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What is a Magnet Hospital?

Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen

A Magnet hospital is a healthcare facility that is identified as having exceptional nursing standards as well as a good work environment for nurses. Hospitals and other facilities apply for this status through the The American Nurses Credentialing Center's (ANCC) Magnet Recognition Program® (MRP). If they meet criteria in five areas and pass a site visit they're awarded the designation for four years. Though this is only one way of measuring a hospital's quality, Magnet facilities do tend to place highly in national and international rankings. There are a couple hundred such facilities in the US and a few in other countries.

Five Model Components

High quality nurses work in magnet hospitals.
High quality nurses work in magnet hospitals.

Each Magnet hospital has to meet specific standards in five areas called the Model Components. Within these areas, there are sub-categories called the 14 Forces of Magnetism. Practically speaking, these standards are intended to make facilities with a friendly, educated, relatively autonomous nursing force that provides very high standards of care. Magnet hospitals are also meant to be good places for nurses to work, where they're encouraged to communicate with the rest of the healthcare team, take part in decisions about patient care, and conduct research on new nursing methods. They ideally have a very low turnover of nurses and work with the community by hosting nursing or medical students.

The Model Components with their corresponding Forces of Magnetism are:

  • Transformational Leadership:
    • quality of nursing leadership
    • management style
  • Structural Empowerment:
    • organizational structure
    • personnel policies and programs
    • community and healthcare organization
    • image of nursing
    • professional development
  • Exemplary Professional Practice:
    • professional models of care
    • consultation and resources
    • autonomy
    • nurses as teachers
    • interdisciplinary relationships
  • New Knowledge, Innovation, and Improvements:
    • quality improvement
  • Empirical Quality Results:
    • quality of care

Criticisms

A magnet hospital provides a high standard of care.
A magnet hospital provides a high standard of care.

Some studies show that a Magnet hospital is more likely to provide better patient care and a better work environment for nurses than most others, but others show that there's not actually that much difference between a Magnet hospital and other highly ranked hospitals. The MRP has also been criticized as being overly expensive, as each application and redesignation application costs tens of thousands of US Dollars (USD). Some nurses say that Magnet recognition is primarily a marketing technique at their hospitals, and that their workplace only really implements the required standards shortly before and after site visits. Magnet facilities do, however, tend to pay nurses more than other facilities, and Magnet status is generally viewed positively in the medical community.

Eligibility

Magnet recognition is good for four years.
Magnet recognition is good for four years.

Healthcare facilities can apply for Magnet status as either an organization or a system. Organizations include hospitals, rehabilitation centers, hospices, clinics, and similar facilities. Systems include two or more organizations; for instance, a system might include three hospitals that all share a governing board, or a hospital with an associated rehabilitation clinic. Both organizations and systems must fulfill specific criteria before they can apply.

The management style of a magnet hospital often allows administration and doctors to work closely for the highest-quality patient care possible.
The management style of a magnet hospital often allows administration and doctors to work closely for the highest-quality patient care possible.

Eligibility requirements for both organizations and systems are laid out in Nursing Administration: Scope and Standards of Practice, a publication of the American Nurses Association (ANA), the parent organization of the ANCC. Some of the requirements include having a system in place where nurses can confidentially give feedback without fear of reprisal, complying with all national laws, and having at least a certain ratio of nurses to patients. The MPR also requires applicants to make specific positions and fill them with people who meet certain requirements. For instance, a facility has to have a Chief Nursing Officer (CNO), who is ultimately responsible for all the nursing in the facility. He or she must have at least a master's degree in any subject as well as a bachelor's or doctoral degree specifically in nursing.

Application Process

Eligible facilities submit an online application with a non-refundable fee and paperwork demonstrating their eligibility. Once the application is accepted, the MRP sends a team to conduct a site visit. During the visit, the team tours the facility to see if it complies with the five Model Components and talk to the nurses there. After the visit, the appraisers submit a confidential report to the Commission on Magnet Recognition, which then decides whether to give the facility the status or not.

Facilities that are awarded Magnet status must submit monitoring data after two years. If the data shows that they aren't continuously meeting Magnet standards, they can lose the designation. Those that lose their designation can apply again, but they may have to wait for a certain period of time, depending on why they lost it. All facilities, regardless of quality, must apply for redesignation every four years.

Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen

Tricia has a Literature degree from Sonoma State University and has been a frequent TheHealthBoard contributor for many years. She is especially passionate about reading and writing, although her other interests include medicine, art, film, history, politics, ethics, and religion. Tricia lives in Northern California and is currently working on her first novel.

Learn more...
Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen

Tricia has a Literature degree from Sonoma State University and has been a frequent TheHealthBoard contributor for many years. She is especially passionate about reading and writing, although her other interests include medicine, art, film, history, politics, ethics, and religion. Tricia lives in Northern California and is currently working on her first novel.

Learn more...

Discussion Comments

anon281441

My Southern California hospital has been pushing for us to become a magnet hospital. I've been here for 15 years and I can tell you there are many nurses here I would *not* want to take care of me. Their turnover is about 36-39%.

anon162158

My co-worker's brother recently died from complications of alcohol abuse in a "magnet hospital". He said the care was terrible and he and his family were treated very poorly. He and I are both RN's so we also see both sides.

anon144997

Is the Magnet status responsible for hospitals not hiring or letting go LPN's?

anon138456

I was just in a Magnet hospital, Bilings Clinic in Billings, Mt. It was the best nursing care, cheerful staff, clean, teamwork. I am a nurse and so I see both sides. Wonderful care. They truly deserve this award.

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    • High quality nurses work in magnet hospitals.
      By: spotmatikphoto
      High quality nurses work in magnet hospitals.
    • A magnet hospital provides a high standard of care.
      By: fivepointsix
      A magnet hospital provides a high standard of care.
    • Magnet recognition is good for four years.
      By: Sam Spiro
      Magnet recognition is good for four years.
    • The management style of a magnet hospital often allows administration and doctors to work closely for the highest-quality patient care possible.
      By: endostock
      The management style of a magnet hospital often allows administration and doctors to work closely for the highest-quality patient care possible.