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Magnet Doesn't Attract Everyone

By now most AFSCME nurses have heard about the Magnet Recognition Program that is gaining in popularity in many hospital communities.

Hospitals "go Magnet" by demonstrating excellence in areas of nursing that emphasize clinical outcomes and patient care. Hospitals use the sales pitch, "We're Magnet" to attract nurses at a time when the nursing shortage is making front page news.

Magnet status is awarded to hospitals by the American Nurse Credentialing Center (ANCC), a subsidiary of the American Nurses Association, after a multi-step evaluation process. While ANCC does not accredit hospitals, as JCAHO does, healthcare facilities often cite their Magnet status as proof that they have met a list of nursing standards that are linked to quality care.

But not all nurses are convinced that the Magnet program is the only way to provide quality care and to attract good nurses. The application process is extremely costly and time consuming, so much so that some hospitals hire special consultants just to help them apply. Some resources spent on going Magnet are diverted from direct patient care. Often, hospitals that go Magnet as a recruitment strategy do not do the very things that are known to attract and retain nurses, such as eliminating mandatory overtime, instituting flexible scheduling, and setting staffing ratios.

And now, nurses of AFSCME Local 105 in Minnesota are likely to lose their jobs because of the Magnet program. Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids has told its LPNs that in anticipation of applying for Magnet recognition all LPN positions will be eliminated to make room for more RN positions. The hospital wants to beef up its RN-to-patient ratios to meet staffing criteria set by the ANCC.

AFSCME LPNs from other Minnesota hospitals are joining forces with their sisters and brothers at Mercy to fight the elimination of the LPN positions. At a meeting in November, the nurses mapped out a strategy to raise public awareness about the critical role LPNs play as members of the healthcare delivery team.

According to Maxine Davis, LPN, of Local 105 and member of the AFSCME International Nurse Advisory Committee, the LPN is a "cost effective, licensed bedside nurse who is an efficient, accountable member of the health care team." The loss of LPNs will ultimately mean a loss of an important part of the spectrum of quality care.

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