Magnet Recognition Program—Areas for Improvement

In 2015 we published an article in Advance for Nurses titled Magnet Status should be a floor, not a ceiling. We wrote the piece in response to the many nurses who had reached out to us expressing concerns that their hospitals were not fully committed to Magnet principles. Below are additional ideas about the Magnet program.

What is Magnet status?

Magnet status is an award given by the American Nurses' Credentialing Center (ANCC), an affiliate of the American Nurses Association, to hospitals that satisfy a set of criteria designed to measure the strength and quality of their nursing. A Magnet hospital is stated to be one where nursing delivers excellent patient outcomes, where nurses have a high level of job satisfaction, and where there is a low staff nurse turnover rate and appropriate grievance resolution. Magnet status is also said to indicate nursing involvement in data collection and decision-making in patient care delivery. The idea is that 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 are supposed to have open communication between nurses and other members of the health care team, and an appropriate personnel mix to attain the best patient outcomes and staff work environment. We encourage all nurses to learn more about the principles of Magnet certification, and to consider appropriate nursing certification programs for their hospitals.

What Magnet is not

We understand that some nurses are enthusiastic about the Magnet program and feel that it promotes the important practices outlined above. However, it is important to be aware that others, notably nursing unions, have been critical of the way the Magnet program has been implemented. Some critics, including the California Nurses Association and the Massachusetts Nurses Association, have argued that the Magnet program is primarily a hospital promotion tool that resembles The Joint Commission in its too-close relations with hospital management. Such critics have also asserted that there is little evidence that nurses at Magnet hospitals are really much better off than nurses elsewhere. Many nurses have written to us to say that once Magnet certification has been awarded at their hospitals, and the hospitals have begun trumpeting the new status, the Magnet coordinators and teams are fired or sidelined, and the progress made through the Magnet application process is dismantled. Magnet should not be a program that gives the impression of nursing excellence without actually achieving it.

What can you do if you have concerns about how Magnet is being implemented?

The first step should be to try to work with the appropriate people at the institution you feel is not living up to the Magnet principles. We understand that the hospital's Magnet leadership may not be receptive, or that you may fear negative consequences, but it should be considered first. Some people actually do believe in what they're doing.

If that does not work, contact the Magnet program directly. Unfortunately, the ANCC's Magnet webpages could be more receptive to those who wish to provide feedback or express concerns. The contact us page (as of 7/2019) appears to consist of a customer service email for the American Nurses Association. But after doing more research, we believe we have found contact information for the Magnet leadership. So if you have worked at a Magnet hospital that you believe has fallen short of Magnet principles, we urge you to report your experiences to these current leaders of the Magnet Recognition Program: Loressa Cole, RN, DNP, MBA, Vice President, Magnet Recognition Program and Pathway to Excellence;

Rebecca Graystone, RN, MS, MBA, Vice President, Magnet Recognition Program and Pathway to Excellence;

Maureen Lal, RN, MSN, Director, Magnet Recognition Program;

Christine Curto, RN, BSN, MS, Senior Manager, Magnet Appraisers and Program Support.

To the extent the Magnet program is not effectively promoting its important nurse empowerment goals, we would like to see it strengthened. In general, we hope that all nurses will work for strong, effective nursing credentialing programs to address the nursing crisis and improve patient care. Good luck!

Research comparing Magnet to non-Magnet hospitals. Mostly better, but not always.