How Magnet Status Is Important For Safe And Quality Patient Care Essay

There are many challenges facing today’s nursing leaders and managers. From staffing and scheduling, to budget cuts and reduced reimbursements, today’s nursing leaders must evolve to meet the ever changing health care environment. Constance Schmidt, Chief Nursing Officer at Cheyenne Regional Medical Center (CRMC), identified retaining experienced registered nurses (RN) as one of the biggest problems she faces as a nursing leader. She went on to state “Nationally, most hospitals have more than 60% of their nurses with at least 5 years of experience. At CRMC, it’s the reverse. We have more than 60% of our nurses with less than 5 years of experience” (personal communication, March 28, 2014). The two largest factors affecting those numbers are the nursing shortage and nursing retention. The first, the nursing shortage, was identified years ago and has been researched countless times. Some projections indicate the number representing the gap between available registered nurses, and the positions needing to be filled, could be over a million before the end of the current decade. The latter, retention of nurses, is a problem in every health care facility in the nation. Nursing turnover results in both a significant financial cost to hospitals, and a significant impact on the community through its effects on patient outcome.

There are many major challenges facing the nursing shortage environment today. One of those challenges includes the facility recruitment of registered nurses and then the facility retention of the registered nurses that they have recruited. Factors to consider would be as to why a registered nurse chose to accept a particular job and will they choose to stay at the facility after being given an employment opportunity. A facility’s reputation, union status, autonomy and salary are among some of the factors that influence recruitment. Factors that influence retention includes the inclusion in decision making, practice

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

In today’s world, healthcare is under a microscope. Surveys are done, standards are set, and patients have the option to choose where they receive their care. Research is conducted on physicians, quality of care, and cost of care are becoming the main thoughts when choosing a hospital. When you hear “Magnet Status Hospital” (MSH) it immediately grabs your attention. What exactly sets an MSH on a higher level than one that’s not? More importantly, how does this affect the nurses? The purpose of this paper is to explain the increasing rise of MSH ‘s, why healthcare, specifically nursing, is trending in this way, how it affects nurses, and the benefits of attaining magnet status.

The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), through the Magnet Recognition Program aims to raise quality of patient care while utilizing evidence based nursing practice (Jayawardhana, Welton, & Lindroth, 2014). An article published in the Journal of Nursing Administration reports that “application fees, appraiser fees, site visit costs, and document preparation” can range from $46,000 to $251,000 depending on the institution. While there can be some drawbacks to the financial implications of obtaining a Magnet status, it is important to understand why such recognition exists in the first place (Drenkard, 2010). The Magnet certification of the ANCC, encourages nurses to utilize research and evidence base practice to improve the delivery

As the United States health care system continues to undergo rapid changes a sought-after paradigm is making its way to the forefront of the United States hospitals setting new standards of excellence. The Magnet Recognition Program formally initiated a few decades ago continues to expand to many different health care organizations, widely associated with hospitals. The foundation of this program is based on differentiating specific hospitals by their leadership and organizational structures that support the highest quality of nursing (Tubbs-Cooley et al., 2017). After a thorough assessment, of the current acute care Immersion setting at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital it is evident that Magnet status does affect patient outcomes. To support this claim, this paper will focus on the underlying reasons for hospitals to pursue Magnet accreditation, the benefits of being a patient at such a hospital, and the benefits for nurses.

The American Nurses’ Credentialing Center (ANCC), a branch of the American Nurses Association (ANA), which evaluates the hospitals, nurses and the quality of patient care, introduced the Magnet Recognition Program. The Magnet Program has evolved from sole focus on hospital nurses to now offering recognition to long – term and other patient care organizations in the Unites States as well as internationally. Since the program was established in the 1980’s, there are now well over three hundred and fifty organizations with Magnet Recognition (Cox, Carroll, & Sexton, 2005). The qualifications for the Magnet Recognition Program are as followed; “1. the delivery of nursing care to patients, 2.the development

Lyle-Edrosolo, G. & Waxman, K. (2016). Aligning Healthcare Safety and Quality Competencies: Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN), The Joint Commission, and American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) Magnet® Standards Crosswalk. Nurse Leader, 14(1), 70-75.

Also, to attain magnet status hospitals must follow a set of steps. They must first perform a gap analysis to prove that each of the fourteen forces of magnetism are present within the hospital (Turkel, 2004). Next, they must educate the organization, develop a work plan to fix the gaps identified in the gap analysis, and submit the application (Flores, 2007). After they submit their application, they must prepare a written document for submission to the American Nurses Credentialing Center, prepare for the ANCC site survey, and prepare

This educational needs assessment will cover Heart of Lancaster Regional Medical Center. Heart of Lancaster is a full service, 139 bed community hospital located on a scenic campus in Lititz, PA. The hospital staff pride ourselves on providing the highest quality care in all service areas. Our intense focus on customer service and patient safety has created a unique healing environment. In addition to our personalized care, we offer state-of-the-art technology and a medical staff consisting of the finest physicians in the area. All of the patient rooms are private and we provide free, convenient parking in a safe neighborhood. We have also achieved top scores from the Joint Commission and the Pennsylvania Department of Health and are accredited Chest Pain Center. Heart of Lancaster Regional Medical Center is partially owned by physicians. Needs Assessment The nursing services provided at Heart of Lancaster include a number of clinical services in areas such as bariatric care, cardiology, robotic surgery, the day hospital, pediatrics and a number of other areas. As mentioned above, the hospital is a full service institution that is well awarded and provides a lot of services. However, even in great institutions, things can be improved for the approximately 200 nurses employed on staff. From the research that this author has doen, the geatest gap in our hospital's educational needs (and possibly the most expensive is the lack of knowledge of HIPAA (Health

Magnet status of hospitals attracts nurses who are looking for an institution that provides quality patient care, nursing excellence, and innovations in professional nursing practice. The Magnet Recognition from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), a subsidiary of the American Nurses Association (ANA), is the most prestigious merit recognition that a healthcare organization can receive for nursing excellence and quality patient care (American Nurses Credentialing Center [ANCC], 2015). Achieving this prestige distinction is the result of a commitment to nursing and patient care through quality and interdisciplinary collaboration. The idea of Magnet Recognition was first developed by ANCC after a research conducted in 1981 that explored the issue of recruitment and retention of nurses during the 1970s and 1980s nursing shortage crisis (Finkelman & Kenner, 2013). The results of the study identified 14 characteristics that enabled hospitals to recruit and retain nurses during the shortage; thus, making these 14 characteristics to be the basis for Forces of Magnetism. The 14 Forces of Magnetism include:

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).

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

Hi, Judy. I enjoyed reading your post this week. Has your facility obtained Magnet status? I know that patient satisfaction and patient outcomes are a grave concern regarding obtaining and maintaining Magnet status as well as the obvious importance of meeting patient needs while providing quality care. Was there any communication about the results available of the implemented changes? Did the patient satisfaction scores or the patient outcome scores improve? Nurses have many opportunities to work together in group settings. Consequently, I think that it is important for nurses to be involved in work groups and to have their voices heard.

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