According to the American Nursing Credentialing Center (ANCC), the Magnet Recognition Program recognizes healthcare facilities and organizations with nursing excellence, innovations in nursing practice and quality patient care. This is the highest credential a healthcare organization can receive for quality nursing and is the premier source of successful nursing practices and strategies.
Magnet hospitals often attract and retain the top talent in the industry as well as improve patient care and satisfaction, states the ANCC. Furthermore, US News and World Report uses the Magnet distinction as the key indicator of hospitals to rank the best in the country. For instance, 8 of the top 10 medical centers on the 2011-2012 US News Best Hospitals in American Honor Roll are ANCC Magnet recognized.
You might wonder what this means to you as a travel nurse and whether working at a Magnet medical facility while on assignment can help your career. If you can secure an assignment at a Magnet hospital, this may be good for your career and expand your resume in a number of ways.
Working at a Magnet recognized facility means you are in an environment that has meet specified, prestigious standards. Therefore, you're playing an active role in the nursing leadership, quality of nursing care and personnel policies and programs the hospital has been awarded for. This experience can expand your travel nursing resume because you will be working in a medical center that is known for its professional development, interdisciplinary collaboration and community presence, among other things.
Furthermore, research conducted by internationally recognized nurse investigator Linda H. Aiken, PhD, RN, FAAN, FRCN discovered that Magnet hospitals offered better work environments, excellent nurse-to-patient ratios, a more highly educated nursing staff and a higher nurse satisfaction than other hospitals. The study survey included 26,250 registered nurses at 567 hospitals and was published in The Journal of Nursing Administration (JONA).
"Three decades of evidence showing superior outcomes for Magnet hospitals place this organizational innovation in a class of its own as best practice, which deserves the attention of hospital leaders, nurses, and the public," said Aiken.
Your travel nursing agency can assist you in completing everything you need in order to be qualified to take an assignment at a Magnet certified healthcare organization. Get connected with the best hospitals in the country and widen your horizons as a travel nurse.