Magnet Designation: Shore Health System Nurses Lead the Way to National Recognition

Staff nurses from Shore Health System's Nursing Shared Leadership Global Team discuss the hospital's submission for Magnet designation with Magnet Coordinator Barbara Bilconish, MSN, RN, BC (far left). Shown with Bilconish are Marcia, Neild BSN, RN, Emergency Department, Dorchester General Hospital; Karen Chatham RN, CGRN, Digestive Health Center; and Christina Simms RN, CNRN, Neurology, The Memorial Hospital at Easton. Photograph © Paragon Light

Magnetism is a powerful phenomenon that produces a strong attraction and a field of force extending outside itself. For healthcare organizations, achieving "magnetism," via designation by the Magnet Recognition Program™, is a similar force. Magnet is the highest level of recognition a hospital can achieve for excellence in nursing. Shore Health System is on its way to becoming the second hospital in Maryland (the first was Johns Hopkins) to achieve Magnet status.

In 1983, the American Nurses Association identified 41 hospitals that were able to attract and retain well-qualified nurses despite the significant nursing shortage of the early 1980s. Researchers called these hospitals "magnet" hospitals, and they called their attributes "forces of magnetism." In 1993, the American Nurses Credentialing Center, a division of the American Nurses Association, developed the Magnet Recognition Program™. Magnet is a prestigious and coveted international award given to organizations that demonstrate the program's Forces of Magnetism in innovative and dynamic ways. Simply put, in Magnet hospitals nurses are empowered and accountable for their practice; patients have better outcomes and are more satisfied; professional advancement is encouraged and rewarded; and there is greater staff involvement in decision-making.

Only 169 hospitals in the nation have earned this designation. The process takes up to 24 months to complete. It involves a thorough review of a hospital's organizational structure and personnel practices; its standards for providing patient care; quality indicators such as lengths of stay, patient satisfaction, and outcomes for specific medical conditions; and how nursing is viewed by physicians, management, and the community. The requirements for Magnet designation are arduous and the application process must be repeated every four years, including demonstration of continuing growth in multiple required areas.

Although Magnet recognition is awarded for excellence in nursing service, its benefits inherently extend to patients and to the organization as a whole. Barbara Bilconish, MSN, RN, BC, is Shore Health System's Magnet Coordinator. "Magnet status recognizes our nurses, but it is really a hospital-wide award," she says. "Everyone will benefit."

Chief Nursing Officer, Christopher Parker, RN, MSN, CNAA, BC, is a member of Shore Health System's senior leadership team. He worked at one of the first eight hospitals to attain Magnet designation, helped another earn certification, and plans to submit Shore Health System's final documentation by the end of 2005.

"We have what it takes to be a Magnet hospital," Parker says. "Although receiving Magnet status is a badge of honor for Shore Health System, meeting all of the criteria has a more important outcome-patients can be assured that they will receive care from a nursing team that meets the highest standards established by the profession."

Parker adds, "Achieving this recognition guarantees that Shore Health System is providing an environment that attracts nurses and makes them want to stay. We have a shared leadership approach to decision-making, financial support for nursing education, and career ladders that provide monetary and advancement opportunities, all of which set the stage for successful application."