On February 1, UAMS submitted an application to the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) for Magnet Designation. This was a momentous occasion, with the Chief Nursing Officer, Trenda Ray, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Steppe Mette, and Chancellor, Dr. Cam Patterson in attendance. While this is not the first Magnet application UAMS has ever submitted, it is the first to garner the support of leadership at the highest level. This application is the beginning of a two-year process of documenting the stories of Nursing Excellence at UAMS. In order to achieve Magnet designation, we need to demonstrate that the ANCC’s 14 Forces of Magnetism exist in our organization, through writing narratives that meet the outcomes outlined in the 2023 Magnet Manual. The 14 Forces of Magnetism are consolidated into 4 domains, shown in the Magnet Model: Transformational Leadership, Structural Empowerment, Exemplary Professional Practice, and New Knowledge, Innovations & Improvements. The descriptions of these domains are as follows:
Transformational Leadership
We have structures, processes, and expectations for clinical nurses to give input and are involved throughout the organization. Nursing leaders lead effectively through change.
Structural Empowerment
We have structures, processes, and expectations for nurses to advance the profession of nursing, promote lifelong learning, and influence the health of our community.
Exemplary Professional Practice
We have structures and processes in place for nurses to delivery high-quality care. Nurses create patient care delivery systems that delineate the nurses’ shared authority and accountability for evidence-based nursing practice, clinical outcomes, and performance improvement initiatives.
New Knowledge, Innovations & Improvements
We have structures and process in place to support the advancement of evidence-based practices and research in all clinical settings. Nurses establish new ways of achieving high-quality, effective, and efficient care.
In addition to exemplifying the 14 Forces of Magnetism at UAMS, we must achieve the empirical outcomes of Nurse Engagement, High-Quality Patient Care, and Patient Experience. A number of initiatives are focused on improving these outcomes:
Nurse Engagement
We have a new vendor (Gallup) and the planning team is working to deliver the next employee engagement survey sometime between April – June.
High-Quality Patient Care
Anticipatory Rounding, Huddle Boards, Go Green, Dementia screening, Nurse-Driven Catheter Removal, and inpatient Hospice are all examples of initiatives designed to improve the quality of care provided to the patient.
Patient Experience
Interdisciplinary Rounding, Nurse Communication, and Leadership Rounds are designed to improve the experience of our patients in our care.
This is an exciting time to be a member of UAMS – not because we’re seeking Magnet Designation, but because our organization is zeroed in on the things that matter to nursing, our team, and to our patients.