It’s almost here! The Mock Site Visit that will prepare us for the Magnet Site Appraisal will be August 21-23 with our consulting partner, Michelle Trautman, from HealthLinx. Your unit/area Magnet Champions have been attending virtual educational sessions to become familiar with Nursing Excellence at UAMS and common questions asked by Magnet Appraisers. The Mock Site Visit is a time to practice and learn valuable information that will lead to our successful ANCC Magnet Site Visit.
The Magnet Site Visit is similar in process but very different from a visit from Joint Commission. The appraisers will visit most nursing care areas and speak with clinical nurses over a three-day period. The appraisers are very familiar with UAMS and the narratives of nursing excellence submitted in the Magnet Document. This visit is your chance to validate, verify, and amplify what is covered in the document. Unlike Joint Commission surveys when you tend to “answer only what is asked,” this is your chance to promote what you are proud of in your work at UAMS. The daily agenda consists of meetings with group of nurses (e.g., APRNs, night-shift RNs, RNIV/Vs, etc.) and departments (e.g., Clinical Education, Quality, etc.) and then touring units/care areas to talk with clinical nurses. Unit visits will consist of a brief tour of the unit by your Magnet Champion, and then a small meeting with clinical nurses, APRNs, and interprofessional partners in a conference room/meeting space. This is your time to shine! The appraisers want to hear about all the amazing things you do for your patients and for each other. Share things you’re proud of and what keeps you working here at UAMS! You can also be honest about things we’re challenged with, like maintaining unit-based councils and staffing. The following are some tips for how to interact with Magnet Appraisers:
- Keep the conversation on a professional level and ask questions if you don’t understand something.
- Reply to appraisers’ questions directly, concisely, and with pride and enthusiasm.
- If you don’t know the answer to a question:
- Buy time by asking the appraiser to repeat or clarify the question. This gives you more time to formulate a response.
- Reply “I’ve never had to deal with that situation, but if I did I would . . .” Include that you could call a charge nurse, supervisor, or administrator, or find the answer in a resource (online policy/ procedure).
- Help each other out, if one of your peers is struggling, jump in and help answer the question.
- Take turns among different staff members responding to the questions. Include as many staff as possible and include disciplines other than nursing.
- The Magnet visit is not a time to air grievances. Channel concerns to the appropriate people at the appropriate time to address issues.
The most important thing to remember is the ANCC doesn’t give Magnet Designation to perfect organizations – it gives Magnet Designation to hospitals that are committed to Nursing Excellence. Magnet appraisers don’t expect us to be a perfect organization. If you are asked a question about something that you think we don’t do as well as we could, accentuate the positive about where we are, and add comments about what we continue to work on. A commitment to continual improvement is important and we want to frame comments in the most positive way possible.
Your Magnet Champions are receiving resource materials that are helpful to prepare for the site visit. You also can access those materials on the Center for Nursing Excellence website. Please review resource materials and talk with your Magnet Champion on how you can prepare for site visit.
In my very first newsletter in September 2020, I talked about the pursuit of excellence. Terry Orlick, author of, In Pursuit of Excellence, describes what is at the heart of excellence: “discovering an activity, mission, possibility, or opportunity that absorbs you, frees you, challenges you, or gives you a sense of meaning, purpose, joy, or passion.” I cannot think of any better way to describe the nursing at UAMS. I’m so #ProudtobeaUAMSNurse!
