magnet hospitals

Nurses General Nursing

Published

  • Specializes in med/surg, icu, er, rehab.

I was wondering if someone could explain to me what a magnet hospital is and what are the advantages of being one. Our hospital is in the process of doing that.

Muffy5

53 Posts

Specializes in Acute rehab, LTC, Community Health.

We were just discussing this in our lecture and the notes state the elements of a magnet hospital include:

  • support for education
  • working with other clinically competent nurses
  • positive RN/MD relationships
  • Autonomous nursing practice
  • a culture that values concern for the patient
  • control of and over nursing practice
  • perceived adequacy of staffing
  • nurse-manager support

Kramer, M. & Schmalenberg, C. (2004).

Sounds pretty good! Hopefully it works out.

dcarriv

57 Posts

magnet hospital status seems to be just another thing that hospitals can advertise. i have had family get care from a magnet hospital. the care was questionalble at best. i also have friends who work at different magnet hospitals and they all say the same thing. that things are made very nice during inspections and afterward it goes back to the nom. complaints get filed and nothing gets done about it.

dscrn

525 Posts

It seems mostly that it looks god on paper. There is a looonnngg paper process that must be satisfied-takes I worked at a Magnet hsp...can't say that they really cared any more about theirstaff...years...

wooh, BSN, RN

1 Article; 4,383 Posts

We were just discussing this in our lecture and the notes state the elements of a magnet hospital include:

  • support for education
  • working with other clinically competent nurses
  • positive RN/MD relationships
  • Autonomous nursing practice
  • a culture that values concern for the patient
  • control of and over nursing practice
  • perceived adequacy of staffing
  • nurse-manager support

Kramer, M. & Schmalenberg, C. (2004).

Why yes, and Joint Commission keeps our hospitals safe! Now let's join hands and sing kumbaya! :uhoh3:

pghfoxfan

221 Posts

I have been to a Magnet Conference. I LOVED IT! Everyone involved had positive attitudes. (I have been a nurse almost 28 years, and negative attitudes are a huge downer.) It was so refreshing!

I have worked at a Magnet Hospital and loved working there. I was actively involved on both nursing and hospital committees. I know that my opinions were appreciated. I was respected by administration and Doctors and CoWorkers. Our outcomes were the best in all of our non Magnet sister hospitals...by FAR!

I believe in the Magnet ideals.

silentRN

559 Posts

well, there used to be some really good benefits to working at a MAGNET hospital. Before the economy crash in 08', us RNs could return back to school at the cost of the hospital. Not so anymore. Now, there's really no benefit of being in a Magnet hospital anymore.

Jules A, MSN

8,864 Posts

Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.

If it actually played out like the ideals it would be great. In my experience it is a way for the hospital to pat itself on the back without any benefits to the nursing staff.

netglow, ASN, RN

4,412 Posts

In my area one hospital does it then all the rest do it too. I think that now just about every hospital in my area but one is magnet or going magnet.

-- just like going to uniforms, one does it, and the others follow... like lemmings.

PMFB-RN, RN

5,351 Posts

Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
We were just discussing this in our lecture and the notes state the elements of a magnet hospital include:

  • support for education
  • working with other clinically competent nurses
  • positive RN/MD relationships
  • Autonomous nursing practice
  • a culture that values concern for the patient
  • control of and over nursing practice
  • perceived adequacy of staffing
  • nurse-manager support

.

*** More correctly those are the CLAIMED benifits.

PMFB-RN, RN

5,351 Posts

Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
I was wondering if someone could explain to me what a magnet hospital is and what are the advantages of being one. Our hospital is in the process of doing that.

*** I can't discern any benefits to nurses at all that come from working at a Magnet hospital. The only way I would even know I work in one is all the coaching management does to tell us what to say when re-certifying. For example one of the claimed benefits is support for education. My hospital used to have a program where they would pay for an RN to get a BSN or MSN in exchange for working for a period of time for them. They did away with that program about 3 weeks after the Magnet surveyors came round for our certification. Left many nurses high and dry mid way to their degree.

I love being a nurse and think it's a great job. However IMO Magnet is nothing but a marketing gimmick.

The real benefit from Magnet is not to nurses, it's to the hospital. Magnet certified hospitals get lower interest rates on their operating loans, at least according to our CNO.

The best hospital I ever worked for in terms of patient care and treatment of nurses was not a Magnet hospital.

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