MAGNET Designation

Farawyn · Jan 13, 2015

Not Magnet here, but I live in NY, so it may as well be. NY likes BSN status.

llg, PhD, RN · Jan 13, 2015

Gee, I just looked at the NDNQI results for 2014 and compared the Job Satisfaction Scores between Magnet and Non-Magnet hospitals. The Magnet hospitals have a higher mean.

Now ... we all know there are lots of different tools and different studies out there ... and that different tools and different populations can yield different results. I didn't do a comprehensive lit review or anything. I just took a quick look at the data and found the opposite of what the OP was taught in class today.

OP ... where did the data discussed class come from? Can you give us a citation? -- or at least more information on the details of the research upon which that conclusion was based. Were population demographics, patient populations, etc. variables well-controlled? Or was it an "apples vs oranges" comparison?

CT Pixie, BSN, RN · Jan 13, 2015

I know one hospital I did clinicals at. The nurses I dealt with all seemed, for the most part, happy with their jobs. Once the facility gained Magnet Status, I noticed many disgruntled nurses. Nurses were quitting left and right. I work part time for that hospital now but at a satellite office, so I'm not doing acute care for them.

I also work for a non-Magnet hospital, the nurses there all seem happy with their jobs. Of course there are those days you hate everything about the hospital, the job etc. But for the most part, they do seem content.

I don't know what the research shows. I can only give info on what I've observed.

elkpark · Jan 13, 2015

OP ... where did the data discussed class come from? Can you give us a citation? -- or at least more information on the details of the research upon which that conclusion was based. Were population demographics, patient populations, etc. variables well-controlled? Or was it an "apples vs oranges" comparison?

Yes, that was my question as well. Where did the OP's info come from, and how reliable/legitimate is that source?

RNNPICU, BSN, RN · Jan 13, 2015

I have worked at a Magnet hospital and it did seem that people were happier. There are more opportunities to be involved. If more people are vested in their place of employment, nurses will strive to work harder for their patients. Every place has it ebbs and tides with regards to satisfaction and retention.

You will always find happy and unhappy people with their job regardless of Magnet designation. I would be interested in hearing the source from the OP

kgg6 · Jan 13, 2015

That's an excellent point, guys. I'm going to go through the presentation for the citation and ask the prof if need be. I'll get back to you with the resource (and whether it was valid or not, which is a point well worth asking)

AJJKRN · Jan 14, 2015

My hospital was a really good place to work prior to getting Magnet, which is how I'm assuming we obtained Magnet in the first place but...do I think it's just an expensive brand to show off? Maybe...Could the correlation about dissatisfaction and trying to live up to the expectations from HCAHPS just be a coincidence? Maybe...which would I rather get ride of...the one that implies my hospital is a hotel and that the customer is always right regardless of how appealing it may seem to the public and Medicare. People should expect excellent health care and also be realistic that to prevent or maintain good health, they need to do their part as well. Really tired of the, just fix me and I'm going to keep doing whatever it was to make me sick or injured in the first place! Whoops, did that turn into a rant? :whistling:

klone, MSN, RN · Jan 14, 2015

I had to write a paper on Magnet for my MSN class. There was only one study I cited regarding nurse satisfaction, but it was found that nurses in Magnet and Magnet-In-Process facilities had higher job satisfaction and were more likely to recommend nursing as a career, compared to nurses at non-Magnet facilities.

Hess, R., DesRoches, C., Donelan, K., Norman, L., & Buerhaus, P. I. (2011, July/August). Perceptions of nurses in Magnet hospitals, non-Magnet hospitals, and hospitals pursuing Magnet status. The Journal of Nursing Administration, 41(7), 315-323. Error: DOI Naming Authority [dx.doi.org] Not Found

klone, MSN, RN · Jan 14, 2015

And I went into the paper with the attitude that it's just an expensive bragging right for administration, but after doing the research, I was able to find a lot of data on the correlation between Magnet designation and patient satisfaction (higher HCAHPS scores), nurse satisfaction, fewer falls, and better trauma outcomes.

Jules A, MSN · Jan 14, 2015

Anecdotally I can share that I have worked at three magnet hospitals and although the nurses at one of them seemed very happy and proud of the designation the other two were a fairly miserable bunch overall. I personally believe it is largely hype and that if the benefits they are trying to sell floor nurses is involvement in things like "nursing research", posters and committees done on their free time they are out of their ever lovin minds, lol.

AJJKRN · Jan 14, 2015

And I went into the paper with the attitude that it's just an expensive bragging right for administration, but after doing the research, I was able to find a lot of data on the correlation between Magnet designation and patient satisfaction (higher HCAHPS scores), nurse satisfaction, fewer falls, and better trauma outcomes.

See, this is where I feel that the faculty was probably already a great place to work at and had the capabilities to provide its patients with great care. It also probably chose that the cost to benefit ratio was worth it to take on and maintain Magnet status.