Magnet behind nurses station?

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Good evening, my professor said that most healthcare facilities have some sort of magnet either behind the nurses station or over the medication room door... she wanted me to look up the meaning of it for tomorrow but the only thing I can find is that it relates to a facility being magnet status... I feel that is not the answer however. Can someone help me please.

Specializes in Critical care.
Way back when ... I was taught that placing the round magnet over an implanted PM site would convert an 'on demand' PM to a 'fixed rated' PM. Was to be used in situations when a PM might be 'failing to sense' or 'failing to pace' on its own.

I knew it to be done only for emergency situations.

The magnets were stuck on the crash cart.

They actually just turn off the AICD function, pacing spikes carry on.

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Specializes in Psych, Peds, Education, Infection Control.

My first thought was the magnetic locks that are everywhere in my facility - but we're behavioral health. :) I'm hoping the prof meant the pacemaker magnet, or maybe one used for VNS in seizures (though that magnet is usually kept near the patient)...

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Specializes in Emergency.

Have you ever been on a snipe hunt?

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Specializes in LTC, Rehab.

Magnets exert a pull or attraction to steel or other magnets. I think your professor was 'pullling' your leg as well...

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Specializes in Emergency, Telemetry, Transplant.
What the heck kind of school are you going to? What a waste of valuable time.

If, indeed, this is the "pacemaker" magnet, why would it be a waste of time for a student to research its purpose? Based on the OP, the instructor was pretty vague about which magnet(s) she was referring to--however, I think it's totally appropriate to ask the students to research their purpose rather that just spoon feeding it to them.

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Specializes in 15 years in ICU, 22 years in PACU.

OP needs to seriously get back with us to call off this "wild snipe chase that is a total waste of time pulling our legs".

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Specializes in LTC.

A VNS magnet perhaps? Although that would more likely be at the bedside of the patient...

My patient has one (I do private duty nursing). The kiddo I take care of has it to control seizures. There's a device implanted in her chest that's connected to a nerve (for the life of me I can't remember which nerve) and when she has a seizure, you swipe the magnet across her chest.

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Specializes in retired LTC.
They actually just turn off the AICD function, pacing spikes carry on.
I just remember the magnet & thePMR from the dinosaur days "way back when".

The magnet did something to it - remember the BIG (and I mean BIG) scarey thing about avoiding microwave ovens if the pt had a PMR.

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I worked on a cardiac unit where a large magnet could be applied over an ICD to prevent defibrillation in palliative patients. For example, it could be useful in a rural hospital where removal of an ICD in a palliative patient is not feasible because of distance to a cardiac centre, sudden changes in health status, etc.

Here is a source: http://www.ccn.on.ca/ccn_public/uploadfiles/files/ICD_Deactivation_Patient_Guide_FINAL_v008_April_13_2017.pdf

The use of a magnet is for emergency deactivation of an ICD. Look on page seven.

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