[jilynn]

I will be graduating in May, I have read so may things about magnet status hospitals are they as great as I have read? What exactly do you find good and/or bad? I am choosing between a magnet status hosital and one without, is there any opinions out there to help me decide.

[cassioo]

Originally Posted by jilynn

I will be graduating in May, I have read so may things about magnet status hospitals are they as great as I have read? What exactly do you find good and/or bad? I am choosing between a magnet status hosital and one without, is there any opinions out there to help me decide.

I think magnet status is just bragging rights for the hospital administration. The hospital I mainly work at is working on magnet status I really don't see that much differenct except more committee work and employees jumping through more hoops for the hospital it really doesn't make for better nurses we'll still have the same nurses we always had we don't have much turn over where I'm at in a community hospital

[smbrn]

I worked at a magnet hospital and found pretty much what the other writer did. Nothing changed in terms of nursing autonomy or ability to exercise any control over practices or anything else. There was a lot of pressure to sit on committees, become "certified", at your own expense, of course, and on your own time, make posters for and give inservices to your fellow staff, again, on your own time and at your own expense, and an unbelievable increase in mandatory inservices and meetings. In fact, the last year I worked at that hospital, between the middle of October and the end of December, 14 mandatory inservices/meetings were scheduled, many at the last minute which were impossible to attend since I worked 32 hours nights and couldn't possibly come in at 1PM, stay for an hour and then go home and try and get back to sleep to come back again at 11PM. That didn't matter to administration, though. It's a paperwork status and if you go on the ANCC's website you will find links to software instructing magnet hospitals on how to advertise themselves to their communities. I have heard these radio ads for that hospital around here and they are absolutely tacky. In addition, the ANCC, which demands a certain percentage of "certified" RN's at a magnet facility, is a for profit subsidiary of the ANA. This ANCC confers magnet status, demands a certain number of "certified" RN's and then collects hefty fees from unsuspecting nurses who are supposed to be satisfied with the "pride" they can feel at being ripped off and "certified" in their specialty. For further information, you can read the Massachusetts Nurses Association take on magnet status by going to their website. They released a position paper on the whole issue in Nov. 2004 and it is quite an eye opener. Good luck. I wouldn't care one way or the other about whether a hospital has magnet status. In fact, the ridiculous requirements for additional time spent at the hospital and requests to prepare and do inservices, is one reason I am a travel nurse now. Now I do my mandatories online before each assignment and when I go to work, none of the notices of mandatory this and mandatory that apply to me! I can do my work and leave, which is exactly the way I want it. Nursing doesn't pay enough to make it worth my while to be donating my free time to any hospital. My husband is in management in information systems and he is never expected to do work at home for his job. He is technically on call all the time, but if he has to put in extra hours during some crisis time, he is free to leave early on other days without having his pay docked. Not so nursing, so I say, forget it. Sorry it's such a long post. It hit a raw nerve with me, to say the least!

[tigress_8207]

Hi i am from the caribbean and am not familiar with the term magnet status could you please enlighten me what it is exactly? thanks.

[opus]

I would have to agree with the first two responses. Magnet Hospital status seems to be a way for the hospital to advertise that they are one of the best. I'm sure it started out with good intentions (my understanding is that it was first started by the ANA), a way to let the public know which hospitals provided good staffing and eduction to their staff so better patient care. Of course, politics have become involved and I also don't see anything better as far as patient care. I would not make my decision on whether the hospital had magnet status or not, I would suggest talking to nurses that work at the facilities you're considering if you want to get the big picture. You'll get a good understanding of what you're in for.

[ETNGuy]

The hospital I work for advertises that it is the only Magnet hospital in TN. Not sure if this is still the case, but do lnow that they are offering a $10,000 sign on bonus for RNs with 5 years experience. You would think that if Magnet were so great at attracting RNs, this bonus would not be needed.

[smbrn]

Good point about the sign on bonus! Who knew magnet hospitals would need to bribe nurses to work there, just like those non-magnet hospitals?