magnet status: does it really mean a better place to practice?

canesdukegirl, BSN, RN · Jun 24, 2011

Along the same lines regarding the hoopla of Maggot Status, I just have to say something here. You know all of the "festivities" that occur during Nurses Week? Have ANY of you actually had time to leave your unit to participate in them? It seems as if the same amount of time, money and resources are poured into having speakers come in, holding workshops, and having an elaborately catered luncheon are largely wasted because the nurses that administration are honoring CAN'T leave the unit to enjoy this vast spread of food, lectures and camaraderie.

I had time to take the offered candy bar that HR was handing out at the entrance of the hospital when I came in to work at the beginning of Nurses Week. However, my managers were THRILLED at the wonderful display put on by the hospital administration. They all raved about the speakers, about the luncheon, about the balloons and the cake. Hmmm...Happy Nurse Managers Week?

GadgetRN71, ASN, RN · Jun 24, 2011

Magnet Status is nothing but a marketing ploy. Some of the crappiest places to work have magnet status.

cherrybreeze, ADN, RN · Jun 24, 2011

From what I have seen and learned, it doesn't mean much.

Granted, I have never worked in a Magnet facility (mind you, I've worked at one hospital for 10 years), but that employer I know was discussing pursuing Magnet status (I participated on our housewide care council for 2 years, so I was privy to that info from administration). At the same time this was being talked about, the whole nursing culture was changing, and not for the better. I served on the Council because I believed in trying to improve care delivery from several perspectives. It became something totally different....we had NO say in what was being implemented, it was just our job to figure out the *best* way to roll it out, and put a positive spin on it. I think they believed that if it came from the council, it would be better received. Our staffing ratios changed (from an average of 6:1 at night, maybe 7:1 to up to 9:1, and that DID happen on a regular basis), we had floors "combine" (in terms of patients and staff) in ways that made no sense, and HOW we determined staffing was changed to something totally illogical (since floors "shared" staff, they staffed based on a combined census and had a "grid" that dictated how many/what types of staff members we could use....but that also resulted in situations where, if one of the floors got an admission, the OTHER floor was eligible for another staff member.....what???...and this happened on a regular, frequent basis!).

It seemed such a contradiction that they could talk about what needed to be done to achieve this "status" and yet make sweeping changes that damaged the nursing culture. Nurses there (including me) were becoming increasingly disgruntled over the last few years. None of that would have changed with this new "designation." It was all just a ploy for marketing, I firmly believe that. I think it's a shame, because Magnet status COULD be something that's meaningful, IMO, if it were used in the right way. I just honestly don't believe it is.

Kristy02_RN · Jun 24, 2011

Magnet Hospitals are not necessarily the best place in town to work. A hospital in my community just achieved magnet status and they have used it as a way to ween out nurses and even the patients they CHOOSE to treat! it's not right. If you are not the type of patient they wish to see (Medicaid, HMO, homeless etc) they treat you like garbage. I am an Associates RN and they treated me like crap as a student and many of my classmates that devoted years of service to them graduated jobless because they weren't BSNs.

Jules A, MSN · Jun 24, 2011

My experience with two is negative. I would prefer to see some real nursing instead of all the committees that boil down to nothing more than extra paperwork and policies, evidence based mind you :rolleyes: that really don't mean a hill of beans in the big picture of patient care. Just my opinion.

Guest717236 · Jun 24, 2011

Magnet Status is nothing but a marketing ploy. Some of the crappiest places to work have magnet status.

I agree. As a nurse and family member of a patient that had invisible care at

a Magnet Hospital , I am not impressed.

The nurses were severely understaffed, and patient care suffered beyond belief....

So beware, but I am sure it is working correctly in many places...check each

hospital carefully.

wooh, BSN, RN · Jun 24, 2011

Along the same lines regarding the hoopla of Maggot Status, I just have to say something here. You know all of the "festivities" that occur during Nurses Week? Have ANY of you actually had time to leave your unit to participate in them?

I was too busy filling out all my "career ladder" paperwork to participate. :uhoh3:

I did notice that this year, having the faux Magnet people come in during Nurses Week, that we actually pretended to celebrate the whole week instead of just the few days that happen before Hospital Week. It was a beautiful job of pretending. And I have to say, having a pajama day really makes me feel appreciated by my employer. :confused: Let's see what happens next year when there's not a dog and pony show. I bet we'll be right back to celebrating Hospital Week instead.

But admins have turned it into "You better be good nurses and act like we appreciate you or no raise for you!" How about actually staffing appropriately instead of telling me to attend 15 extra meetings on my off time to pretend we have "shared governance" when the shared governance is actually just making me show up to a meeting and ignoring anything I say that conflicts with what administration has already decided to do?

canesdukegirl, BSN, RN · Jun 24, 2011

I was too busy filling out all my "career ladder" paperwork to participate.
I did notice that this year, having the faux Magnet people come in during Nurses Week, that we actually pretended to celebrate the whole week instead of just the few days that happen before Hospital Week. It was a beautiful job of pretending. And I have to say, having a pajama day really makes me feel appreciated by my employer. Let's see what happens next year when there's not a dog and pony show. I bet we'll be right back to celebrating Hospital Week instead.
But admins have turned it into "You better be good nurses and act like we appreciate you or no raise for you!" How about actually staffing appropriately instead of telling me to attend 15 extra meetings on my off time to pretend we have "shared governance" when the shared governance is actually just making me show up to a meeting and ignoring anything I say that conflicts with what administration has already decided to do?

THIS^^^ is why I adore you, wooh. Direct and to the point. No BS. You are spot on, my friend!

~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN · Jun 25, 2011

We have 2 magnet hospitals here. I did clinicals at both and just got hired at one. 2 different health systems 4 hospitals locally total. I talked to the nurses a lot about the 2 hospitals.

1 health system has a tons of different awards. They are magnet. They have 2 hospitals. One is a new hospital and not magnet yet. The nurses don't seem very happy there although it's rated one of the top 100 places to work for. The Hospital is very huge on flaunting their awards. The nurses do have to deal with a lot of absurdities it seems. Fluff a pillow, you need to chart it, offered a warm blanket, you need to chart it. Slacker tracker is making sure you are in the room for a minimum of 5 mins ever hour. Just seems a lot of pressure on the nurses.

2nd health system also has 2 hospitals locally, 1 is magnet 1 is not. I was at both and just got hired on at the magnet one. They also have similar awards as hospital one. They are a bigger health system with hospitals all over many states. They don't really flaunt their magnet status. It's on their website, it's on the walls of the hospital. But it's not brought up on every single advertising thing. The nurses overall at this hospital seem much happier, it's more lax. Most people don't even realize they are magnet. I have had a few students say "I want to work at XXXX hospital because they are magnet" when I tell them so is hospital YYYYYY they don't even believe me. They seem to treat their employees better and work with them when things are happening.

When I first moved here and started nursing school I was deadset I wanted to work at hospital XXXXXX. They are extremely hard to get into because of all the hype.I fell for all the hoopla.

After doing clnicals at both places I feel so happy and excited to get hired on at the other hospital. The one that can still be magnet but treat it's employees well. I had to do my senior practicum at the "stuffier" hospital and many people asked me if I was one of the contracted students or I would be trying to get hired on there. When I replied that I would most likely focus on the other system because it's a better chance of getting a job and the nurses were wonderful there (these were nurses I had a good rapport with and felt I could speak freely) they agreed it was easier to get jobs there for new grads and discouraged me from trying with their hospital because of all the census managed stuff. They said new grads weren't realizing what was happening. They said they wanted to leave the "stuffier" hospital because of the direction it was going and they wanted to know how the other hospital was.

The (stuffier) hospital will fire you in a heart beat and are pushing a lot of the regular employees out to go to census managed positions. Pretty much if any nurse wants to transfer to a new unit the new job will be census managed. So they are stuck if they want to keep their hours.

So I think I made the right choice in going for the "under dog" hospital that is still magnet status but isn't under the guise of all the hype. I shall soon find out, my first day is on Monday.