Dropping Magnet

[PMFB-RN]

I found this interesting. One of this regions largest health system's flagship hospital has dropped it's Magnet certification. They have been certified since 2004 and was the first hospital in the state, outside the state capital, to recive Magent certification. They have a reputation of being an early adopter of technology and practice changes.

They have been struggling with profitability the last 3-4 years and have layed off around 200 people across the system, including all of their clinical nurse specialists and a bunch of managers.

Cost savings is the reason given to staff. Bedside nurses are pretty much indifferent and the public doesn't seem to know or care that they had a Magnet hospital in their town.

I wonder if this is an isolated case or if it will be a trend, or partial trend.

[NicuGal, MSN, RN]

When we first received Magnet status, it really did improves my things at our hospital, but we also had a new and very strong VP of nursing who was very much on our side, visible and always there to support her staff. She retired about a year ago and the changes are very apparent and on a downhill slide. Also, the

Money involved is becoming an issue, we are a county hospital and that is money we really don't have.

[Nurse.Plink]

It is a theory of mine that Magnet was started from a thesis of an academic nurse preparing for their doctoral prep..True, the ANCC "owns" the copyright (and financial incentive) on magnet recognition but really where did it originate? I've looked on the website and i can't tell.

It is ridiculous to me that the efforts to minimize the efforts of ADN vs BSN prepared nurses are not sufficient for quality bedside care. Its another hierarchy in the quest to create professional nursing autonomy from physicians and it has the nursing profession caught in a useless dialogue about which is better magnet or non magnet hospitals...

at the end of the day, i just see many different types of nursing care delivery models...whatever your organization chooses to focus on as the model of the decade----fine. what does not fade away though trends in healthcare is your personal professional practice. Every licensed nurse in this country is responsible for their own definition of professional excellence and so if the place i work has magnet or not---whatever, because I own the exclusive rights to my nursing care-thats what really matters.

I've often wished that managers of nursing units were required to work a 24 hours per 0.9FTE...lack of direct bedside work lets one easily forget the issues that impact your fellow nurses.

[gypsyd8]

You took the words out of my mouth. Anymore when I hear MSN, I usually shudder at all the stupid, pointless, and meaningless things that will change in a hospital then watch it crumble because those masters prepared nurses that couldn't run a code if they had to dont do pt care therefore cannot manage it.

I have been a RN since 2004. I am getting my MSN because I want to improve the system. with people like you it will certainly be a challenge. Maybe you could go to school and use your excellent skills to help instead of tearing others down?

[Tait, MSN, RN]

I have been a RN since 2004. I am getting my MSN because I want to improve the system. with people like you it will certainly be a challenge. Maybe you could go to school and use your excellent skills to help instead of tearing others down?

I worked beside, I advocate for the nursing population, and I got my MSN so I could advocate MORE for nurses.

I think the issue most RNs have with MSN/NP etc etc is that they don't have much, if any bedside experience. Why? Because they are scared to do bedside, or they hate it so much they can't stay there. I think the bigger picture in all of this is that each nurse needs to do what they can to improve the state of their own existence which maybe, just maybe, will improve the environment for those so desperate to leave.

Gypsy I think you are spot on in your endeavors, and I wish more seasoned nurses would get on track with this, especially with scholarships and reimbursement programs out there. For instance, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is looking to support 100 PhD nurses in 2014. Full tuition.

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Announces $20 Million Grant to Support Nurse PhD Scientists - Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Not trying to derail this thread into another battle of degree vs. degree, but I have already voiced my concerns over the original topic.

Tait

[Flyboy17]

gypsyd8 - I am sorry that you feel offended by my comment towards MSN nurses in our area but it is true for us. I have had my MSN for three years now, but only for teaching. I can say to you that I hope that you make positive changes in an administrative position. My simple point and it seems that many agree with me, is that administration tends to disconnect from patient care in many areas of the country. If you can figure that out you will be a good leader. I have actually recommended to our board that clinical coordinators and directors have mandatory patient care hours in a months time. In that time they can actually see if decisions they are making actually work on the floor. To me this is common sense, not challenging administration.

[PatMac10,RN, RN]

*** That is by no means a universal thing. It is true that the same kind of thinking among managment that likes things like Magnet will also be the same type of person who prefers to hire only BSNs. Lots of Magnet hospitals hire ADNs and a few even prefer them.

*** YES! Magnet is a very expensive program.

*** The laying off of nurses is a symptom of a tight butget, as was the decision to drop Magnet.

*** They don't need to keep the status. There is no reason for a hospital to be Magnet unless nursing administration wants to be. Lots of Magnet hospitals were not very good to begin with but managed to slap a fresh coat of paint on thier problems enough to satisfy the Magnet survayors. For example I remeber being shocked to walk into my unit during survay to find our unit, usually staffed 1/2 to 2/3 travelers, fully (overly) staffed with regular employees, many on over time. We were also handed 3x5 cards with likely survayors questions on them and the managment approved answer we were to give, along with threats of what would happen to any nurses who answered honestly rather than giving the "approved" answer.

I

My hospital hires 70% of its new grads employee as ADN nurses, every year, including this year. I will start with other new grads in July. Us ADN new grads must sign a contract saying we will get a BSN within 3 years if our hire date, and we get tuition reimbursement earlier to help us. This is the "loophole" many hospitals around here are taking that allows them to continue hiring loads of ADN nurses.

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

Magnet is a bad joke -- our hospital is dropping it as well. There are all kinds of "reasons" why they're not continuing the Magnet program, but the main one is that this is a doctor's hospital. They don't really WANT nurses to have a voice.

[Havin' A Party!, ASN, RN]

... administration tends to disconnect from patient care in many areas of the country...

Have to agree with this sentiment.

[Havin' A Party!, ASN, RN]

Magnet ...our hospital is dropping it as well... this is a doctor's hospital. They don't really WANT nurses to have a voice.

OK.

Nice that they're up front about their convictions.

[dishes, BSN, RN]

My understanding is that magnet status programs were initiated in the early 2000's during a nursing shortage cycle. At that time, human resourses and nurse managers, viewed the research that magnet hospitals retained their nurses twice as long as non-magnet hospitals as a solution to their nurse retention problems. Now that there are global economic problems and there is no longer a nursing shortage, most hospitals do not need nurse retention programs. Instead hospitals are implementing efficiency and cost cutting programs, in another decade, we will be back to a nursing shortage and can start the nurse recruitment/retention games all over again.

[llg, PhD, RN]

My understanding is that magnet status programs were initiated in the early 2000's during a nursing shortage cycle. At that time, human resourses and nurse managers, viewed the research that magnet hospitals retained their nurses twice as long as non-magnet hospitals as a solution to their nurse retention problems. Now that there are global economic problems and there is no longer a nursing shortage, most hospitals do not need nurse retention programs. Instead hospitals are implementing efficiency and cost cutting programs, in another decade, we will be back to a nursing shortage and can start the nurse recruitment/retention games all over again.

This is exactly what my friends and I were saying at lunch today. However, we are now starting to see RN's leaving our hospital for "greener pastures" and we are beginning to hire travelers, ask staff to work overtime, recruit, etc. again. We are hoping it will once again lead to better working conditions as retention becomes more of need again.

[Havin' A Party!, ASN, RN]

... We are hoping it will once again lead to better working conditions as retention becomes more of need again.

Some forecasters project this will happen at some point.... with attribution going to the large number of boomers to yet retire, the growing over-65 crowd, and the increase in life-expectency.