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Magnet Status Summary

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Magnet status, as discussed in the article “Magnet status: What it is, what it is not, and what it could be” published by The Truth About Nursing, is loosely defined as the award given to hospitals who have demonstrated excellent care in nursing practice. Among other conditions, hospitals who want to become “Magnet status” must have “[nurses who] who [deliver] excellent patient outcomes” (“Magnet status,” 2008). They must also show that their nurses are satisfied with their positions, are involved in open communication, and are seen as leaders in the hospital community. Research done on Magnet versus non-magnet hospitals has gone to show that Magnet hospitals had fewer deaths caused by thirty-day surgical mortality and failure to rescue than …show more content…

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

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