Magnet hospital

Nurses General Nursing

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Are there any nurses out there who work for Magnet Hospitals. Do you sense a diffrent or a sense of Pride?? :p

About a year ago I had to take my son to the hospital because of a head injury with neuro changes. The hospital I work in does not do children, So off the ambulance went to the "magnet" hospital. It was the worse service I have seen in any facility.

After being seen in the ER and determining that he should be admitted we got to the floor. Didn't see a RN or LPN for about 4 hours. Only saw them when I decided to take him home AMA. :angryfire

Funny thing is this hospital advertise that they have 4:1 patient ratios.

And this year they received conditional accreditation from JACHO.

Seems to me like that Magnet status doesn't mean much

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Are there any nurses out there who work for Magnet Hospitals. Do you sense a diffrent or a sense of Pride?? :p

I actually, in the recent past, terminated my position at a Magnet hospital, and was recently informed that at least, six more nurses on my unit also did as well. :crying2:

The working conditions were frightening, to say the least. The floor I was on was so bad, doctors requested that none of their patients be put on it.

I cannot see any benefit in working at a so-called Magnet hospital over any other.

If the bottom line is money for the corporation, and the nurses cannot provide safe nursing care, due to a very high turnover rate, burnout and low staffing, (when there isn't even any nursing shortage in our area), what difference does it really make. :angryfire

For the majority of nurses in this facility, the term, "Magnet" is nothing short of a joke. How very sad that other people are sometimes mislead with this title. :rotfl:

Another hospital in Ohio is also considered a Magnet, but I hear the working conditions are deplorable there. I did get on a career job site and could not believe how many open nursing positions there were at this very large institution, and talked with some who had been patients there and swear they will never go back to it again.

I would give just about anything to be able to work at a facility where nurses could sincerely provide safe nursing care again. Afterall. Isn't nursing a caring profession, and is this not why the majority of us went into it to begin with? I am heartsick over what is being allowed to happen in so many healthcare facilities today.

I am sure there are probably some Magnet status facilities out there deserving said title, and if so, I would really appreciate knowing where they are, or any hospitals out there where one can still give good and safe nursing care. :)

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Specializes in Vents, Telemetry, Home Care, Home infusion.
Funny thing is this hospital advertise that they have 4:1 patient ratios.

And this year they received conditional accreditation from JACHO.

Seems to me like that Magnet status doesn't mean much

Magnet review may not revel problems within an institution that are not documented or covered up. Receiving conditional accreditation from JCAHO means they identified problems within the facility and have issued a corrective action plan to be submitted within 3 months in order to obtain full accreditation.

RE 4:1 ratios, whats on paper and actual practice can be two different things.

Maybe there was a change in working environment ie downsizing that occured after receiving Magnet status, or nurses were busy involved with a code/critical patients---does happen on occasion. Advertising often purchased for block period of time too so not easily stopped.

Difficult to take down those banners too :wink2:

What did you do AFTER this experience ???? Action you took afterward is most important in my experience.

If you didn't notify Nurse manager or report to patients relations department your experience with poor care:

a. No one in management would ever know about your perception that poor care received but you would be telling your experience to at least 10 people--hundreds on this bb now

b. If not reported, therefore no review of records/staffing/clinical issues done by the people who HAVE the power to review and change things---and inform you of action taken.

c. Reports of poor care/decrease in staffing after Magnet designation SHOULD BE REPORTED to Magnet commission (see previously posted link). Facilites have had Magnet status removed.

Last year had terrible experience with anesthesia at a local hospital. Fired off 4 page typed letter outlining my grievence against facility: sent to hospital CEO, department chair, surgeon and PCP. Documentation included how facility deviated from anesthesia society standards (quoted them!) regarding care of client with difficult airway. Personal letter from CEO arrived within 10 days appologizing for care provided, that clinical review performed and remediation done. Anesthesia co-chair call me and appologized; now carry his beeper number with me. Surgeon assured me mutiple meetings held, policies and practices changed. Had surgery 2 months later with good anesthesia experience.

It's never to late to send a letter!

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Try the University of Washington Medical Center - Seattle

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didn't fire off a letter but had personal conference with ceo,don house supervisor, and of course unit manager. their attitude was one of

"so sorry that happened, but really not much we can do about it"

I haven't been back their since but have heard from others in the community including doctors that practice their as well as the hospital I work in nothing has changed.

As for their advertising 4:1 ratio, found out that that is the overall ratio. so since they take the amt of nurses they have including the ones that work in the ICU's the transplant departments it does average out to 4:1

As for the conditional accreditation their major problems were not protecting privacy, such as patients charts left open, computers left visible to all, .

no evidence of narcotic count, nurses who didn't know two patient identifiers,

all the safety stuff that JACHO is pushing this year.

I do realize that every hospital has it's problems, including the one I work in.But I would hope that upper management would take a harder look at complaints, and try and correct them instead of just blowing off a customer.

because that is how i felt when I left the meeting with upper management

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uhhhh.....no!!! :o i've worked for a few magnet hospitals, and wondered how they made it to magnet status. :uhoh3: they must've bought their magnet status or something.

i know of a couple more that i worked at before who are trying to obtain magnet status, but from what i viewed during my stay in their facility, they shouldn't have magnet status either. :rolleyes:

i have had two abdominal operations since oct.

the first hospital i was in was not a magnet hospital. the nursing care was superior. everytime medication was given, a complete assessment was done listening for bowel sounds, listening to my lungs, checking the insicion etc. the nurses carried beepers, so they knew immediately when one of their patients needed them. my pain medication was always brought immediately when i needed it. one night, i went to the bathroom, and could not urinate. within seconds, a nursing assistant was at the bathroom door checking to see if i was okay. i didn't even call for anyone. when i said i couldn't empty a full bladder, i was immediately catheretized by my young nurse as an experienced nurse watched her and checked on what she was doing guiding her in an extremely professional way. when i asked what pills they were giving me, every pill was explained with its correct name and what it was for. i felt very secure that i was being well taken care of and that if a complication did occur, i would be properly cared for.

the second hospital was a magnet hospital. the nursing care was terrible. when asked about my pills, the nurse admitted that she had no idea what they were. she also admitted having no idea why i was operated on! no assessment was done at the time of medication. she looked at my insicion once in six days. when i was choking on the ng tube, three nurses were in there with no idea what to do. i heard them talking, and admitting that they didn't know what to do. when asked for help going to the bathroom, they told me i could do it myself with intense pain and an iv. the care was so poor that i had to demand being placed in intensive care, and even there the care couldn't compare to the non magnet hospital.

so i don't understand how the latter hospital is a magnet hospital and the other one isn't.

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Magnet review may not revel problems within an institution that are not documented or covered up. Receiving conditional accreditation from JCAHO means they identified problems within the facility and have issued a corrective action plan to be submitted within 3 months in order to obtain full accreditation.

RE 4:1 ratios, whats on paper and actual practice can be two different things.

Maybe there was a change in working environment ie downsizing that occured after receiving Magnet status, or nurses were busy involved with a code/critical patients---does happen on occasion. Advertising often purchased for block period of time too so not easily stopped.

Difficult to take down those banners too :wink2:

What did you do AFTER this experience ???? Action you took afterward is most important in my experience.

If you didn't notify Nurse manager or report to patients relations department your experience with poor care:

a. No one in management would ever know about your perception that poor care received but you would be telling your experience to at least 10 people--hundreds on this bb now

b. If not reported, therefore no review of records/staffing/clinical issues done by the people who HAVE the power to review and change things---and inform you of action taken.

c. Reports of poor care/decrease in staffing after Magnet designation SHOULD BE REPORTED to Magnet commission (see previously posted link). Facilites have had Magnet status removed.

Last year had terrible experience with anesthesia at a local hospital. Fired off 4 page typed letter outlining my grievence against facility: sent to hospital CEO, department chair, surgeon and PCP. Documentation included how facility deviated from anesthesia society standards (quoted them!) regarding care of client with difficult airway. Personal letter from CEO arrived within 10 days appologizing for care provided, that clinical review performed and remediation done. Anesthesia co-chair call me and appologized; now carry his beeper number with me. Surgeon assured me mutiple meetings held, policies and practices changed. Had surgery 2 months later with good anesthesia experience.

It's never to late to send a letter!

Oh indeed, a letter was sent, and I know read. One nurse manager on the floor showed it to a colleague of mine. The nurse manager was happy that I put in writing why I terminated and that it was due to severe staffing concerns, and being unable to provide safe nursing care.

This institution is well aware of the problem. Every so often, they have a job fair to hopefully recruit those wishing employment. I was one who went to one of these, and during any interviews, allowed them to know that the most important interview question was that of safe staffing and being able to give safe nursing care etc. I was assured each time that it was.

Actually it has only gotten worse since I terminated, not better. The workload is frightening, and my heart goes out to those who must stay in this situation due to being the head of household and in need of the benefits afforded them.

I hope someday to find a facility where I can give safe care, and hope it will not be too far into my future. We seem to have this problem in this whole part of our state. Many have even relocated with the promise that it would be different, only to terminate for the same reasons. They will tell us what we want to hear, and hope we will stay when we find out differently, but some nurses just cannot ethically, morally, nor emotionally stay under such conditions.

We have heard that JACHO will start to do surprise evaluations. Now that would be great. Being a part of a facility when they know JACHO will be coming is unbelievable, to say the least. Shocking is putting it mildly. Some nurses have even been threatened with termination if they so call, open their mouths as to the conditions/concerns with their facility.

I for one, never could understand just why a facility was warned prior to an investigation to begin with. Why has this been allowed? Could it be due to the fact, that the facilities could not stay open and would create a real healthcare dilemma in our areas?

In response to the initial query as to notification all the way up the ladder about unsafe nursing care, yes, many have done just that, but maybe profit is the bottom line the higher up you go.

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I know i already responded to the Magnet question, the bottom line is that all hospital's have the potential to deliver great care or horrible care. There is a hospital in my community that I now work at, that I would not take anyone to when I first moved here. Why?? because I had a bad experience in the ER. Since that time my mother in law was in the ER with a broken hip and everyone was wonderful. My daughter recieved wonderful attention also. Had I not given them another chance I might never have realized that they can deliver good care. I work in the labor and delivery department and I know that the institutions objective is to deliver excellent care to everyone, but it is dependent on all of the staff to buy into it. Unfortunately, we all end up with horrible experiences and we can all share stories about terrible care. Where I was going with all this is that I don't think anyone should put any extra weight into what to expect, as someone else pointed out, things may have changed since the hospital recieved Magnet status.

I personally expect to get good care wherever I go, and if I don't you let someone know and just hope that changes are made. Sometimes the changes may not be immediate, or immediately evident, but at least you planted the seed.

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I know that if and when I ever decide to move and have to hospital shop, being a magnet facility will definitely be a criteria for me, if at all possible. I think it gives you something to go on as a basis to begin your judgements.

I work for a Magnet hospital in NJ and believe me I will be sorry to leave it. I am moving to Portland OR within the next few months. They have one Magnet hospital and that's where I am going to apply first.

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I actually, in the recent past, terminated my position at a Magnet hospital, and was recently informed that at least, six more nurses on my unit also did as well. :crying2:

The working conditions were frightening, to say the least. The floor I was on was so bad, doctors requested that none of their patients be put on it.

I cannot see any benefit in working at a so-called Magnet hospital over any other.

If the bottom line is money for the corporation, and the nurses cannot provide safe nursing care, due to a very high turnover rate, burnout and low staffing, (when there isn't even any nursing shortage in our area), what difference does it really make. :angryfire

For the majority of nurses in this facility, the term, "Magnet" is nothing short of a joke. How very sad that other people are sometimes mislead with this title. :rotfl:

Another hospital in Ohio is also considered a Magnet, but I hear the working conditions are deplorable there. I did get on a career job site and could not believe how many open nursing positions there were at this very large institution, and talked with some who had been patients there and swear they will never go back to it again.

I would give just about anything to be able to work at a facility where nurses could sincerely provide safe nursing care again. Afterall. Isn't nursing a caring profession, and is this not why the majority of us went into it to begin with? I am heartsick over what is being allowed to happen in so many healthcare facilities today.

I am sure there are probably some Magnet status facilities out there deserving said title, and if so, I would really appreciate knowing where they are, or any hospitals out there where one can still give good and safe nursing care. :)

The Valley Hospital, Ridgewood New Jersey

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Are there any nurses out there who work for Magnet Hospitals. Do you sense a diffrent or a sense of Pride?? :p

I work at a hospital that recently acquired magnet status and I have to wonder what the big deal is. There was more than two years of preparation and they knew when Magnet was coming in. It's much like JCAHO, so much time to prepare. The bottom line is we are short staffed and placed in situations daily where patients are subject to unsafe conditions and nurses are burning out left and right. Magnet hasn't changed anything but the already bolstered pride of our executives. It has certainly not recruited, much less retained, new nurses. It normally doesn't take more than a couple of nights for these people to realize that nothing is worth subjecting themselves to this environment. I would have rather seen all the "magnet money" poured into staff retention.

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When I first read about "Magnet" hospitals several years ago, my impression from the article I read was that these were places that respected, valued, supported their nursing staff, and that the policies and work conditions were so attractive that these facilities acted as a "magnet" to nurses; that they didn't have as much trouble retaining their staff, and that they drew (attracted) nurses to apply to work there, thereby making them less short-staffed than other places. I thought to myself, that would be nice. But now, as my hospital also is trying to "get Magnet status" it isn't presented that way. It's now "something we have to achieve", emphasis being on "we". We, the staff nurses. Did I misunderstand the article I first read several years ago, or has the concept of Magnet status changed over the years?

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