One of the significant contributions nurses can make to either seeking or maintaining a magnet designation would be to obtain a higher education or certification. An organization can produce better patient outcomes by supporting professional development, which, in turn, shows nursing excellence. Many organizations support faculty continuing their education through tuition reimbursement (Tinkham, 2013). Organizations will often encourage nurses to continue their education to meet magnet recommendations for the percentage of baccalaureate nurses employed (Laureate, 2009). There is also a clinical ladder system that nurses may receive a financial incentive for continuing their education or obtaining additional certifications (Tinkham 2013). By also encouraging growth, organizations help empower their nurses and promote better care for the patients. The stroke certified nurses I currently work with are a significant asset to our unit and incredible resources for all staff. I often ask our stroke certified nurses about the most recent evidence-based practice methods that we include in our current protocols because they are frequently changing.
An additional contribution to assisting in obtaining or maintaining a magnet certification is to encourage nurses to be involved in decision making. Nurses’ input should be required when constructing and changing policies as it relates to patient care. As nurses, we should also contribute to creating a more “just culture” to facilitate learning and change (Tinkham, 2013). Nurses understand that healthcare changes every day, and without a “just culture” in nursing, patients would be at an increased risk of unreported mistakes. From personal experience, it feels awful to make a mistake when caring for a patient. I currently work for a magnet certified hospital, and I can honestly say that I could feel my mistake was more of a learning opportunity than punishment. We have a program called RL solutions that we can submit any errors in care or equipment malfunctions. It truly is more for preventing future errors than reporting mistakes. From our mistakes, we can see where problems may arise within our current system and contribute to finding solutions. By avoiding mistakes from occurring in the future, we also promote patient safety.
References:
Laureate Education (Producer). (2009b). Issues and trends in nursing: Professional practice models [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.
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