Magnet Status and Healthcare Changes
Hollie Kennedy
Walden University
NURS 3001, Section 10, Issues and Trends in Nursing
November 8, 2014 Magnet Status and Healthcare Changes
Magnet status has become the gold standard for healthcare organizations in the past few years. Policy changes, goal setting, meeting those goals and documenting all this to achieve magnet status. Achieving Magnet status is a rigorous, long, and costly process. Magnet status was designed to make healthcare organizations safer, reduce infection, mortality, hospital acquired UTI, and fall rates. Improving employee satisfaction and retain nurses was another reason. Only a handful of healthcare organizations nationwide has received magnet status. Once received it has to be maintained every four years. The purpose of this paper is to discover how magnet status drives healthcare changes.
History of Magnet Status
The nursing shortage of the 1980s had researchers curious how some hospitals were able to retain nurses. High nurse turnover and vacancy rates were affecting most hospitals. Researchers looked at the hospitals that were retaining nurses and what they were doing right. Magnet status was created in 1983 after investigating hospitals that retained nurses; it was determined that these hospitals had quality patient, resident, and client care.
Magnet organizations have a history of positive nurse and work satisfaction linked to increased autonomy in practice, structural empowerment, participation in decision-making opportunities, and a positive work environment (Laschinger, Fingan, Shamian, & Wilk, 2004). Magnet organizations recognize and reward their nurses for competence. Nurses are given more autonomy and decision-making about patient care. Professional growth through higher education and certificates is rewarded. Interdisciplinary collaboration between leadership and