INR Features

On November 15, 2004, Mercy Medical Center was formally designated as a Magnet Hospital, becoming the 134th in the United States and the 2nd Magnet Hospital in Iowa. This is the highest level of recognition that the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) can accord to healthcare organizations that provide the services of registered professional nurses. For Mercy nurses, the recognition was the culmination of five years of work to create a thriving practice environment for nurses, where leadership is pervasive, and where patient care is central. According to the Vice President of Patient Care Services/Chief Nursing Officer at Mercy, Kay Takes, "We are a Magnet Hospital because we decided 5 years ago to become like one. It is not accidental, but rather thousands of very deliberate acts by the entire Mercy team."

It is not surprising that Mercy, like many organizations, has used the term "journey" to describe the Magnet Recognition process. For nurses at Mercy and for hundreds of other nurses across the country, the "14 Forces of Magnetism" have elevated our nursing practice, giving nursing a new maturity, purpose, and vision. For us, the journey was never about receiving the award, but about using the Magnet standards to create a new paradigm: one that focuses on continuous transformation of professional nursing practice in order to significantly improve the quality and effectiveness of our patient care.

The idea behind this transformation originated from research that was conducted in the early 1980s by the American Academy of Nursing. The Academy deployed a task force to study how cultures in certain organizations correlated with their ability to maintain a competent nurse workforce amidst a serious nursing shortage. The term "magnet" was given to 41 hospitals identified by the academy for their ability to "attract and retain a staff of well-qualified nurses and was therefore consistently able to provide quality care" (McClure, Poulin, Sovie & Wandelt 1983, p.2). McClure et al (1983) went on to describe 14 characteristics of these Magnet hospitals divided into three headings-administration, professional practice, and professional development--that later became known as the 14 Forces of Magnetism. In recent years, research on Magnet Hospitals has continued to support the "forces", but has moved toward studying the effects of these organizational components on the outcomes of patient care. Today, independent research shows that Magnet hospitals have lower mortality rates (Aiken, Sloane, Lake, Sochalski, & Weber 1999), higher patient satisfaction scores (Aiken, Sloane, & Lake 1997), lower nursing turnover and vacancy rates and increased time spent by nurses at the bedside of patients (Kramer 1990).

For Mercy the outcomes are consistent with those described in Magnet environments. Since embarking on the Magnet journey, Mercy has adopted a philosophy of shared leadership and interdisciplinary collaboration; implemented evidence-based practice improvements; actively promoted advanced education, clinical advancement, and professional certification; conducted formal nursing research; and integrated nursing theory into practice. While other parts of the country struggle with a nursing vacancy rate of 11 to 14 percent, Mercy's is under 3 percent. Not surprisingly, Mercy has also consistently scored in the top quartile in patient satisfaction surveys related to every aspect of nursing practice. In addition, since submitting data to the National Database of Nursing-Sensitive Quality Indicators nearly two years ago, Mercy compares favorably to other hospitals in the database (mostly Magnet Hospitals or those aspiring to become Magnet) in nurse staffing (care hour), falls, and skin ulcer prevalence. Mercy is also one of the only hospitals in the database that has ZERO agency nurse usage. Mercy nurses are committed to excellence and incredibly proud of the care they deliver-and they should be!

Incidentally, the Magnet Program has also resulted in a transformation of relationships with other nurses in other nursing organizations. Among Magnet Hospitals there is a sincere attitude of collaboration and sharing. Several Mercy nurses experienced this firsthand at the National Magnet conference this year where we sat with almost 2,000 other Magnet nurses and those aspiring to become Magnet. All of these nurses seemed to have a common purpose and inspiration for the future of nursing practice. There were no walls to break down, rather a common path: a common outcome to achieve. This conveys the fact that there is no room to be exclusive when you achieve Magnet. When other hospitals achieve this recognition, it means that patients are receiving the very highest quality patient care.

Magnet designation is by no means the end to our journey. We like to think of it as the finish line to the future. Our goal is to continuously raise our standards, transforming professional nursing practice for the betterment of the people we serve. Now, as Magnet nurses, we have a broader responsibility to the profession. As we aspire to be better, we hope to inspire nurses in other organizations to do the same. We are now the role models for the highest level of nursing achievement, and with that comes the responsibility to share, collaborate, and participate in continuously transforming the future of nursing and thus the future of healthcare. We challenge you to join us!

Submitted by:
Amy Berentes, RN, MSN, FNP-C
Director of Clinical and Professional Development & Magnet Coordinator
Mercy Medical Center, Dubuque & Dyersville
berentea@mercyhealth.com

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