Example Of Essay On Magnet Status

Abstract

An initiative by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), Magnet is a recognition program that identifies healthcare societies that show outstanding patient care. Further, the program seeks to recognize important inventions in the nursing profession and practice. Additionally, it is believed to be the leading source of successful nursing practice and strategies worldwide. For that reason, consumers and patients depend on magnet’s decision to know the healthcare with the high credited nursing for patient care. Thus, the rush, which is driven by desire for healthcare organization in seeking recognition by Magnet.
The history of magnet status dates back to 1983 when the American academic of nursing which is a nursing practice in hospital task force conducted a study. The study’s aim was to identify working environments that attract qualified nurses and retain them. These nurses had to be exceptional in providing quality care to patients. Among 163 institutions assessed, 41 were recorded as Magnet hospital because of their ability to attract and capture nurses. Further, in 1990, ANCC became a subsidiary nonprofit organization that ANA uses to offer credentialing programs and services. In the same year, following the study conducted by AAN, the board of directors approved magnet hospitals recognition proposal for certifying excellence in nursing services. In 1994, ANCC certified the University of Washington Medical Centre, Seattle, WA as the first magnet recognized institution. Further, in 1997, the criteria for qualification for certification were revised using ANA’s scope and standards for Nurse Administrators. The program further expanded and included long-term care facilities under its sleeve. Later on in 2000, it incorporated healthcare organizations outside the U.S.
An initiative by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), Magnet is a recognition program that identifies healthcare societies that show outstanding patient care. Further, the program seeks to recognize important inventions in the nursing profession and practice. The program is believed to be the leading source of successful nursing practice and strategies worldwide. Additionally, Consumers and patients depend on magnet’s decision to know the healthcare with the high credited nursing for patient care (ANCC, 2014).

Credentialing

According to Hickey et al. (2014), credentialing is a term used that refers to the establishment of necessities and evaluation of people, organizations, and specific requirements so that a desired status is achieved. Consequently, within the healthcare sector, credentialing involves the certification of nurses and organizations that provide healthcare services, as well as institutions providing nursing education. Their argument is that it is difficult to measure the effects of credentialing in the assumptions that it leads to professionalism (Hickey et al., 2014).

Purpose of credentialing

Hickey and the team believed that the country concentrated on increasing the affordability of care, created insurance reforms, and improved quality of the efforts to improve the care (2014). Further, their assumption was that the mannerism of employment to personnel in the field was to change as the reforms continued. Additionally, they banked their hopes on the fact that the role of the standard translation to practicality means that credentialing created the readiness and capabilities that brought about quality care (Sables-Baus and Zuk, 2012). As a result, individuals and originations credited assure people that these groups are meeting the given standards of health care. Further, they assure the simple facts such as their care is trusted and is of quality standards. Additionally, certification allows the public to define competent Practitioners from those who are not (Sables-Baus and Zuk, 2012). In support of their argument, they indicated that licensing, certifying, and accrediting organizations and individuals mean that they have demonstrated mastery of skills and competency in their work. The statement can only be verified by completion of their respective degree program and having passed their board examinations (Kramer, Maguire & Brewer, 2011).
The reasons as to why credentialing has a positive effect on the quality of care given to individuals and thus good outcomes is that, the practice creates the belief for excellent practice. Credited individuals and those expecting to be certified are compelled to have practice and deliver quality outcomes in order to attain recognition (Hickey et al., 2014). Secondly, credentialing will always standardize the practices granted to patients in the professional field. Therefore, the variation in service delivery is minimized. As a result, the research champions a single credentialing body that serves the public’s interest. Lastly, certification serves as a tool to evaluate practice competency. Further, Hickey et al., proposed a model that handles both the credentials and the standards in the desire to affect and create a positive outcome in health care (Hickey et al., 2014).

Components that Encompass the Magnet Status Model

Transformational Leadership
The model dictates that all leaders in the healthcare that have Magnet-recognition show advocacy, and should support staff and patients thus transform beliefs, behavior, and values. Further, their positioning in the organizational structure should be in a way that they can influence the executive stakeholders including the board of directors. It is recommended that their values, mission, vision, and strategies be aligned with organizations priorities thus aiming at improving the performance of nurses everywhere (ANCC, 2014). Additionally, employment of mechanism necessary for innovation should be in place. For that reason, the voices of nurses should be heard, input valued and out rightly practiced in regards to quality care deliverance.

Structural Empowerment

Here, the idea is that nurses are to establish the right standards of practice, share decision making in the magnet-recognized institutions. The nurse leaders are also required to serve the interests patients and other nurses by participating in decision-making bodies that aim at addressing issues pertaining to making better the patient care. Further, the decision reached should focus on efficiency, safety, and effectiveness of organizational operation (ANCC, 2014).
Magnet programs also champion the idea that the flow of information and decision-making is multidirectional among the nurses that are at different levels. For example, at the bedside, leadership, chief nurse officers, and the inter-professional teams. Further, magnet states that the responsibility of nurse leaders, as well as the nurses themselves, is to improve patient outcomes and propagate advancement in the nursing field (ANCC, 2014).

Exemplary professional practice

The component is evident when effectiveness and efficiency are present in care service, quality patient outcomes, and inter-professional collaboration. The nurses under magnet-recognized institutions have the obligation to team up with the necessary partners to influence positive quality patient results. The foundation of extemporal professional practice is based on safety culture, quality improvement, and monitoring. For that reasons, partnerships between stakeholders should ensure care is coordinated, monitored, and comprehensive for effective quality improvement model (ANCC, 2014).

New knowledge, innovations, and improvement

In this component, it is clear that magnet recognized institutions should integrate practices and research into their operational processes. Affiliated nurses are Educated on researchers and new practices thus enabling them work appropriately by exploring the best and safest practice for their clients. Additionally, nurses change the environment to best suit their situation by using information gained thus increase the chances of generating new knowledge.
Innovations in nursing are the hallmark of every organization with magnet-recognition. Out rightly, new discoveries in the in achieving quality efficient and effective care is the ground used to measure transformational leadership, exemplary professional practice in nursing (ANCC, 2014).

Empirical outcomes

The measurement of quality results that relate to nursing and the clinical leadership in magnet recognition institutions is imperative. Results are categorized in issues related to nursing, patient, workforce, organizational outcomes. The outcome represents report cards of a magnet-recognition organization, which is the simplest way of demonstrating excellence in the nursing field (ANCC, 2014).

Journey to Magnet status

Analyze gaps
When conducting this stage, an organization needs to compare the current performance with elements of every evidence given. After that, the organization then develops an action plan that aids them to attain higher performance levels (Journey n.d).

Access assistance

The stage is only done when the application for the recognition has been accepted. The reason being that a senior program analyst is allocated the organization during the application period. The individual assigned to the institution may be called to verify issues by the program director (Journey, n.d).

Transforming culture

The staff should be educated about magnet model thus make it easy to show evidence of how it is used at the facility. Additionally, infrastructure should be built in support of the hospitals facility. Further, a critical examination of the organizational culture that might arise from these changes is required. The organization needs to acknowledge achievement of its workers and reward them thus encourage improvements (Journey, n.d).

Conclusion

Implementation of magnet status
Interim monitoring guidelines
It is important for magnet recognition program to create an evidence-based nursing assessment tool. However, it is proving to be challenging to make one. Therefore, they have come up with certain rules and procedures that hospitals use for them to be certified and therefore recognized by the program. In order for an organization to maintain Magnet recognition, it has to be compliant with the different components and policies of ANCC’s Magnet Recognition program. The certification is given for a period of 4 years (Organizational, n.d).
Once the certificate is acquired, the organization moves to the monitoring and evaluation phase. The monitoring and evaluation state requires an annual submission of the demographic data collection, report, interim monitoring report and random phone calls from analysts in the magnet recognition program.

Importance of magnet status

Why is magnate status important today?
The importance of magnet status to the public is that magnet hospitals provide quality care. For that reason, it is assumed that at a magnet satisfied facility, a patient is likely to stay in the hospital for a shorter time. Additionally, there is satisfaction guarantee because few mortality rates are recorded (Organizational, n.d).

What effect will magnate status have on facilities of today?

Hospitals that receive the recognition are termed as ‘magnet hospitals’. The advantages that come with the recognition or the certification of the hospitals make it the highest honor possible for healthcare institutions. The purpose of the Magnet is to recognize health care institutions that give excellent nursing, environments that aid professional nursing practices and those that support nursing growth and development (Organizational, n.d).
There are several advantages for any institutions to be certified by Magnet program. These reasons include; attracting and retaining excellent nurses in the field, improving care, safety’ and satisfaction. Additionally, certification creates a partnership culture; improved nursing standards, and practices; and grow business and financial success (Organizational, n.d).

References

ANCC Magnet Recognition Program®. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.nursecredentialing.org/magnet.aspx
Grant, B., Colello, S., Riehle, M., & Dende, D. (n.d.). An evaluation of the nursing practice environment and successful change management using the new generation Magnet Model. Journal of Nursing Management, 326-331.
Hickey, J., Unruh, L., Newhouse, R., Koithan, M., Johantgen, M., Hughes, R., Lundmark, V. (n.d.). Credentialing: The Need for a National Research Agenda. Nursing Outlook.
Journey to Magnet Excellence®. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.nursecredentialing.org/MagnetJourney.aspx
Kramer, M., Maguire, P., & Brewer, B. (n.d.). Clinical nurses in Magnet hospitals confirm productive, healthy unit work environments. Journal of Nursing Management, 5-17. Retrieved from http://www.nursecredentialing.org/Magnet/Magnet-InterimMonitoring
Organization Eligibility Requirements. (n.d.). Retrieved February 10, 2015, from http://www.nursecredentialing.org/Journey-OrgEligibilityRequirements.aspx
Sables-Baus, S., & Zuk, J. (n.d.). An Exemplar for Evidence-Based Nursing Practice Using the Magnet® Model as the Framework for Change: Oral Feeding Practice in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Journal of Pediatric Nursing, 577-582.
Walker, K., Middleton, S., Rolley, J., & Duff, J. (n.d.). Nurses report a healthy culture: Results of the Practice Environment Scale (Australia) in an Australian hospital seeking Magnet recognition. International Journal of Nursing Practice, 616-623.