Nursing Work Conditions at ANCC-Rated Hospitals Studied

While American Nurses Credentialing Center Magnet Recognition Program® (MRP) hospitals have been cited for promoting better patient safety and outcomes, they may not necessarily be providing better working conditions for nurses. Particularly in the area of scheduling and job demands, non-MRP hospitals are comparable to MRP-designated hospitals, according to researchers from the University of Maryland School of Nursing.

Nearly 350 healthcare organizations in the U.S. are currently recognized by the ANCC. Over the years, studies have identified attributes of MRP hospitals that attract nurses: high autonomy, decentralized organizational structure, and supportive management.

But MRP hospitals usually focus on the organization rather than the individual nurse, suggesting that personal demands may remain high among nurses providing frontline care at MRP facilities, they said in their study appearing in the July/August issue of the Journal of Nursing Administration.

"[MRP] Hospital tenets do address schedules, although the focus has been on other important issues" such as nurse autonomy and shared governance, says one of the researchers, Alison Trinkoff, ScD, RN, a professor with the School of Nursing. "It may get overlooked."