Executive Summary
A new model comprising global issues in nursing and healthcare is presented by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). This Magnet Recognition Program comprises five major components, such as “transformational leadership, structural empowerment, exemplary professional practice, new knowledge, innovations, and improvements,” and, finally, “empirical outcomes” (“Magnet model,” n.d., para. 7).
All of the components are interrelated and aimed at the improvement of nursing practice and research. The goal of this summary is to analyze exemplary professional practice as a component of the Magnet Recognition Program and provide evidence of its significance for healthcare as a whole and nursing in particular.
Issue and Magnet Model
A Magnet Model comprises transformational leadership, structural empowerment, exemplary professional practice, new knowledge, innovations, and improvements, which are interdependent and interrelated and, functioning together, lead to empirical outcomes (“Magnet model,” n.d.). The issue under consideration in this summary is an exemplary professional practice. In fact, it is a background for a Magnet organization.
Exemplary professional practice as a component of the Magnet Model means that there is a necessity to establish a strong professional practice and aim it to the best achievements. This issue of the Model comprises such forces of Magnetism as professional “models of care, consultation and resources, autonomy, nurses as teachers, and interdisciplinary relationships” (“Magnet model,” n.d., para. 9). These forces determine the directions of nurse practice development.
Key Components
The Problem
The analyzed concept of the Magnet Model addresses a number of problems crucial for contemporary nursing. First of all, it is a choice of a professional model of care, which determines the functioning of a healthcare facility. Secondly, it is a problem of consultation and resources. Frequently, nurses need a consultation with a more experienced colleague but lack it because of inefficient management. Also, resources in some healthcare facilities maybe not satisfactory, which does not allow nurses to perform their functions. Another important problem is that of nurse autonomy.
Sometimes the work of nurses is underestimated, while more freedom and autonomy would enable them to disclose their potential inpatient care. Moreover, the participation of nurses in inpatient or family education is not always applied. Nevertheless, nurses can provide effective patient education because they spend more time with patients and can find a better approach to deliver information considering the patient’s peculiarities. Finally, nurses are sometimes not accepted as equal in interdisciplinary relationships while they are competent participants of the care process and should be involved in interdisciplinary teams.
The Solution
The solution to this issue is suggested in the Magnet Model. It provides “a comprehensive understanding of the role of nursing; the application of that role with patients, families, communities, and the interdisciplinary team; and the application of new knowledge and evidence” (“Magnet model,” n.d., para. 9). Thus, the use of the Model in nursing practice is expected to improve the professional performance of nurses and improve patient outcomes.
The Opportunity
The Magnet Model as a whole and its exemplary practice component, in particular, provide opportunities for the professional development of nurses. Therefore, they can improve as professionals using diverse resources, act autonomously, which increases personal responsibility, and provide patient teaching, thus contributing to the improved patient outcomes. Moreover, nurses receive an opportunity to act as equal members of interdisciplinary teams.
Supportive Evidence
The issues related to the concept of exemplary professional practice have already been investigated. Therefore, research findings prove the necessity of the Magnet model and its effectiveness. For example, the research by Pron (2013) provides evidence of high job satisfaction of nurses who believe they have enough autonomy within a workplace. The study conducted on the basis of nurse-managed health centers revealed the fact that nurses working there consider themselves autonomous and are satisfied with their job. Consequently, autonomy is a significant factor in nursing practice. Another important aspect of nursing is patient education.
The study by Smith and Zsohar (2013) focuses on the fundamental character of patient education provided by nurses because without it, improved long-term outcomes are not probable. The task of a nurse is to assess the patients’ needs to make education more individualized, create a suitable learning environment that can be different for different patients, and select effective strategies of teaching.
Finally, communication among colleagues is an integral part of exemplary professional practice. While healthcare professionals work the majority of the time separately, they need to communicate to make correct decisions for the improvement of a patient’s condition (Lancaster, Kolakowsky-Hayner, Kovacich, & Greer-Williams, 2015). Thus, effective communication among physicians, nurses, and unlicensed assistive personnel is crucial for the patient’s outcomes.
Conclusion
On the whole, the Magnet model comprises important issues related to nursing and healthcare. One of its constituents, exemplary professional practice, is expected to contribute to better patient outcomes. They can be achieved through the proper application of the professional models of care, the involvement of consultations and resources, enough nurse autonomy, the popularization of patient education provided by nurses, and focus on interdisciplinary relationships, which mean effective communication with other healthcare professionals. Therefore, it can be recommended for implementation within healthcare facilities with further investigation of its effectiveness.
References
Lancaster, G., Kolakowsky-Hayner, S., Kovacich, J., & Greer-Williams, N. (2015). Interdisciplinary Communication and Collaboration Among Physicians, Nurses, and Unlicensed Assistive Personnel. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 47(3), 275-284.
Magnet model. (n.d.).
Pron, A.L. (2013). Job satisfaction and perceived autonomy for nurse practitioners working in nurse-managed health centers. Journal of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, 25(4), 213-221.
Smith, J., & Zsohar, H. (2013). Patient-education tips for new nurses. Nursing, 43(10), 1-3.