What It Means to Work at an ANCC Magnet Facility

The American Nurses Credentialing Center began an effort more than 25 years ago to create medical workplaces that would attract and retain the best qualified nurses. Today it is a "magnet" for hospitals and other health care facilities that have developed topnotch nursing staffs.

The ANCC today counts many prestigious hospitals and medical centers in the United States among the health facilities designated as members of its Magnet Recognition Program. In the 2009 list of America's Best Hospitals in U.S. News & World Report, having an ANCC magnet facility designation counted toward the magazine's scoring of quality health care.  The magazine's list included 15 magnet institutions among the country's top medical centers and nine out of 10 of the top children's hospitals in the United States.

Although an initial hospital study in 1983 identified more than 40 medical facilities that developed the best workplaces for nurses and excellence in nursing care, it wasn't until 1994 that the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle was named as the organization's first official magnet institution. ANCC then began recognizing long-term care facilities in 1998 and expanded the recognition to health care organizations abroad in 2000.

The ANCC, which is the world's largest nurse credentialing organization and a subsidiary of the American Nurses Association, considers a wide range of work conditions and nursing practices for a health care facility to become a "magnet" for nursing excellence. They include strong nursing leadership, management structures that are participatory and responsive to change, competitive salaries and benefits, as well as high quality nursing care, resources and professional development. The facilities are also judged on their collaborative work relationships among health care workers and relationships with community health organizations.

Professional development at magnet health care facilities

By fostering a workplace that values professional development and high standards of care and offers tangible benefits such as competitive salaries, the health care facilities within the ANCC magnet program create places where nurses want to work. And if they choose to move on to other positions elsewhere, the listing of a magnet facility on their resumes lets a prospective employer know the nurse has worked in a health care environment that meets the highest standards.

The emphasis on nursing education and professional development within a magnet facility also shows in the level of educational advancement achieved by its nurses. Within its member organizations in 2009, ANCC reported that 39 percent of nurses working in magnet facilities had associate degrees and 46 percent had bachelor's degrees. In pediatrics, the number of nurses with bachelor's degrees was 63 percent. About 4 percent of the magnet facility nurses held master's or other graduate degrees in general and pediatrics nursing. There were nearly 27 percent advanced practice nurses in general care and 57 percent at the advanced level in pediatrics.

The level of nursing certifications by national organizations in specialized areas also was significant at magnet facilities. ANCC reported that more than 27 percent of direct care nurses and about 46 percent of nurses in decision-making positions held certifications.