Authors

  1. Sigur, Sharina A. DNP, RN, MEDSURG-BC, NEA-BC, NPD-BC
  2. Walters-Threat, Lois DNP, MS, RN-BC

Abstract

The well-being of "America's Most Trusted Profession" is imperative during these tumultuous times. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, nurses have persistently cared for others, sometimes at the cost of their own well-being. The 2023 Magnet(R) Application Manual has introduced well-being into its application requirements to ensure healthcare organizations and nurse leaders incorporate structures and processes to support nurses' well-being.

 

Article Content

Nurses' well-being fortifies patient-clinician relationships, supports high-performing interprofessional collaborative teams, and enhances and sustains engagement and satisfaction of the RN workforce.1,2 The delivery of safe, evidence-based, patient-centered care, resulting in optimal outcomes, demands a clinical workforce performing at the highest level; thus, the 2023 Magnet(R) Application Manual embraces the importance of well-being for healthcare workers, patients, and communities.3,4

 

The Commission on Magnet Recognition and nursing experts recognize the need to further emphasize well-being, which is defined as "a function of being satisfied with one's job, finding meaning in one's work, feeling engaged while at work, having a high-quality working life, and finding professional fulfillment in one's work."3,4 The 2023 Magnet(R) Application Manual's Organization Overview (OO) items establish foundational support of nurses' well-being within Magnet-designated organizations. The intention is that the well-being of healthcare workers should be embedded within all settings of a healthcare organization. Building on the 2019 Magnet(R) Application Manual,5 OO7 of the 2023 manual requires organizations to present policies or equivalent evidence of standardized practices depicting the workplace advocacy of caregiver well-being, diversity, equity, and inclusion and zero tolerance for bullying, incivility, and workplace violence for all staff. These required items align with The Future of Nursing 2020-2030: Charting a Path to Achieve Health Equity,6 which articulates that the essence of nursing practice involves constant, essential, social interactions with others, which may be a source of stress, negatively impacting nurse well-being by way of bullying, incivility, workplace violence, and racism and discrimination.

 

In addition to the 2023 manual's foundational OO item to support nurses' well-being are 2 new source of evidence (SOE) examples addressing well-being. The intent is that Magnet-designated organizations' nurse leaders advocate for and acquire resources to support nurses' well-being through strategic planning, nursing leadership participation, and involvement of nurses that practice and influence practice across the organization.4 The expectation of these SOEs is to narratively describe and provide evidence of the methods and/or initiatives for well-being in Magnet-designated organizations. The transformational leadership (TL) component SOEs, TL5a and TL5b, require an example that describes and demonstrates the chief nursing officer's (ie, TL5a) and nurse's (ie, TL5b) advocacy for and acquisition of resources specific to nurses' well-being at the organizational (TL5a) and the unit or department/division (TL5b) level. For both examples, at least 1 of the following 5 elements must be incorporated: a) Work-Life Balance; b) Health and Safety; c) Employee Growth and Development; d) Employee Recognition; and e) Employee Involvement.4

 

The 2023 Magnet(R) Application Manual builds upon the foundation set by the original Magnet study, along with the Magnet Recognition Program's(R) mission and vision, acknowledging the importance of nurses' well-being. The addition of well-being in the 2023 manual is both timely and necessary to ensure the prioritization of nurses' health and safety, directly impacting patient care and transforming healthcare.

 

References

 

1. American Nurses Association. Code of Ethics for Nurses With Interpretive Statements. Silver Spring, MD: American Nurses Association; 2015. https://www.nursingworld.org/coe-view-only. Accessed June 28, 2022. [Context Link]

 

2. American Nurses Association. American Nurses Association Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice. 4th ed. Silver Spring, MD: American Nurses Association; 2021. [Context Link]

 

3. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM). Taking Action Against Clinician Burnout: A Systems Approach to Professional Well-being. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press; 2019. https://doi.org/10.17226/25521. [Context Link]

 

4. American Nurses Credentialing Center. 2023 Magnet(R) Application Manual. Silver Spring, MD: American Nurses Credentialing Center; 2021. [Context Link]

 

5. American Nurses Credentialing Center. 2019 Magnet(R) Application Manual. Silver Spring, MD: American Nurses Credentialing Center; 2017. [Context Link]

 

6. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The Future of Nursing 2020-2030: Charting a Path to Achieve Health Equity. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press; 2021. https://doi.org/10.17226/25982. Accessed June 6, 2022. [Context Link]