The COVID-19 Crucible: 2 Lived Experiences at the Epicenter.

This article describes how a national nursing association and a major academic medical center responded to the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic during the first wave of the outbreak in the United States (January to August 2020). The organizations share their lived experiences as they quickly found themselves at the forefront of the crisis. The article discusses how early warning signs from a world away sparked collaboration, innovation, and action that grew to a coordinated, organization-wide response. It also explores how leaders in 2 distinct but interrelated environments rose to the challenge to leverage the best their organizations had to offer, relying on the expertise of each to navigate changes that were made to almost every aspect of work. From tentative first steps to rapid implementation of innovative policies and procedures, the organizations share lessons learned and benefits reaped. The article includes practical crisis response strategies for the nursing profession and health care systems moving forward.

The Evolution of Ambulatory Care Nursing: A Compelling Conversation.

In this month's Magnet Perspectives column, guest author Kathleen Martinez, MSN, RN, CPN, joins Rebecca Graystone, MS, MBA, RN, NE-BC, for an in-depth look at the explosive growth of ambulatory care nursing over the past decade. The authors take a deep dive into multiple factors contributing to this rapid evolution, the role of the Magnet Recognition Program in accelerating and supporting ambulatory care and the nurses who provide it, and the prospects for continued growth in the decade ahead.

Why You Need a Plan.

Succession planning is an important business strategy in many industries, but healthcare has been slow to recognize its value. In this month's Magnet Perspectives column, learn why succession planning and mentoring are critical for nursing, how they affect key outcomes, and who benefits from preparing the next generation of nurses. Chief nursing officers discuss the importance of identifying and grooming top talent and share their personal stories of how succession planning and mentoring impacted their careers. The column includes tips to create a succession planning program and explores how the Magnet environment promotes a culture of mentoring and leadership continuity.

The Value of Magnet® Recognition for Specialty Hospitals.

Now in its 29th year, the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Magnet Recognition Program stands as the premier international acknowledgment of nursing excellence in healthcare organizations around the world. The program's applicability in general hospitals, community hospitals, and academic medical centers is established, but what about specialty hospitals? In this month's Magnet Perspectives, nursing leaders from 3 specialty sectors, rehabilitation hospitals, cancer hospitals, and children's hospitals, discuss the ways in which the Magnet framework enriches the practice environment and promotes outstanding nurse and patient outcomes. Insights are shared about how the Magnet journey provides the foundation to address current challenges in healthcare, including nurse staffing shortages, burnout, unit effectiveness, safety and quality imperatives, patient experience, and more.

Prevent Compassion Fatigue and Burnout With a Magnet Culture.

Compassion fatigue and burnout are 2 of the most serious issues facing the nursing profession today. Both can lead to emotional exhaustion and job disillusionment. Both contribute to lowered productivity and quality of care. Healthcare providers around the world are on the lookout for ways to prevent and mitigate these critical issues. In this month's Magnet Perspectives column, we take a deep dive into the latest research on nurse burnout and compassion fatigue, examine contributing factors, and consider steps organizations can take to make sure their nurses are not running on empty. We also explore how the fundamentals of a Magnet® culture, especially an autonomous practice environment, strong nursing leadership, and meaningful recognition, can keep nurses engaged and build a resilient workforce.

2018 National Magnet® Nurse of the Year Award Winners.

In this month's Magnet Perspectives column, the Vice President of the Magnet Recognition Program and Pathway to Excellence Program introduces the 5 nurses who were honored at the 2018 ANCC National Magnet Conference for the National Magnet Nurse of the Year award. This award recognizes the outstanding contributions of clinical nurses to innovation, consultation, leadership, and professional risk-taking and are presented in each of the 5 Magnet Model components: Transformational Leadership; Structural Empowerment; Exemplary Professional Practice; New Knowledge, Innovations, and Improvements; and Empirical Outcomes.

Nurses on Boards: A National Imperative.

Nurses are a natural fit for board service. They represent the biggest segment of the healthcare workforce, consistently rank as the nation's most trusted profession, and play a huge role on the frontlines of healthcare. Why, then, are so few nurses serving on boards today? This month's Magnet Perspectives column examines a nationwide effort to address this gap. We explore the benefits of board service for nurses, their hospitals, and their communities and identify opportunities for chief nursing officers (CNOs) to incorporate board work into their existing programs.

How to Build a Positive, Multigenerational Workforce.

Today's multigenerational nursing workforce presents unique leadership challenges. With an unprecedented 5 generations in the workplace, each with its own attitudes, beliefs, habits, and expectations, chief nursing officers and others must find ways to navigate disparities and leverage strengths. Leaders who effectively manage their age-diverse teams enjoy numerous advantages and give their organizations a competitive edge. This month's "Magnet Perspectives" column examines how nursing leaders can create a work environment that makes the most of multigenerational differences. What does each generation bring to the table? How can the Magnet® framework help managers capitalize on these traits to build a cohesive, productive nursing team? The column takes an in-depth look at how the principles of Magnet are tailor-made to cultivate a workplace where all generations thrive, enhance quality and productivity, reduce conflict, and maximize the contributions of every team member.

Magnet® Nurses Improving Community Health.

Keeping a community healthy requires more than hospital care. Magnet® nurses go beyond the bedside to promote a culture of health through volunteer work. To mark the season of giving, this month's "Magnet Perspectives" column looks at the ways in which nurses from Magnet-recognized organizations care for their communities. What do they do? Why do they do it? How does the Magnet framework promote and support them? We explore the implications for larger issues, such as population health, and hear from the nurses themselves about why community involvement is important.

Creating the Framework for a Healthy Practice Environment.

The link between healthy work environments and patient safety, nursing satisfaction, and quality outcomes is well established, yet many nurses work in environments that are unsafe and uncivil. What are the essential elements that contribute to a healthy practice environment? How can we create roles and working conditions that enable nurses to be fulfilled and happy in their careers? This month's Magnet Perspectives column explores the relationship between a healthy practice environment and better outcomes and examines how the Journey to Magnet Excellence® leads to higher nurse satisfaction and retention, improved interdisciplinary collaboration, excellent patient care, and exemplary patient results.

How Magnet® Designation Helps Hospitals Tackle the Nursing Shortage.

It has been more than 35 years since an enterprising team of nurse researchers evaluated the nursing shortage of the 1980s and unearthed findings that led to the creation of the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Magnet Recognition Program®. Today, the Magnet® credential stands as the highest international acknowledgment of nursing excellence in healthcare organizations.

Magnet® or Pathway® Recognition: Comparing and Contrasting.

The Directors of the Magnet Recognition Program® and Pathway to Excellence® use this column to compare and contrast the 2 programs. Both programs profile nursing excellence.

So You're Thinking About the Journey to Magnet® Recognition ?

The Director of the Magnet Recognition Program® presents a list of resources available to organizations either on the journey to Magnet® or contemplating setting this prestigious designation of nursing excellence as a goal.

Debunking the "Myths" of Magnet®.

Rebecca Graystone, the Magnet Program Director, dispels some myths about the Magnet Recognition Program®. Ms Graystone encourages leaders interested in Magnet or those already designated to feel free to access resources including those of the Magnet Program Office.

2017 National Magnet Nurses of the Year®.

The Magnet Recognition Program® recognizes healthcare organizations for quality patient care, nursing excellence, and innovations in professional nursing practice. Consumers rely on the Magnet designation as the ultimate credential for high-quality nursing. The ANCC National Magnet Nurse of the Year® awards were created in 2010 to recognize the outstanding contributions of clinical nurses for innovation, consultation, leadership, and professional risk taking.

The Importance of Nurse-Sensitive Outcome Measurements.

Nurse-sensitive patient outcome measurements are critical measures of healthcare quality in the United States. In this column, the director of the Magnet Recognition Program® calls for nurse-sensitive patient outcome measurements to be standardized and developed across all settings where nurses deliver care.

Disseminating Knowledge Through Publication: Magnet® Nurses Changing Practice.

Clinical nurses and nurse leaders are inspiring and fostering amazing outcomes. In this column, the new Magnet Recognition Program® director discusses the expectation for dissemination of outcomes from Magnet®-designated organizations building on work presented at the 2017 National Magnet Conference™.

The 2019 Magnet® Application Manual: Nursing Excellence Standards Evolving With Practice.

The American Nurses Credentialing Center's Magnet Recognition Program® released the 2019 Magnet® Application Manual () in October. The 2019 manual is the 12th application manual in the 27-year history of the program. The manual builds upon the foundation of seminal research conducted in the early 1980s that led to the creation of the program yet incorporates contemporary standards that address challenges faced globally by healthcare organizations today.