A Magnet hospital is a healthcare facility with exceptional nursing standards and a good working environment for nurses. They must meet specific standards in five areas and pass a site visit to receive the designation for four years. There are criticisms of the Magnet Recognition Program, but Magnet facilities tend to rank high in national and international rankings. Eligible properties submit an online application and documents proving eligibility, and facilities awarded Magnet status must submit monitoring data after two years.
A Magnet hospital is a healthcare facility identified as having exceptional nursing standards and a good working environment for nurses. Hospitals and other facilities apply for this status through the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s (ANCC) Magnet Recognition Program® (MRP). If they meet the criteria in five areas and pass a site visit, they receive the designation for four years. While this is only one way to measure the quality of a hospital, Magnet facilities tend to rank high in national and international rankings. There are a couple hundred such facilities in the United States and a few in other countries.
Five components of the model
Each Magnet hospital must meet specific standards in five areas called components of the model. Within these areas, there are subcategories called the 14 forces of magnetism. In practice, these standards are intended to create settings with a friendly, educated and relatively autonomous nursing force that deliver very high standards of care. Magnet hospitals are also thought to be good workplaces for nurses, where they are encouraged to communicate with the rest of the healthcare team, participate in patient care decisions, and conduct research into new nursing methods. Ideally they have a very low turnover of nurses and work with the community by hosting nursing or medical students.
The components of the model with their corresponding magnetic forces are:
Transformational Leadership:
quality of nursing leadership
management style Structural empowerment:
organizational structure
personnel policies and programs
community and healthcare organization
image of nursing
professional development Exemplary professional practice:
professional models of care
consultation and resources
autonomy
nurses as teachers
interdisciplinary relationships New knowledge, innovation and improvements:
quality improvementEmpirical findings on quality:
quality of care
criticisms
Some studies show that a Magnet hospital is more likely to provide better patient care and a better work environment for nurses than most, but others show that there really isn’t much difference between a Magnet hospital and other top-tier hospitals. The MRP has also been criticized as being excessively expensive, with each application and redesignation request costing tens of thousands of US dollars (USD). Some nurses say that magnet recognition is primarily a marketing technique in their hospitals and that their workplace only really implements the required standards shortly before and after site visits. Magnet facilities, however, tend to pay nurses more than other facilities, and Magnet’s status is generally viewed positively in the medical community.
Eligibility
Healthcare facilities can apply for Magnet status both as an organization and as a system. Organizations include hospitals, rehabilitation centers, hospices, clinics, and similar facilities. Systems include two or more organizations; for example, a system might include three hospitals that all share a board of directors or a hospital with an associated rehabilitation clinic. Both organizations and systems must meet specific criteria before they can be applied.
Eligibility requirements for both organizations and systems are set out in Nursing Administration: Scope and Standards of Practice, a publication of the American Nurses Association (ANA), the parent organization of the ANCC. Some of the requirements include a system in place where nurses can provide confidential feedback without fear of retaliation, compliance with all national laws, and having at least some nurse-to-patient ratio. The MPR also requires applicants to create specific positions and fill them with people who meet certain requirements. For example, a facility must have a Chief Nursing Officer (CNO), who is ultimately responsible for all nursing care in the facility. He or she must have at least a master’s degree in any subject, as well as a bachelor’s or doctorate specifically in nursing.
Application procedure
Eligible properties submit an online application with a non-refundable rate and documents proving eligibility. Once the application is accepted, the MRP sends a team to conduct a site visit. During the visit, the team visits the facility to see if it complies with the five components of the model and talks with the nurses present. After the visit, the appraisers submit a confidential report to the Magnet Recognition Commission, which then decides whether or not to grant status to the facility.
Facilities awarded Magnet status are required to submit monitoring data after two years. If data shows that they continually fail Magnet standards, they may lose the designation. Those who lose their designation can re-apply, but may have to wait a certain amount of time, depending on why they lost it. All facilities, regardless of quality, must apply for renaming every four years.
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