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.
Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
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.
*** Magnet doesn't give nurses a voice. If anything it squelches our voices. Unions give nurses a voice. I went out of my way to find a non Magnet, non religious, publicly owned, union hospital. I have never been treated better or paid better.
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
*** Magnet doesn't give nurses a voice. If anything it squelches our voices. Unions give nurses a voice. I went out of my way to find a non Magnet, non religious, publicly owned, union hospital. I have never been treated better or paid better.
I agree about unions -- sadly, though, too many nurses view unions as the enemy. I left a wonderful job in a union hospital to move 3000 miles . . . and there are no union hospitals here.
Each unit varies but unfortunately the unit in the Magnet hospital I worked in had anything but the conditions it was suppose to represent. Yes, Magnet status is a joke.
As an alternative to Magnet, the ANCC's Pathway to Excellence program is generating some buzz. Notably, it omits the 80% RN-BSN and all supervisors/managers/nursing executives have at least a BSN requirements. And it's less costly.
As an alternative to Magnet, the ANCC's Pathway to Excellence program is generating some buzz. Notably, it omits the 80% RN-BSN and all supervisors/managers/nursing executives have at least a BSN requirements. And it's less costly.
I'm not surprised. I think Magnet served a purpose in some markets, and obviously some systems found it worth the investment to attract the employees they wanted. They no longer need it, and so it isn't worth the expense. What surprises me is that anyone finds that fact that things change over time surprising, lol. The "Magnet" label will fade into obscurity, but the trend toward preference for BSN education is not going to reverse, if that is what some are hoping. Magnet will be replaced by something else with a new label. The only constant is change.
Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
What surprises me is that anyone finds that fact that things change over time surprising, lol. The "Magnet" label will fade into obscurity,
*** I find your comments condecending. I have not read of anyone expressing suprise that things change over time. Being well aware that things change over time doesn't mean we should comment on them when they do change.
but the trend toward preference for BSN education is not going to reverse, if that is what some are hoping.
*** I don't know about that. I think it's just as likely that the BSN and ADN will both become obsolete and MSN will be the prefered entry to practice degree. I think that is part of the reason for the push for DNP for APNs.
I could already make a case that the BSN is obsolete.
I have worked at several magnet hospitals (as a traveler and full-time RN), and I find them to be the best places to work. The facility I currently work at is trying to become magnet and I can tell you the process is very long and does include implementing many changes. Magnet required Evidence Based Practice, goals, nurse career ladders, nurse certification, BSN nurses, and many outcome measures that are compared to a national data base. I find these to be all good things; however, the problem I usually see is that the facilities don't know how to get nurses "buy-in," and instead just start making changes without really relating the message to nurses.
There are manys studies that support decreased nurse turnover, increased nurse satisfaction etc. I wouldn't say patients necessarily look for a magnet hospital, but to be maget you have to prove that you have many great process (inlcuding patient satisfaction & safety) measures in place. Many of the requirements will fit right into the new healthcare laws and requirements. Also, I have noticed that many goverment funded healthcare programs are requireing evidence based practice so if you are not familiar with how to conduct an EBP project then you could loose funds for many needed healthcare programs that could not survive without additional funds from the government.
With change comes pain and growth, and its up to each individual to choose which one will affect them the most. Today nurses have to be lifelong learners due the constant change.
I worked at a hospital that dropped its application process. My husband worked at another hospital that also dropped its magnet application. My old hospital simply did market research that revealed its patients didn't care what qualifications the nursing staff had. They were interested in two things: their doctor and proximity to their home.
The hubby's hospital dropped it application due to excessive costs.
As an er/icu nurse pair, we both felt there was nothing in it but aggravation for us. The only thing it seems to add are costly management positions that create dramas out of nothingness,
I briefly worked for a magnet hospital when we moved to our present city. It was the worst er I have ever been in and I left after a week! I will never go back to a magnet organization. And yes, I think the bloom is off the rose for most organizations.
PMFB-RN, RN
5,351 Posts
*** Magnet doesn't give nurses a voice. If anything it squelches our voices. Unions give nurses a voice. I went out of my way to find a non Magnet, non religious, publicly owned, union hospital. I have never been treated better or paid better.