Magnet hospitals attract advanced practice nurses

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Magnet status attracts advanced practice nurses

Magnet status can elevate educational standards for nurses

EDITOR'S NOTE: Content for this article provided by: Duquesne University – Online Nursing Programs

When healthcare leaders proposed the idea of Magnet® recognition for hospitals, they envisioned medical facilities that attracted the best nursing professionals, maintained excellence in patient care and upheld the highest safety standards.

Many studies show nurses who work at hospitals that are designated under the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Magnet Recognition Program® typically work in happier, safer and more patient-focused facilities. Many Magnet proponents say that, in part, is because the program calls for more advanced practice registered nurses to work in Magnet hospitals, bringing a higher level of education and experience to healthcare. To date, 478 out of more than 5,500 U.S. hospitals have received the prestigious four-year Magnet recognition. Magnet hospitals employ a large percentage of nurses with BSNs, MSNs and DNPs, highlighting the growing need for advanced practice registered nurses for the future of healthcare. Magnet supporters say the program raises the bar for nurse education in hospitals, providing more opportunities for APRNs to be directly involved in all levels of an organization.

While Magnet status alone does not require that all nurses pursue advanced degrees, the program supports the Institute of Medicine’s recommendation that 80% of registered nurses in the U.S. have at least a BSN by 2020. The Magnet program does not require achievement of 80% BSN for eligibility and requires action plans and goal setting to demonstrate progression to or maintenance of 80% BSN-prepared clinical nurses. Nurse leaders and managers are required to have at least a baccalaureate in nursing or higher; CNOs must have at least a master’s degree and BSN. The program also provides a venue for nurses to take transformational leadership roles. Mary Mantese, DNP, RN, CNO of Flagler Hospital in St. Augustine, Fla., said in a news release that the hospital’s Magnet status underscores its commitment by nursing staff to take on leadership roles. The hospital recently achieved Magnet status for the third time. “Magnet status amplifies the role our nearly 700 nurses play as expert clinicians, specialists and leaders who daily support our mission to provide the best patient experience with the best staff,” she said in the news release.

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Magnet elevates care standards

Nurses who work at Magnet hospitals say that commitment to education, innovation, and patient care are some of the major benefits of Magnet. Sarah Johnson, RN-BC, a relief charge nurse for neurology/orthopedics at Providence St. Patrick Hospital in Missoula, MT, said working in a Magnet hospital empowered her to transform healthcare because she is now a stakeholder. “For nurses like myself, Magnet means having opportunities to be involved and feel empowered to make changes in our work environment through council membership, research projects, and education,” Johnson said in a Jan. 10 article that appeared in the Nurse’s Notes section of the Missoulian (MT.) newspaper. “And most importantly for nurses, it means feeling supported and having a voice within the organization.” The stronger voice comes in part from the collaborative effort to oversee nursing practice and the impact on patient care. In Magnet facilities, nurses also work with greater autonomy and participate in cooperative relationships with other healthcare providers.

Magnet attracts advanced practice nurses

Advanced practice nurses with advanced degrees such as DNPs are critical to those leadership efforts. Susan Sonson, a DNP and certified registered nurse anesthetist in Miami, authored a July 2013 article in the journal Nursing Management on the important role that DNP-educated APRNs play in the Magnet process. Sonson wrote in the article that DNPs are “practiced leaders” who can improve and expand outcomes across the spectrum of healthcare. Having DNPs as leaders can help management better address serious issues such as budgeting, staff retention and increased patient satisfaction, she said. “For too many years, nursing has let others determine the path of its profession; with the transition to the DNP, it's time for nursing to take charge and forge its own pathway,” Sonson wrote in the article. “As nurses, we need to speak up and control our own practice and determine our own professional pathway before someone else does.”