Effective Approaches in Leadership and Management Essay

The role of a nurse leader is invaluable to the performance and ultimate success of an entire nursing team whose goal is to provide excellent patient care. There are a few key characteristics that define a nursing leader. The first characteristic is one who communicates effectively and is accountable on all levels, from the patient and their family to the interdisciplinary members and senior staff. Effective communication and accountability are characteristics of an individual who

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).

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

The American Nursing Credentialing Center has introduced the forces of magnetism in order to develop the image of the nursing occupation and to add more dimensions to it. Applying these fundamentals in health care organizations would help achieving 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

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).

The basics of the Magnet status, The ANCC data shows, that healthcare facilities with higher percentages of Bachelors of Science in Nursing (BSN) nurses enjoy better patient outcomes and significantly lower mortality rates. The nation’s Magnet hospitals, which are recognized for nursing excellence and superior patient outcomes, have moved to require all nurse managers and nurse leaders to hold a baccalaureate or graduate degree in nursing by 2013. Settings applying for Magnet designation must also show what plans are in place to achieve the IOM recommendation of having an 80%

To achieve Magnet status, hospitals must satisfy certain standards to apply and undergo an assessment procedure. This award is presented to hospitals with a record of excellence in nursing care. It can be a recruiting tool for hospitals that want to attract talented nurses and an incentive for patients. Facilities with an interest in this certification must have a clear structure of nursing management, confidential feedback system to allow nurses to report problems, and evidence of compliance. This includes health and safety and privacy requirements of patients. Applicants must submit documentation to support their eligibility when preparing a request for Magnet status. The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) grants Magnet status by

In the 1980’s, the American Academy of Nursing’s Task Force on Nursing Practice in Hospitals conducted a study on healthcare organizations that were attracting nurses and providing excellent patient care. These characteristics became known as the “forces of magnetism.” At that time, Forty-one institutions were called “magnet” hospitals. (Mason, Leavitt, & Chaffee, 2014) In December 1990, the ANA Board of Directors approved the initial proposal for the Magnet Hospital Recognition Program for Excellence in Nursing Services. This program, now called the Magnet Recognition Program, requires hospitals to go through a multistep process in order to achieve Magnet designation. An application must be submitted, and a site visit will be conducted to review the hospitals demonstration in excellent nursing standards and a final review for credentialing will be done by the Commission on Magnet. The set of standards is known as the Magnet Model. In 2010, 370 U.S. hospitals achieved Magnet status. (Mason et al., 2014)

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.

According to the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), there are 426 hospitals that have achieved Magnet status (ANCC, 2016). Hospitals that are designated Magnet facilities have a professional practice model that is based on a connection between their mission, values and nursing practice (Berger, Conway, & Beaton, 2012). The professional practice model must also encompass the Magnet Program’s foundation for nursing excellence. The Magnet Certification Program has enriched the nursing care process by expanding leadership skills and opportunities. The program provides a framework for healthcare facilities to strive for excellence. The Journey to Magnet is based on a performance improvement methodology that encompasses a mixture of strategically based nursing practice areas. The practice areas signify leadership, education, a supportive culture, and an environment that is conducive to the development of exemplary patient outcomes (Valentine, 2013). The Magnet process has been evaluated by multiple research studies that validate the success of the program. Nursing professional practice has grown in response to the development of the Magnet Model. Healthcare personnel and patients benefit from the environment that the Magnet program provides within healthcare facilities.

The nursing leaders should always have a visualization on how to communicate with other members of the group and how to provide a specific and a better leadership to others. A leaders should always be ready to direct the team members in the right direction to obtain the best outcome possible at the time of an emergency. Any type of leader should always feel confident of what they know and what they could provide to the other members of the group and that will simplify the work.

From the beginning of nursing school and throughout most of one’s career, nurses are taught to look at what is wrong. Nursing diagnoses are made based on a problem or potential problem with an intervention to achieve an outcome for which the nurse is accountable. While this method is effective in designing a nursing care plan for a patient, it is not the most effective way of diagnosing the problems within a facility that is suffering from poor nurse satisfaction, nurse retention, and nursing shortages. Rather than focusing on what is wrong, the Magnet hospital program that we know today came about by focusing on what is right in successful hospitals. It is a program that has become the gold standard in recognizing positive work

Nurses are the largest professional organization of healthcare in the world. Nurses make a living sacrificing their lives for the sake of caring for their clients. Nurses put themselves on the back burner, while caring for, advocating, and nurturing their clients back to a healthy state. Working long hours, twelve-hour shifts, three to four days a week, mandatory overtime, missed bathroom breaks, and skipped lunch, are just a few examples of the dedication provided to their clients. Nurses are responsible for providing a safe and caring environment for healing to take place. As healthcare provider, we are expected to go the extra mile when providing excellent care to our clients, which is the organization’s optimal goal. Upon admission to an accrediting Magnet hospital, nurses are experienced, attentive, knowledgeable in evidence based practice, and spend more time at the bedsides providing compassionate care.

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.