Since its inception in the early 1990s, the American Nurses Credentialing Center's (ANCC's) Magnet Recognition Program(R) has raised the bar for nursing and healthcare excellence globally. After the chaos and challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, and amid the economic and workforce pressures bearing down on healthcare organizations today, some say the credential has decreased relevance.
The data prove otherwise. In fact, Magnet(R) is more popular and desirable than ever. Not only are applications at an all-time high, but the value of ANCC Magnet Recognition(R), and its positive effect on safety, quality, mortality, patient experience, nurse empowerment, satisfaction, and retention continue to rise around the world.
For chief nursing officers (CNOs) in particular, the Magnet framework offers a potent tool to succeed in this emerging landscape. The Magnet standards guide the creation of an environment where nurses feel engaged, empowered, and invested. The Magnet framework is steeped in the principles of transformational leadership, strong interprofessional teams, shared governance, autonomous practice, transparency, and trust, which position healthcare organizations to meet challenges and drive success. The Magnet standards can provide a roadmap for the CNO in developing strategy and tactics to advance nursing in all areas. Above all, the program leads to workforce and patient outcomes that benefit the entire enterprise.
The Enduring Value of Magnet
Specifically, how does Magnet designation bring value? How, in this revenue-strapped era, do healthcare organizations achieve a positive return on investment?
First, organizations that pursue Magnet recognition conserve resources by focusing on nursing-sensitive indicators and specific patient outcomes that are influenced by nursing care and valued by many 3rd-party payers including the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.1 For example, Magnet hospitals have fewer pressure injuries, hospital-associated infections, and patient falls.2,3 Hospitals that implement the Magnet model components, based on Donabedian's4 structure-process-outcome model, attract patients, both new and returning for various reasons including the image of nursing in the community and the level of care quality provided by nursing professionals in the organization. Third, and perhaps most relevant in today's climate, the Magnet environment attracts and retains nurses. Nurse turnover has a negative impact on team morale, institutional wisdom, and the bottom line. Turnover costs money not only because of the recruitment of new team members, but there is the added cost of orientation and training. Magnet creates a positive work environment that supports clinical excellence, higher nurse job satisfaction, and nurse retention.
Although the original Magnet study was completed in the 1980s,3 its relevance to today's challenging environment is stronger than ever. Nursing turnover and the flight from our profession is a worsening crisis. Magnet's focus on transforming the culture through leadership, resulting in effective and efficient care services and high-quality patient outcomes, benefits the entire organization, because nursing does not exist in a vacuum.
An Increase in Applications
As noted previously, applications for Magnet designation and redesignation are at a historical high. Applications increased by 19% from 2021 to 2022-the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. By spring 2023, the program had experienced a 37% increase in initial applications over 2022 levels. The number of Magnet-designated hospitals increased by 5% from 2021 to 2022 and now comprise 10% of hospitals in the United States.
The ANCC and the Magnet Commission have not been sitting idly. The program has introduced initiatives, such as exemplars, the Magnet Prize, Magnet Nurse of the Year, and, most recently, Magnet Recognition with Distinction, unveiled at the 2022 National Magnet Conference(TM). The Magnet Manual5 is continuously updated to ensure ongoing relevance with feedback from CNOs, Magnet project directors, and others.
With the global challenges facing nursing and healthcare, Magnet is more relevant than ever before. The credential stands as the premier international acknowledgment of nursing excellence in healthcare organizations around the world. Chief nursing officers can use the Magnet standards5 as a roadmap for strategy and tactics as they lead toward the future. Magnet will continue to enrich the practice environment, provide the foundation to address current challenges, and promote outstanding nurse and patient outcomes.
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