Connect

Online baby showers? Check. Family reunion on Zoom? Check. Virtual Magnet site visit? Wait, what?

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, our world has catapulted into a virtual environment, and we are now depending on technology to connect us more than ever before. The America Nurses Credentialing Center’s Magnet Recognition Program is no exception. Magnet appraisers have been completing all hospital site visits virtually since April.

For the first time, UVA Health’s Magnet site visit will be completed by four appraisers who will join the team virtually Sept. 15-18.

“Instead of appraisers being here in their human bodies, we will literally be rolling them around on carts via videoconference,” said Jennifer “JT” Hall, RN, Magnet Program Coordinator.

The site visit is the final step in the Magnet redesignation process, which happens every four years. Magnet honors health care organizations for meeting nursing benchmarks, and UVA is in a top-tier of hospitals – less than 10% – with a Magnet designation.

“Magnet is important to us as an organization,” Hall says. “It supports the goals of our strategic planning, positions us well in the market, and contributes to our rankings. It also helps us recruit because it demonstrates our commitment to an environment of excellence and really high professional standards.”

The final push

There are two main components of the Magnet designation process: documentation and site visit. Hall and the Magnet core team submitted the required documentation (which was 512 pages long!) in May 2019. Shortly after, Magnet requested clarifying information. Hall provided the supplementary data, and UVA was approved to move on to the site visit.

There have been several challenges that have interfered with scheduling the visit (insert COVID-19 and all of its repercussions, including staffing struggles and workforce stress). Now that it’s set for mid-September, the agenda remains unchanged, however, it will look completely different.

“The prep is going to be virtual, the appraisers will be virtual, but the participation will still be in-person,” Hall says. “It’s going to be a balance of acknowledging where we are now, but also acknowledging the incredible work over the last four years. There is substantial excellence to be reflected upon, and our nurses and teams deserve the opportunity to get credit for all of that. Site visit is the fun part of the process. I grieve the fact that COVID has dampened that, but I am determined to salvage the opportunity for our organization to feel well-deserved pride and excitement about all they have accomplished.”

To prepare for the site visit, Hall’s original plan was to pull nurses together in small groups to coach them on how to talk about their nursing practice. Due to staffing constraints and social distancing efforts, she had to overhaul the process. Instead, she hosted approximately 75 WebEx prep sessions in August. The sessions were grouped by practice settings, like acute care, critical care, and clinics. Hall partnered with Health Information Technology and Telehealth for the massive undertaking.

“I am hoping to preserve the positive energy that you get from being in a group,” says Hall. “I hope we can preserve that against the backdrop of considerable stress and fatigue that everyone is feeling. … This could be an opportunity to provide an uplift to our team members. They are so deserving.”

When it’s time for the virtual site visit, Hall and her team will roll the appraisers through the hallway (on their screens) to each area where they will meet with groups of nurses to talk about the quality patient care they provide, how they collaborate on projects, and their innovative initiatives.

What’s next?

After the visit, the appraisers will put together a report based on the results of the documentation and the site visit and send that to the International Commission on Magnet. UVA Health will be notified of the outcome in the fall, likely October.

“Quite a finale!” Hall exclaims, referring to the culmination of the last four years ending in such an unexpected way.

Once UVA receives the results, the four-year redesignation process starts anew. You might think there would be some downtime before the process begins again for 2024, but no, “we start over – immediately,” Hall says. “It’s not an abbreviated process in any way. It’s a 100% do-over.”

Thank you to everyone who will be participating in the Magnet site visit! You are making our organization shine. Your continued adaptability and sacrifices are appreciated.