Magnet Designation

Magnet Designation

Nursing 462

Corey Don Beggs

20July2014

Mrs. Quinerly

Abstract

“Magnet status is not a prize or an award. Rather, it is a credential of organizational recognition of nursing excellence” (ANCC, 2013b, para2). During the early 1980s, the AAN began researching what characteristics hospitals had to recruit and retain Nurses. Research showed, hospitals with well qualified Executive Nurses in higher positions throughout a decentralized environment. As such the ANA wanted to recognize these outstanding hospitals with some form of designation. In 1990 the ANA developed the American Nurses Credentialing Services, and later that same year approved the Magnet Hospital Recognition Program for Excellence in Nursing. Magnet hospitals show to have a higher percentage of satisfied RNs, lower turnover, improved clinical outcomes, greater Nurse Autonomy, and improved patient satisfaction. Obtaining Magnet status historically shows a decrease of 7.1 percent on average, of safety related accidents; and in a survey of 2,223 nurses in 68 hospitals, those same magnet hospitals reported significantly more positive perception of nursing competence in their work environment. The same Gallop survey also noted that Magnet hospitals have less desire for job turnover, and thus less burnout, which is a major problem in Nursing; and thus a 1.7 percent less turnover than industry average.

Magnet Designation

“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 Magnet journey reframes the question for the future from “What do you do?” to “What difference have you made?” (Drenkard, 2010) This paper will review five scholarly articles on Magnet designation and its benefits and outcomes, the implications of Magnet...