If you Google news items for “Magnet hospitals,” you’ll see an almost endless list of hospitals announcing that they’ve recently earned their Magnet status once again, sometimes for multiple years. Hospitals love to showcase the fact that they’ve earned their Magnet designation, and apparently for very good reasons.
Given the significant emphasis placed on Magnet designation in the healthcare industry worldwide, should nurses always prioritize working at Magnet-designated facilities to advance their careers?
Why Magnet?Â
The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) has administered the Magnet program since 1990, when it first approved a proposal to establish the Magnet Hospital Recognition Program for Excellence in Nursing Services.
The program expanded to include long-term care facilities in 1998 and moved beyond the borders of the United States to an international Magnet movement in 2000 as the new century began. In 2002, a final name change to the Magnet Recognition Program was initiated, and here we are some 22 years later.
The vision put forth regarding the latest iteration of the Magnet model states:
“ANCC Magnet-recognized organizations will serve as the fount of knowledge and expertise for the delivery of nursing care globally. They will be solidly grounded in core Magnet principles, flexible, and constantly striving for discovery and innovation. They will lead the reformation of health care; the discipline of nursing; and care of the patient, family, and community. Overarching the new Magnet Model Components is an acknowledgment of Global Issues in Nursing and Health Care. While not technically a Component, this category includes the various factors and challenges facing nursing and health care today.”
The Magnet model has been recently revised with the stated goals of helping facilities achieve results in the following five areas:
- Transformational leadership
- Structural empowerment
- Exemplary professional practice
- New knowledge, innovation, and improvements
- Empirical quality results
Regarding the revised framework, the ANCC states:
“The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) is pleased to present the next generation model for its esteemed Magnet Recognition Program®. This new model is designed to provide a framework for nursing practice and research in the future, as well as serving as a roadmap for organizations seeking to achieve Magnet recognition.
“ANCC commissioned a statistical analysis of Magnet appraisal team scores from evaluations conducted using the 2005 Magnet Recognition Program Application Manual. This analysis clustered the sources of evidence into more than 30 groups. These groups of sources of evidence yielded an empirical model for the Magnet Recognition Program.
“To provide greater clarity and direction, as well as eliminate redundancy within the Forces of Magnetism, the new model configures the 14 Forces of Magnetism into 5 Model Components. The new, simpler model reflects a greater focus on measuring outcomes and allows for more streamlined documentation, while retaining the 14 Forces as foundational to the program.
“The Commission on Magnet created a new vision to communicate the importance of Magnet organizations in shaping future changes that are essential to the continued development of the nursing profession and to quality outcomes in patient care.”
What Does This Mean for Nurses Like You?Â
For nurses wanting to understand the impact of Magnet status on their choice of workplace, one aspect to consider is the respect that Magnet status provides to designated facilities. In this regard, highlighting your workplace’s Magnet status on your resume, cover letter, or LinkedIn profile is a smart move.
While no facility is perfect, and even Magnet facilities have been reported to have problems and challenges, the assumption is generally made that Magnet-designated facilities spend resources focusing on elevating nursing care to new levels of distinction, innovation, quality improvement, and empowerment-based leadership practices.
In terms of the benefits to nurses’ careers, the ANCC states, “The Magnet Recognition Program provides a roadmap to nursing excellence, which benefits the whole of an organization. To nurses, Magnet Recognition means education and development through every career stage, which leads to greater autonomy at the bedside.”
Some Magnet facilities will provide staff resources and assistance for nurses without a BSN to achieve a bachelor’s degree.
Not a Panacea
While Magnet is not a panacea for nurses or hospitals, working in Magnet-designated facilities can provide some nurses with the following experiences:
- Lower nurse-to-patient ratios
- A greater sense of being valued as an employee
- More job satisfaction and lower risk of burnout
- Opportunities for career advancement
- Participation in research to advance nursing practice
- A supportive work environment
- Greater autonomy in nursing practice
Magnet status should not be the sole measure by which you choose to apply for a position with a particular facility. Still, knowing that an organization has worked hard to achieve Magnet status can make a specific organization more attractive.
As a nurse, you must do your due diligence, research potential employers, talk with current and former employees, and determine if a Magnet facility suits you and your nursing career.
Magnet is not a panacea, yet it provides a framework that some facilities can use to elevate quality of care and create a positive experience for staff and patients.
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