What is a Magnet hospital, and what are the benefits of working at one?
A. The Magnet recognition program was created to meet the needs of our nations nurses and help build the nursing profession. The foundation for the program began in the early 1980s, during the national nursing shortage, when the American Academy of Nursing asked: With so many choices, how are nurses deciding where to work? To find the answer they asked nurses what was important to them, and they studied hospitals to learn why some succeeded in creating an environment where nurses want to work and continue to work. The American Nurses Credentialing Center used the results to develop the Magnet recognition program, which identifies health care organizations that meet nurses high standards. It recognizes hospitals that attract nurses, like a magnet, and retain nurses by creating an environment that allows them to practice professionally. As a nurse, the Magnet seal of approval helps you identify hospitals where you can flourish as a professional, where you have the resources you need to p
