It started in the 1980s.

A group of nursing leaders noted that some hospitals seemed particularly adept at recruiting and retaining nursing staff.

The American Academy of Nurses began to study 41 of these hospitals, using the term “Magnet” because of the attraction they seemed to have in the nursing community.

By 1993, the American Nurses Credentialing Center had the Magnet Recognition program up and running.

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Now it’s 2007 and hot off the press this month in the Journal of Nursing Administration is a study of how Magnet status affects the views of nurses toward their work environments and nursing in general.

The entire article is cited below, but the basic details are:

• 3500 randomly sampled RNs from across the country received surveys.
• 3392 surveys were eligible
• 1783 surveys returned - a 53% response rate
• 735 nurses who worked in hospitals gave their Magnet status (yes, no or in process)

The responses were a bit surprising!

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Nurses based in Magnet status hospitals reported being happy in their current jobs and would promote nursing as a career. The nurses received benefits such as free CEUs, being assigned a mentor and reported better relationships with their nursing colleagues.

Non-Magnet hospital nurses were more likely to leave their current position within the next three years and for the most part did not feel that quality patient care was a priority in their facilities. These hospitals were also more likely to provide sign-on bonuses as an incentive to attract nurses.

Okay, so maybe that is not too surprising.

What I found interesting were the responses from nurses whose hospitals were “In-process” of attaining Magnet status. While both Magnet status and “In-process” nurses reported a positive work environment and a feeling that quality patient care was a priority, those nurses who were in facilitites working toward Magnet status were more likely to:

• Rate their facilities higher in advancement opportunities
• Report an increased influence in the decision making process
• Feel they received a high recognition of a job well done
• Report better nurse/manager relations

The authors concluded that just the application and attainment of some of the attributes of Magnet status hospital benefitted the nursing staff and their patients. So, while every hospital may not be able to attain the actual status of being a “Magnet facility”, they can improve their recruitment and retention of RNs by adopting the attributes that are possible.

In conclusion, the authors note that attaining Magnet status is only the beginning; that the hospital can’t rest on its laurels once the designation is earned.

It’s what they do with the Magnet Recognition that counts.

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Ulrich, B. T., Buerhaus, P. I., Donelan, K., Norman, L., & Dittus, R. (2007). Magnet status and registered nurse views of the work environment and nursing as a career. Jounal of Nursing Administration, 37(5), May 2007, 212-220.

Hawke, M. (2003, November 1). The meaning of magnet: magnet status attracts mettle. Nursing Spectrum. Retrieved May 19, 2007, from http://community.nursingspectrum.com/MagazineArticles/article.cfm?AID=10821