Welcome!
We are pleased to provide you with updates and resources about our journey towards Magnet designation. Please use this site as your ongoing source of information about our efforts and commitment to excellence.
We welcome your feedback and suggestions.
DEFINITION OF THE MAGNET RECOGNITION PROGRAM
Magnet designation recognizes excellence in nursing services and quality patient care. It is the highest level of recognition, awarded by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, to healthcare organizations that provide the best in nursing care and uphold the tradition of professional nursing practice. The objectives of the Magnet Recognition Program are to promote quality in a milieu that supports professional practice; identify excellence in the delivery of nursing services to patients; and provide a mechanism to disseminate best practices in nursing services.
IMPORTANCE OF ACHIEVING MAGNET STATUS
Magnet designation is a national recognition and acknowledgment of excellence in nursing at UCSF, and demonstrates the importance of nurses to the success of the entire organization. It indicates the existence of a professional environment that facilitates quality of patient care outcomes and achievement of professional nursing practice.
Specific characteristics that define nursing services in a Magnet healthcare environment emphasize high quality patient care; high levels of job satisfaction; clinical autonomy and responsibility; participatory decision-making; strong nurse leaders; two-way communication with staff; community involvement; opportunity and encouragement for professional development; and effective use of staff and resources.
OVERALL ORGANIZATIONAL BENEFITS OF MAGNET DESIGNATION
The achievement of Magnet status acknowledges excellence in nursing care and significantly contributes to the overall success of the organization. The benefits of becoming a Magnet facility include:
- Enhanced recruitment and retention of nurses - Magnet designated facilities consistently outperform their peers in recruitment and retention of nurses, and benefit from reduced costs due to low turnover and greater institutional stability.
- Lower nurse turnover and vacancy rates - Magnet hospitals have been identified as facilities that nurses considered good places to practice, had low turnover and vacancy rates, and were located in areas with significant regional competition for nurses.
- Enhance nurse satisfaction and productivity - The "Magnet Culture" creates a positive milieu for professional nurses, and enhances core values such as empowerment, pride, mentoring, nurturing, respect, integrity and teamwork.
- Greater recognition within the community for nursing and the organization - Magnet designation speaks to the organization's overall quality, and nationally recognizes the facility for being among the best in nursing care.
- Improved patient quality outcomes - The Magnet Recognition Program establishes standards of excellence, and independent research indicates that Magnet designated facilities deliver better patient outcomes, have shorter lengths of stay, and lower patient mortality rates.
- Reinforced positive collaborative relationships - The basic premise of Magnet status is a climate that reinforces collaborative working relationships.
- Improved recruitment and retention of physicians and other health care professionals - High quality nurses attract high quality physicians, achieving a "halo" effect for the entire health care team.
- Competitive marketing advantage - In a national survey conducted in 1999, 93% of the public would have greater confidence in the overall quality of the hospital if it had met the standards required of Magnet designation. Magnet status is the gold standard in patient care.
If you have any questions or need more information, please email or call:
Jody Mechanic
Director of Professional Nursing Practice
(415) 353-8824
