The Magnet journey: opportunities for librarians to partner with nurses

Abstract

Developed by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), a division of the American Nurses Association, the Magnet Recognition Program represents the ''seal of approval'' for quality nursing care and aids in nurse recruitment and retention. During the 1980s, as a reaction to the growing recognition that the supply of nurses in practice was not keeping up with demand, the American Academy of Nursing (AAN) appointed the Task Force on Nursing Practice in Hospitals. This group noticed that while most hospitals were faced with severe nursing vacancies, other hospitals attracted and kept nurses. The AAN task force commissioned a study to identify these hospitals and the variables that allowed them to create an environment that successfully attracted and retained nurses. Of the hospitals studied, forty-one were selected and designated as Magnet hospitals