Dispelling the Myth: Magnet and the BSN

You've heard it at work or read it somewhere: Magnet wants 80% of nurses to have a BSN.

Is it true? Not really.

What Magnet certification requires is that nurse leaders and nurse managers hold a BSN. It does not require bedside direct care nurses to hold a BSN.

However, hospitals have the ability to determine educational goals for the nurses they employ. That goal may include increasing the number of BSN prepared nurses working in direct patient care. It is not a requirement of Magnet certification but rather of the individual facility. So, when a facility blames Magnet as the reason a percentage of its staff must obtain a BSN, they're confusing the issue when the reality is the facility itself set that goal.

So where does this magical number of 80% of nurses holding a BSN come from?

It comes from the Institute of Medicine's Future of Nursing Report, specifically from Recommendation 4:

1. Increase the proportion of nurses with a baccalaureate degreeto 80 percent by 2020. Academic nurse leaders across all schools of nursing should work togetherto increase the proportion of nurses with a baccalaureate degree from 50 to 80 percent by 2020. Theseleaders should partner with education accrediting bodies, private and public funders, and employers toensure funding, monitor progress, and increase the diversity of students to create a workforce preparedto meet the demands of diverse populations across the lifespan.
   
   

This report is the true reason that many facilities are only hiring BSN prepared nurses or requiring employees to obtain a BSN within a set timeframe.

In fact, the report goes on to specify ways in which facilities can help meet that goal:

• Offering tuition reimbursement
  
• Creating a culture that helps nurses continue their education
  
• Providing salary differentials
  
• Providing opportunities for promotion
  

So, what does your facility give as the reason behind the push for BSN prepared nurses?