care. Nurses want to provide the best care possible to their patients and like everybody else; want a pleasing job environment. Hospitals, on the other hand, are expected to provide a safe environment to patients, have enough nursing staff and remain profitable (Keller, Dulle, Kwiecinski, Altimier & Owens, 2013). The ultimate goal is to improve quality of care and patient safety across the United States; therefore, all the different interests of these major stakeholders should be taken into

Does getting vaccinated really have precedence over a proper education? Currently all fifty states require children to be up to date on all vaccinations to enter kindergarten (“What Would Happen”). Alice Park, a reporter for Time, reported, many parents disagree with mandated vaccine and refuse to vaccinate their children on religious or philosophical grounds. However, vaccinations help build immunity and prevent many deadly diseases. Park noted that religious and philosophical waivers make the herd-immunity effect less effective. Park explained that the herd-immunity effect takes place when the upper majority of a population is fully vaccinated, covering those who did not or cannot get vaccinated, like cancer patients and newborns who

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

Once upon a time, there was two twin sisters named ashley and miranda. The twin sisters lived in a beautiful house with their amazing parents and family. Ashley was calm, nice and had a boyfriend named darren who loved her very much. In the other hand, Miranda was rude, loved to drink, and always wanted everything that Ashley had. Miranda loved darren since the first moment that she saw him, she knew that he was gonna love her back the same way. In the other hand, darren fell in love with ashley and not miranda. As the days went by darren went to visit ashley at her house, they would watch movies together and go out to eat at restaurants. The twin’s parents were always giving the twins the same amount of love, however miranda always thought that ashley

Gender identity can be defined as a person’s personal experience of their gender. In societies, gender categories are set differently and serve as the root of the individuals in a certain society. most societies have different gender attribution assigned to males and females (Engstrom 2012). The media has often shown the expected from each gender. For example, they show women are more sensitive than men. Showing them crying, screaming and gasping each other’s, while men are shown to be tough, calm and wiser. This is how the media is preforming gender identities to us.

The researchers surveyed 3186 nurses on staff at 56 hospitals; 52 academic hospitals and 4 non-academic hospitals. The researchers compared the results of the nurses’ surveys with information about the location of the hospital (rural or urban), the hospital environment (managerial support, good relationships among team members, the nurses’ involvement in decision-making), the nurses’ educational levels, and the staffing (nurse:patient ratio). The researchers also interviewed nurse managers and leaders to evaluate their input on nurse retention and nursing shortages in a qualitative portion of the study. In the article “Effective strategies for nurse retention in acute hospitals: A mixed method study”, the researchers state “the results show that nurse staffing and the quality of the nurse practice environment (i.e. managerial support of nursing care, good relations between doctors and nurses, nurse participation in decision-making and organizational priorities on quality of care) are significantly associated with intention-to-leave the hospital” (Van den Heede et al., 2013, p. 192). This association is related with increase nurse satisfaction with environment and staffing is related to decreased intention to leave the hospital, or an inverse relationship. These researchers also shed light on the fact that Magnet hospitals have far better nurse retention and nurse satisfaction. Thus, focusing on and achieving a Magnet status can be an effective

In the early 1980s it came to light that while the supply of nurses had reached a record high, only 80% of hospitals nationwide had adequate nurse staffing levels (American Nurse Credentialing Center, 2011, p. 8). To address this issue a taskforce was formed within the American Academy of Nursing (AAN). Through an initial study of 165 hospitals, the AAN determined the characteristics of healthcare organizations that were magnetically attracting and retaining nurses as employees (American Nurse Credentialing Center, p. 9). In this study the AAN found “Forces of Magnetism” that contributed to the high level of job satisfaction amongst nurses, superior quality of care, low job turnover, and high level of nurse involvement in leadership, decision-making, and research. In the early 1990s, catapulted by the findings of this initial study, the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) developed the Magnet Recognition Program. The intention of the ANCC’s Magnet Recognition Program was threefold: To reward hospitals that demonstrated “excellence in the delivery of nursing services to patients;” to encourage quality in the nursing work environment to support practicing professional nurses; and to guide navigation for the dissemination of evidenced-based clinical nursing practice (American Nurse Credentialing Center, 2011, p. 14).

Magnet hospitals are named for their potential to attract and retain qualified nurses. Magnet hospitals are facilities that have been certified by the American Nurses Credentialing Center for promoting positive patient outcomes through best practices in nursing (Upenieks, 2003). The Magnet environment fosters autonomy and professional nursing practice. Research shows that Magnet hospitals have better work environments, a more highly educated nursing workforce, superior nurse-to-patient staffing ratios, and higher nurse satisfaction than non-Magnet hospitals (Aiken, Kelly, & McHugh, 2011). Implementation of that environment requires the ability to create trust, accountability, and open communication in changing times.