Your Magnet® journey starts here
Having a dedicated Magnet consultant offers peace of mind, mitigates risk, ensures project continuity, and serves as a guide throughout your unique journey to Magnet status.
“Selecting Katie as our Magnet consultant was an easy choice. Her collaborative approach and clear communication made the process extremely fluid, predictable, and successful. I highly recommend her.”
— Anita Girard, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, Chief Nursing Officer & Vice President of Nursing at Cedars-Sinai
MAGNET SOLUTIONS
Why Choose KSC?
KSC is a nurse-led company offering a high-touch, individualized approach. We invest in building close personal relationships with our clients that exist long after projects are complete. Our primary goal at KSC is not just to help you attain Magnet status but to help you engage and empower a culture of Magnet and nursing excellence along the way.
Services tailored to meet your specific budget & timeline:
No ‘cookie-cutter’ Magnet solutions or timelines
No unnecessary ‘add-ons’ to bump up fees
Strategies that ensure success on your unique Magnet journey:
100% of clients have gone directly to site visit
100% of clients have attained Magnet status
Direct and reliable communication with Dr. Katie Stephens:
No lost emails or waiting days for a response
No account reps or ‘handlers’
Individualized coaching, mentorship, and guidance:
Katie has been in your shoes and has helped countless nurses and executives achieve their Magnet goals
Personalized guidance, goal-setting, and growth plans working directly with Katie
Authentic and relational partnership:
The path to Magnet can be arduous; we keep things fresh, personal, and simple
Enthusiasm, good energy, and fun — no additional cost (*wink)
“Katie is an expert on what makes a professional practice environment. She has proven experience in creating structures and expanding Magnet work, and has the energy to drive enthusiasm in achieving nursing’s goal.”
— Dr. Kathy Bradley, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, Sr. Nursing Consultant, Stanford Health Care
Comprehensive Magnet® Project Management
KSC provides holistic Magnet coaching, mentorship, and expertise across every stage of your Magnet designation. From the organizational gap analysis and prioritization to risk assessment, data selection, and exemplar development, all the way through your Magnet Site Visit — we’re with you every step of the way.
We’ll provide tips, tools, and strategies to establish an efficient and effective project plan, as well as expert guidance, oversight, and support to ensure you stay on track. Partnering closely with the MPD, CNO, IT, HR, and even Nurse Managers, we’ll ensure no stone is left unturned in your pursuit of Magnet designation.
Project Phases and Objectives:
Planning your success:
Magnet Gap Analysis
Macro & Micro Level Assessments
Baseline Data Analysis
Asset & Timeline Mapping
IMR & DDCT Preparation
Documenting your success:
SOE Alignment & Tracking
Writing Support, Intensives & Workshops
Document Review & Editing
Project Management Support
Nursing Annual Report Development
Showcasing your success:
Mock Site Visit Coordination
Site Visit Education & Support
Shared Governance Engagement
Nursing Intranet/Internet Website Redesign
Magnet Marketing Support
“Katie understood the asks and requirements to meet our Magnet document submission deadline, there was no need to explain anything. Once introductions were made, Katie was able to jump in and work to get evidence, outcomes, or additional details needed to satisfy each of the Sources of Evidence (SOEs).”
— Sarah Stepien, MPH, MSN, RN, CMSRN, NPD-BC, Magnet Program Director at Cedars-Sinai
MAGNET DESIGNATION PROCESS
Our seven-stage approach is flexible and education-focused, tailored to meet any organization's timeline and budget requirements while also addressing the individual development goals of our nursing partners.
Planning Your Success
Showcasing Your Success
Documenting Your Success
Organizational Analysis & Evaluation
Stage 1:
In stage one, we’ll partner closely with the Magnet Program Director (MPD) and other key stakeholders to complete a comprehensive gap analysis and evaluation of your organization.
Specifically, we’ll assess various data points (such as patient and nursing satisfaction scores) and evaluate your professional practice structures and processes related to the Magnet Recognition standards of excellence.
This initial assessment helps us understand where the organization currently stands in relation to meeting the Magnet criteria. The assessment also allows us to identify existing areas of excellence and any opportunities for improvement.
Once the evaluation is complete and these opportunities for improvement are identified, work will commence (in stage two) to prioritize those issues and address gaps.
Stage 1 action items:
Reviewing general eligibility requirements (data, leadership, etc.)
Initial data assessment (RN Sat, PSat, NSI, Amb NSI, certifications, degrees, turnover, vacancy)
Organization-wide assessment of key elements in TL, SE, EP, NK sections of Magnet manual
Unit/department level asset mapping (strengths, weaknesses, risks)
Identification of Macro / Meso / Microsystem-level gaps:
• Assess & Evaluate System & Programmatic Gaps
• Assess & Evaluate Data Gaps
• Assess & Evaluate Unit-Level Gaps
• Risk Assessment: Identified Gap in relation to Magnet Designation Need.
Stage 2:
Gap Prioritization & Strategy
In stage two, we’ll work with the MPD to prioritize the areas at greatest risk and formulate a strategy for addressing these gaps in the most efficient way possible.
We’ll also coordinate with additional stakeholders (IT, HR, etc.) to implement any applications, platforms, or systems necessary to properly manage the various projects.
Many organizations find that they have a litany of improvement projects they want to tackle before their next designation. We have found it to be imperative that these improvement projects be properly prioritized and strategically coordinated.
Failure to allocate the time and bandwidth necessary for the successful completion of these projects often leads to teams becoming overwhelmed, overburdened, and spread too thin — resulting in a lack of focus, poor execution, and disappointing outcomes.
Stage 2 action items:
Triaging and prioritizing gaps based on risk assessment
Identifying key stakeholders using the RACI matrix: (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed) – stakeholders may include individuals and various councils, decision-making groups, etc.
Creating an initial action plan and timeline for gap closure
Implementing project management software for:
• Document collaboration (i.e., Google Docs, Dropbox, Sharepoint, etc.)
• Project Tracking (i.e., Smartsheets, Excel, Asana, Tallypop, etc).
Gap Closure Execution & Oversight
Stage 3:
As the organization executes the strategies developed in stage two, we’ll guide your teams to ensure projects have clear goals and objectives, progress is properly monitored, and timelines are met.
In stage three, we’ll work closely with the MPD and key stakeholders to implement and execute each project, providing ongoing coaching as well as strategic and tactical oversight.
We’ll provide thought leadership and coaching and offer best practices throughout the entirety of the project — making course corrections when needed — to ensure project outcomes meet or exceed expectations.
Stage 3 action items:
Strategic and tactical project oversight
Coaching and thought leadership
Development of clear project goals & objectives (i.e., NSI, KPI, OKR, etc)
Delegation of team roles & responsibilities
Creating appropriate scopes for projects and success criteria
Resource allocation (budget, staffing, material, IT needs, etc.)
Timeline management
Magnet Project Plan & Design
Stage 4:
In stage four, we’ll work directly with the MPD to design a comprehensive and detailed Magnet designation action plan and corresponding timeline.
Overseeing the Magnet documentation process involves gaining alignment across a variety of different activities: Magnet exemplar identification, writing, and editing; data collection, analysis, and presentation; and nursing demographic data collection and analysis.
In addition, particular attention will need to be given to ensuring the completion of projects initiated in stage three, as well as management of the various other Magnet-related deliverables like the Nursing Annual Report and nursing internet/intranet site refreshes.
The inability to thoughtfully allocate resources, manage bandwidth, or identify bottlenecks can result in added stress, rushed deliverables, and potentially incomplete work — which may not satisfy Magnet requirements. What’s worse, these pitfalls could lead to multiple requests for additional documentation or even resubmission.
Stage 4 action items:
Magnet SOE alignment and development of exemplar tracker & timeline
Timelines for writing support (workshops/intensives)
Exemplar writing, as well as content & copying editing timeline
Data collection timelines (RN Sat, PSat, NSI, Amb NSI, certifications, degrees, turnover, vacancy) – including RN Sat Risk Mitigation Plan & NSI benchmarking data turnaround times
Continued oversight of gap closure items - triaged, high-priority improvement work
Timelines for year 2 DDCT submission, as well as all required documentation for the Interim Monitoring Report (IMR)
Various other needs required for Magnet Documentation such as: completion of Nursing Annual Report (NAR), refresh of nursing internet/intranet sites, etc.
Supplemental documentation timeline
ADAM submission timeline and support
Site-visit timeline and support.
Magnet Project Documentation & Execution
Stage 5:
Stage five involves oversight and execution of the Magnet project plan. This stage is where most of the heavy lifting is done — and it requires active management.
During this stage, we’ll partner with the MPD, CNO, and other stakeholders (exemplar writers, data scientists, analysts, etc.) to ensure writing, editing, and project & data timelines are on track to meet critical deadlines.
We’ll help to oversee and manage the entirety of the project, providing coaching, strategic guidance, and tactical support, as well as help with writing, data analysis, and presentation (should the organization need direct support from our team). We can be as hands-on with the execution of the project as your needs require.
Stage 5 action items:
Ongoing SOE alignment (re-alignment), exemplar tracking and exemplar back-up plans
Hosting writing workshops and intensives (on-site or online)
Writing exemplars, content & copy editing
Data collection, analysis, presentation per Magnet requirements
Completion of gap closure projects from initial organizational assessment
Successful completion of year-2 DDCT and all required documentation Interim Monitoring Report (IMR)
Completion of Nursing Annual Report (NAR)
Refreshing of nursing internet/intranet sites.
Magnet Site Visit Preparation
Stage 6:
Site visit is your opportunity to show the appraisers how your organization has embraced a culture of nursing excellence — and preparation for this visit is essential to your success.
The overall purpose of the site visit is to verify, clarify, and amplify the content of the written documentation, as well as showcase your nursing practice environment.
In stage six, we’ll coordinate with the MPD and key stakeholders to help your organization prepare for the Magnet site visit — conducting mock site visits and addressing any requests for additional documentation that may come from the Magnet Program Office.
Stage 6 action items:
Conducting mock site visits
Addressing requests for additional documentation
Updating Nursing Leadership Table (NLT)
Magnet rounding and presentations
Internal Magnet site visit prep
External Magnet site visit prep
Marketing
Updating public website
Shared governance engagement (including Magnet ambassadors or champions).
Celebrating Success & Building Momentum
Stage 7:
Now that all the hard work is done, it’s time to celebrate!
In stage seven, we’ll promote your Magnet designation's success and help you build on your positive momentum by developing an action plan for the next Magnet documentation cycle.
For your Magnet celebration, we can be as hands-on or off as you prefer. We are happy to partner with the MPD (as well as the CNO and Marketing team) to help you create a plan for celebrating your Magnet designation success. This may include party planning, social media promotion, press releases, etc. We can even help you leverage your Magnet success to recruit top talent nationwide.
As you look forward to your next 4-year cycle, we will work with your MPD and CNO to maintain momentum and get a head start on your next Magnet journey — including ongoing MPD development plans, coaching, and mentorship support.
Stage 7 action items:
Developing press releases
Organizing an on-site celebration
Implementing a social media strategy
Designing a plan for ongoing MPD growth, coaching, and mentorship.
ABOUT MAGNET
What Exactly Is Magnet®?
Magnet designation is the highest honor awarded to healthcare organizations for demonstrating excellence in professional nursing practice. The designation recognizes that an organization has achieved nursing excellence in a variety of areas, such as organizational leadership, nurse empowerment, nursing innovation, patient outcomes, and more.
Achieving Magnet status is a big deal — less than 10% of healthcare organizations nationwide have attained Magnet status. The Magnet application and documentation process is quite challenging, requiring strong organizational practices, meticulous record-keeping, thorough data analysis, and robust project management.
However, pursuing Magnet status is well worth the effort. Magnet designation positively impacts every aspect of the organization — from improving patient outcomes to increasing nurse satisfaction and even lowering hospital operating costs…leading to greater profitability.
In fact, the top 10 hospitals identified by US News & World Report in its annual ranking of “America’s Best Hospitals” are all Magnet-recognized organizations.
Over 30 years of research supports that pursuing Magnet designation is well worth the time, effort, and expense. It is a huge accomplishment, and everyone benefits when organizations decide to pursue Magnet.
Magnet® Benefits Nurses
Magnet organizations have higher nurse engagement and satisfaction and provide nurses with a variety of opportunities for professional development and continuing education. For nurses, pursuing Magnet:
Improves nursing satisfaction and engagement
Supports empowerment and autonomy
Enhances organizational culture and teamwork
Promotes innovation, research, and continuous improvement
Provides adequate staffing and resources
Encourages professional development and career advancement
Offers recognition and prestige
Magnet® Benefits Patients
Magnet hospitals consistently demonstrate improved patient outcomes, see higher patient satisfaction, and emphasize patient and family-centered care. For patients, pursuing Magnet:
Increases quality of care and better patient outcomes
Improves patient satisfaction
Emphasizes patient and family-centered care
Prioritizes evidence-based practice
Encourages interprofessional teamwork, collaboration, and coordinated care
Promotes nursing professional development
Fosters a culture of continuous quality improvement
Magnet® Benefits Hospitals
Pursuing Magnet status is a smart move for hospitals, helping them to improve patient outcomes, increase retention, enhance reputation, and bolster revenues. For organizations, pursuing Magnet:
Improves patient outcomes
Increases nurse satisfaction and retention
Boosts efficiency and cost-effectiveness
Enhances reputation and brand recognition
Supports better bond ratings
Raises hospital grades and rankings
Lowers operational costs
Increases profitability
Turn your personal and professional goals into reality
We develop lifelong relationships that exist long after projects are complete. See how.