Introduction
What I learned from the recent seminar is that becoming a Magnet status hospital is a challenging experience, but it has numerous benefits both for the hospitals and their patients. However, it requires a lot of hard work and imposes significant requirements on hospitals, nurses, and their qualifications.
The essence of the Magnet status
What should be known about Magnet status is that to become a member of the club, a hospital should be accredited by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (Is Magnet status worth the cost? 2014). During the seminar, I have found that Magnet status is the recognition of nursing excellence and patient care of perfect quality. It stands for the highest standard for providing healthcare services, going above and beyond. It should be noted that many hospitals reach the standards developed by the Accountable Care Organization (ACO), but they are just a bare minimum that is enough to keep the patients safe and alive but is not enough to become the best in the industry. The general requirements are hiring a particular percentage of nurses having a BSN degree and a particular level of patient care. The BSN degree implies that the nurses have enough knowledge to treat the patients qualitatively. As of the level of patient care, it means reaching the minimum levels of readmissions. It concerns the readmissions with the same symptoms. In addition to it, Magnet status requires shared governance.
Leading nurses to shared governance
Shared governance, in its simplest form, stands for a shared decision-making mechanism. It is a management model that helps achieve the highest level of performance of the functioning healthcare facility, improve safety and quality of patient care, increase the level of satisfaction of employees and patients (Swihart 2011). What I found from the seminar is that it is always necessary to hear the voice of every employee. However, what is even more significant is to remain a leader and make a decision that will fall within the standards and the goals of the hospital. It should be noted that it requires perfect management and leadership skills because it is necessary to make people understand that the interests of the hospital are on the first flight. It was also stressed that to make shared governance effective and lead the nurses to become a piece of the model, it is significant to make the practice fun so that everyone would be willing to become a part of the conversation and reaching a decision, especially when brainstorm method is used. Second, it is crucial to research to find out what solutions were reached in similar situations.
The importance of Magnet status in nursing and healthcare
So, the general conclusion of the seminar is that Magnet status and shared governance are of extreme importance for nursing and healthcare. Some benefits for the hospitals include return on investment, improved clinical outcomes, a higher level of patient satisfaction, better nurse and patient safety, etc. (Is Magnet status worth the cost? 2014). Of course, becoming a Magnet status hospital requires a lot of effort from nurses and investments from hospitals, but I would agree with the statement that it is worth the cost. In the beginning, it looks like an endless string of exams, applying for getting the needed certifications, and a rush for reaching the set standards, but the outcomes are something more than those mentioned above, especially the material consequences. What you get from earning a BSN degree is new knowledge and experience, new skills in communication and leadership, and becoming a better person as the whole. I believe it is the most valuable result of belonging to a Magnet status hospital.
References
Is Magnet status worth the cost? (2014). Web.
Swihart, D. (2011). Shared governance: A practical approach to reshaping professional nursing practice. (2nd ed.). Danvers, MA: HCPro, Inc.