Highlighting Professional Practice
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About Magnet
In 1994, the University of Washington Medical Center became the first ANCC Magnet-designated organization, and is certified by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. In 2022, UWMC received a record-breaking 7th Magnet designation.
Research demonstrates that Magnet recognition provides specific benefits to health care organizations and their communities, such as:
- Higher patient satisfaction with nurse communication, availability of help and receipt of discharge information.
- Lower risk of 30-day mortality and lower failure to rescue rates.
- Higher job satisfaction among nurses.
- Lower nurse reports of intentions to leave their positions
Magnet recognition is the gold standard for nursing excellence and is a factor when the public judges health care organizations. U.S. News & World Report’s annual showcase of “America’s Best Hospitals” includes Magnet recognition in its ranking criteria for quality of inpatient care.
To achieve the Magnet designation, a hospital must demonstrate:
- Transformational leadership (TL)
- Structural empowerment (SE)
- Exemplary professional practice (EP)
- New knowledge, innovation, and improvements (NK)
- Empirical quality results (EO)
These qualities are shown through the use of Magnet exemplars.
Select UWMC Magnet 7 Exemplars
TL2EO: Example of improved patient outcome associated with a goal in the nursing strategic plan
Transformational leaders are "those who stimulate and inspire followers to both achieve extraordinary outcomes and, in the process, develop their own leadership capacity."
"Transformational leaders do more with colleagues and followers than set up simple exchanges or agreements
-they behave in ways to achieve superior results by employing one or more of the four core components of transformational leadership": idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration
SE7EO: Provide an example of an improved patient outcome associated with nurse’s or nurses’ participation in a professional development activity
Structural Empowerment: Magnet structural environments are generally flat, flexible, and decentralized. Nurses throughout the organization are involved in shared-governance, decision-making structures and processes that establish standards of practice and address opportunities for improvement.
NK6: Provide two examples, with supporting evidence, of an improved outcome in a care setting associated with a clinical nurse(s) involvement in the adoption of technology Outcome data must be submitted in the form of a graph with a data table.
New Knowledge, Innovation & Improvement: Magnet-recognized organizations conscientiously integrate evidence-based practice and research into clinical and operational processes. Nurses are educated about evidence-based practice and research, enabling them to appropriately explore the safest and best practices for their patients and practice environment and to generate new knowledge. Published research is systematically evaluated and used. Nurses serve on the board that reviews proposals for research, and knowledge gained through research is disseminated to the community of nurses.