Why is magnet designation important

While Magnet is largely recognized as a nursing-driven achievement, it requires a corresponding mindset and organizational culture to support the accomplishment. Magnet signifies the valuing of staff nurses by their leaders and by the organization, and the strength of knowledge they contribute both individually and together for the advancement of nursing practice.

It provides a roadmap for excellence. Nurse staffing, education, and work environment are the pillars that lend to the superior patient outcomes evident in Magnet hospitals. Magnet hospitals have a higher rate of nursing satisfaction, lower turnover, and a higher percentage of nurses with graduate degrees and national certification.

Magnet status highlights an environment that supports delivery of excellence in patient care, staff nurse involvement in evidence-based practice, and decision making in support of optimal patient outcomes. Magnet designation helps to provide direction to organizations in their approach to quality improvement interventions and measurable outcomes.

It supports and provides a platform of shared governance and inclusion of leaders and staff in a collective vision. Leaders come together and bring ideas to the table that are in direct support of evidence-based practice in pursuit of positive patient outcomes. Magnet status navigates organizational culture, provides an energy for positive change in the work environment, and affords a venue for nursing to amplify and clarify the good work they are doing.

It supports and develops accountability and higher order thinking. The atmosphere in a Magnet organization is different: you can sense the feeling of pride when you enter the facility.

It is usually first evidenced by the Magnet award displayed in a place of honor for all to see. Nursing units showcase boards highlighting their certified nurses, nurses who have recently achieved degrees, and other accomplishments.

There is an air of solidarity in accepting nothing less than a baseline delivery of excellence in care, as well as cross departmental collaboration in outcomes achievement. The bottom line for what Magnet is and what it means to me as a nurse is that Magnet provides an environment for nurses to be their best selves to work collaboratively with a multidisciplinary team providing the very best experience and outcomes for their patients.

First, they must submit extensive data showing how well they meet certain standards in 14 key areas that together result in exceptional nursing and patient care. After that review, Magnet appraisers visit high-scoring hospitals for a three-day assessment. Hospitals must reapply—and undergo another comprehensive review—every four years. So what exactly can you expect if you are cared for in a Magnet hospital? An emphasis on quality and safety to promote your healthiest future. These advantages may be because Magnet hospitals typically have higher nurse-to-patient ratios than other hospitals, which means nurses can better watch patients and recognize any complications sooner.

Numerous studies, including one by the Gallup Organization in , have found that nurses in Magnet organizations are more engaged in their work. Higher engagement correlates directly to better outcomes. Gallup estimates that Magnet hospitals, on average, experience 7. The survey also found Magnet hospitals have significantly fewer RN workplace injuries and lower rates of blood and body fluid exposure. Studies show that higher nurse-to-patient ratios and the professional practice environment in Magnet facilities result in fewer complications, lower mortality rates, and shorter stays.

Needlestick-related, pressure-ulcer, and nosocomial infection rates are lower, too. More recent research shows significant safety gains in Magnet hospitals. Improved staff communication reduces preventable errors, while higher staffing levels and less absenteeism mean fewer diversions for nurses. Magnet hospitals improve the quality of the nursing experience. Benefits include increased RN satisfaction, which leads to improved retention rates and decreased turnover.

Nurses in Magnet organizations are more satisfied with their jobs. They can rely on working with competent, supportive colleagues, both within nursing and across disciplines.

Extensive research by Ada Sue Hinshaw found the professional practice environment promotes greater autonomy and responsibility, participatory decision making, clinical collaboration, and increased opportunities for professional development and education. In a survey of 2, nurses in 68 hospitals, those in Magnet organizations reported significantly more positive perceptions of nursing competence in their work environment.

The Gallup survey noted above found that nurses in Magnet hospitals not only have significantly higher job satisfaction than those at non-Magnet facilities, but also a significantly higher desire to remain in their position. Higher job satisfaction means less burnout. The study estimates Magnet hospitals experience 1.

Engaged employees tend to be psychologically committed to the organization, loyal, more productive, and less likely to leave. The higher the engagement level, the better an organization performs. Research indicates that nursing schools have an increased desire to offer their students clinical experiences in Magnet facilities and are eager to collaborate on ways to improve program offerings. When nurses are happier and more engaged, patients are happier.

Nurses in Magnet facilities spend more time at the bedside and provide more one-on-one care to patients. This high level of interaction often contributes to a faster recovery and higher patient satisfaction scores. All available data point to better economic performance and a higher measurable level of financial return for Magnet-designated hospitals.

There are several ways Magnet facilities save money and boost their bottom line each year. Improved attraction and retention of nurses, for instance, yields significant savings in recruitment and RN employment agency costs.

In addition, a positive working environment has been proven to lower the incidence of needlestick injuries in nurses. Magnet designation lends cachet to a healthcare organization. This raises awareness in the community and opens the door to increased philanthropic gifts, both for nursing and other areas of the hospital. See Building the business case for Magnet recognition. Pursuing ANCC Magnet Recognition is a challenging,resource-intensive process that requires a fundamental culture shift throughout a healthcare organization.

And the work only gets harder once recognition is achieved. Magnet hospitals must sustain their standards of excellence and demonstrate outcomes of excellence in patient care and clinical practice. Chief nursing officers who have pursued Magnet recognition agree that the Journey to Magnet Excellence is as important as the destination.

It builds visionary, inspiring nurse leaders at all levels; develops, disseminates, and enculturates exceptional nursing practices and strategies; promotes research, quality improvement, evidence-based practice, and innovation; and establishes ways to achieve new heights of quality, efficiency, and effectiveness. As a result, Magnet organizations are in key positions to advance nursing science, learning, and discovery.

The Magnet journey shifts the focus from structure and process to outcomes in clinical quality, patient satisfaction, and the nursing environment—key indicators that paint a picture of the organization.

The evidence is clear: By retaining a more engaged and effective nursing workforce, Magnet hospitals reap improvements in outcomes, productivity, service, and financial performance.

The nursing process and perceived work environment of nurses. Nurs Res. Effects of hospital staffing and organizational climate on needlestick injuries to nurses.