Magnet(TM) Certification- Cost-effective?

[LadyFree28, BSN, RN]

I have mixed feelings about it all. The idea is a good one -- and nursing needs a mechanism to articulate, measure, and celebrate nursing excellence. That's what Magnet was originally all about.

But of course, the program gets twisted, mis-used, hi-jacked, etc. It's also misunderstood. Nothing "good" is supposed to happen as a result of getting Magnet certified. The certification is for past behavior, not current or future behavior. A lot of hospitals make the big push to get the award, then slack off because they don't intend to renew it. Sad.

Also, we also need to consider the difficult economic times we current live in. We've all lost at least a few things because of the economic situation -- cutbacks of all kinds. Magnet is not to blame for those things -- and it is unfair to expect the Magnet program to fix all of those things. So when people say, "This Magnet hospital is not as nice a place to work as where I worked 5 years ago ..." to be fair, we have to acknowledge that it wasn't the Magnet problem that caused those cutbacks -- and as expensive as the Magnet fees are, they are still just a drop in the bucket of the facility's overall budget. Those expenses are an easy target of budget-cutters and complaining staff, but they really don't have a big impact on the amount of money available for the types of things we would all like to see.

Magnet is an easy target -- something to point our fingers at. But it is not the real cause of our professions problems. In fact, it's just a distraction that prevents us from addressing the real causes of some of our very real problems.

THIS.

A hospital can be good, bad, or indifferent, regardless of status.

The Magnet hospitals that I know of-there's at least 4 out of the 8 that I can recall right now-and have worked in the past and just accepted an offer from another one, I think they all have the same issues as non-Magnet ones; however the ones that are dedicated to having the ability of the nursing and physician involvement seem to be well-run; but then again, the one I worked at had a union (even though RNs are consider leaders and can't join the union), they seemed better run, meaning their issues were as normal as anything else, but I felt that having the union presence in addition to how they run their facility and their commitment to solving issues with nursing at the table made it a far better atmosphere to work in.

Magnet should not be a scapegoat of the issues that nurses face; sometimes "collective activism" has to be an option and to force a seat at the table to make change, IMHO.

[brandy1017, ASN, RN]

THIS.

A hospital can be good, bad, or indifferent, regardless of status.

The Magnet hospitals that I know of-there's at least 4 out of the 8 that I can recall right now-and have worked in the past and just accepted an offer from another one, I think they all have the same issues as non-Magnet ones; however the ones that are dedicated to having the ability of the nursing and physician involvement seem to be well-run; but then again, the one I worked at had a union (even though RNs are consider leaders and can't join the union), they seemed better run, meaning their issues were as normal as anything else, but I felt that having the union presence in addition to how they run their facility and their commitment to solving issues with nursing at the table made it a far better atmosphere to work in.

Magnet should not be a scapegoat of the issues that nurses face; sometimes "collective activism" has to be an option and to force a seat at the table to make change, IMHO.

I thought the only place nurses couldn't be in a union was a nursing home. There are many hospitals throughout the country that have nurses unions.

[gypsyd8]

I thought the only place nurses couldn't be in a union was a nursing home. There are many hospitals throughout the country that have nurses unions.

I have been in a union for seven years at my former facility and will be in a union at my new facility. I don't think I will ever take another job that isn't union. I worked for a non-union facility as a new grad. They just don't pay enough.