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Leading hospital trumpets Magnet status
February 2004 -- Johns Hopkins Hospital has placed an advertisement on at least one large billboard on I-83, a major highway entering Baltimore, congratulating its nursing staff on their achievement of Magnet hospital status.
On its face the billboard simply commends the nursing staff, and it may be intended primarily to reinforce staff morale. It could also be seen as a way of recruiting new nurses to the hospital, or even marketing the hospital to potential patients, though it's not clear how aware the public is of what Magnet status means. In any case, the Center salutes Hopkins for acknowledging the importance of quality nursing care in this high-impact medium.
FAQ: What is Magnet status?
Magnet status is an award given by the American Nurses’ Credentialing Center to hospitals that satisfy a demanding set of criteria measuring the strength and quality of their nursing. Specifically, a Magnet hospital is one where nursing delivers excellent patient outcomes, where nurses have a high level of job satisfaction, low staff nurse turnover rate and appropriate grievance resolution. There is nursing involvement in data collection and decision-making in patient care delivery. Magnet nursing leaders value staff nurses, involve them in shaping research-based nursing practice, and encourage and reward them for advancing in nursing practice. Magnet hospitals have open communication between nurses and members of the health care team, and have an appropriate personnel mix to attain the highest patient outcomes and optimal staff work environment.
Learn more about Magnet status: eligibility for it, the benefits of it, hospitals that have achieved it, and hospitals that are seeking it on which the ANCC is seeking public comment. Take the ANCC's self-assessment test (32K pdf file) to see if your facility is ready for it.
The Center hopes that all U.S. nurses are working to achieve this important designation to strengthen the nursing profession in their hospitals. We also encourage nurses in every nation to consider the principles of Magnet certification and appropriate nursing certification programs for their hospitals.
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