Magnet status...yay?

thecrossfitrn, BSN, RN · May 28, 2016

As a nurse, when I hear Magnet Status I immediately roll my eyes. No offense to those who are super proponents, but I've been at a few Magnet hospitals and I don't think they are any better than those that aren't. While they do open doors for really great mentorship and preceptorship programs as well as educational opportunities, they also alienate nurses with ADN's, which I think is completely wrong. I started with an ADN, and had better training and clinical opportunities than the BSN students at the local university. It's ridiculous and sends the wrong message to patients and the surrounding communities about safety as their supposed to hire the best of the best, especially when my BSN was just paper writing. But I digress being off topic and ranting.

I had an interview recently at a Magnet hospital and they wanted to pay me $3 less than what I was currently making as a charge nurse at a non-Magnet facility. When I tried to explain that the salary would be a pay cut they looked at me like I had three heads and tried to say that I should bend over backwards to work with them because of their status. Sorry high-horse facility, my little community hospital has better post-surgical infection rates than yours and pays better. Good grief.

If you already work at the facility there may be rules about how many years you have to get your BSN (if you don't already have it), though some facilities will grandfather you in. The process will take quite a while, and from what I've heard, don't expect a pay increase for their new shiny status. Man, I'm cynical today.

NurseGirl525, ASN, RN · May 28, 2016

Can I ask, what does it have to do with degree? Magnet status is about retention, not degree, which is why they have so much education in place. I'm not for or against, I just see what seems to be a common misperception out there.

I have taken the time and researched what magnet status is all about and it's not the degree. I'm an ASN who works at a magnet hospital. They also pay the exact same as all the others. In my area anyway. The starting wage for all four hospitals in my area was the exact same, number.

chivon101 · May 28, 2016

It is true that a certain percentage of nurses must have a BSN for a hospital to achieve and maintain Magnet status. I'm not sure of the percentage.

oldpsychnurse · May 28, 2016

You might as well be prepared for mandatory meetings, ridiculous pep rallies (our hospital flew the helicopter over the pedestrian bridge when Magnet committee arrived), not-so-subtle pushes for advanced degrees and certifications, giving up all individuality to wear identically colored scrubs in the colors chosen by you administration, etc etc etc. I've been through it twice now and believe me, being Magnet doesn't really do anything for floor nurses. The only nurses who seem to benefit are the ones who already love to sign up for any and every committee.

malamud69, BSN, RN · May 28, 2016

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mysonsmama · May 28, 2016

Thanks for the responses guys. It's pretty much as I expected. We have pretty excellent education for parents/families and pretty good preceptor program that they just changed to a 1 year nurse residency after I completed my preceptorship.

I definitely do not want mandatory scrubs. And I don't see that going over well. Actually, I know it won't. Every few months the units like to design screen print t-shirts based on their specialty and we have the option to wear those with scrub pants in all sorts of colors (peds).

I'm not excited for this dog and pony show [emoji19]

NOADLS · May 28, 2016

The magnet status attracts money, but repels employees.

quazar · May 28, 2016

I was burned so badly twice with a magnet conversion that now when I see "magnet status," I am automatically suspicious of the hospital and less inclined to work there. It was awful, both times, and hurt nurses, both times.

Guests · May 28, 2016

I've worked for a trauma center hospital that was non-Magnet when I started. After being an floor nurse for three years, they decided to pursue Magnet status.

Shared Governance was brought on scene, "shared decision making", Team Cooperation, how-to-treat-and-respond to your coworker.

It was an interesting journey, to be sure.

Experts were brought in, consultants were consulted, and so on, and so forth.

The final (requisite) step was an accounting of BSN's and ADN's.

If your hospital does not have 80% of their staff with a BSN or higher, things may really start to suck in a big way for the ADN's on staff.

My hospital closely watched the "BSN - meter", and when the tipping point didn't happen by the required target date, they decided that if the ADN's didn't go back to school by "x" time, they would be fired.

We eventually got Magnet status.

A LOT of ADN's went back to school for their MSN's ~ like, A LOT.

Now we have all these MSN's running around, working at the bedside, leaving the bedside, and the staffing shortages are horrific.

Many RN's had limited options until they got their MSN's. Then the sky was the limit for them once they graduated. A fantastic proportion of them left to be all that they could be.

Magnet means that the nurses who are forced to go back to school, can now say goodbye to their current position if they choose.

See, the real thing is this:

In order to achieve Magnet status, you have GOT to have a lot of leadership.

Cue the Managers, and Directors, and Quality, and on, and on, and on.

Then, you have the staff return to school for BSN or higher.

However, there is now very little upward mobility, because the positions have all been filled from outside.

Where do you go with a new MSN, or BSN degree, and a good amount of nursing experience if you aren't allowed to be anywhere but the bedside?

(That's a rhetorical question, of course: You leave!).

TriciaJ, RN · May 29, 2016

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Thanks for my laugh-out-loud post of the day. It's right on. :roflmao:

FloatRN19 · May 29, 2016

I worked at two magnet hospitals as a cna before I graduated. Both are ranked number one and two in staff turnover. One of the floor directors found it to be such a headache that he left the hospital and the system for a floor job.