Last year, the National Academy of Medicine released the Future of Nursing (FON) report for 2020-2030.1 The report provided a blueprint for healthcare organizations and their stakeholders to increase health and wellness for clinicians and decrease health inequities throughout the nation. This month's "Magnet(R) Perspectives" delves into the 2023 Magnet Application Manual,2(p1) which added sources of evidence (SOEs) in many of the Magnet model components that align with empowering nurses to help improve health equity. A comparison of these 2 documents is discussed hereinafter.
Supporting Nurses to Advance Health Equity
The FON report's 2nd recommendation states that employers support nurses in all healthcare settings with financial, technical, educational, and staffing resources.1 The FON report urges policymakers and healthcare systems to remove barriers that prevent nurses from addressing the causes of poor health, expand access to care, and create more equitable communities.1 In the 2023 Manual, the Transformational Leadership (TL) component includes SOEs addressing nurses' initiative in improving health equity in their communities.2(p29) For example, TL12 seeks evidence for nurses' advocacy for individual or community health promotion at a government or nongovernment organization where healthcare decisions are made.2
Promoting Nurses' Health and Well-being
The 2023 Manual and the FON report align regarding nurses' health and wellness. Research illustrates a need for continued focus on nurses' resiliency.3 Mental health is essential post pandemic as the burnout rate for clinicians is increasing. The FON report's 3rd recommendation urges organizations/employers to produce sufficient human and material resources to enable nurses to provide high-quality care and establish physical and psychological safety.2 In addition, FON suggests organizations collect systematic data to understand better the nursing workforce's health and well-being.1
The 2023 Magnet Manual added to the TL and Exemplary Professional Practice (EP) components requiring SOE examples demonstrating workforce wellness initiatives.2 For instance, in the TL5, Magnet requests description and evidence that leadership tracks nurses' well-being and promotes diversity in the workforce. In EP11, Magnet requests proof that leadership collaborates on budgets enabling the acquisition of appropriate new and existing resources.2
Capitalizing on Nurses' Potential
The FON report provides guidance on empowering the nursing profession to become highly educated.1 The 2011 FON report established a goal to educate 80% of nurses at the baccalaureate level by 2020. However, because the benchmark has not been reached, BSN-prepared nurses remain a recommendation in the 2021 report through 2030.1 This drives the Magnet requirements for organizations to demonstrate how they support nurses to achieve their BSN and evidence they have met their goal. The 4th recommendation focuses on maximizing nurses' potential.1 In EP14, the SOE requires an example of clinical nurses having the autonomy to make nursing care decisions within the full scope of their nursing practice.2
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
The FON report provides guidance on improving healthcare organizations' diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). The 1st recommendation focuses on national nursing organizations setting their agendas to prioritize health equity.1 The FON's 3rd recommendation asks organizations to support DEI across the nursing workforce and identify and eliminate policies and systems that perpetuate racism and discrimination in all forms, and establish an antiracist inclusive work environment.1 Recommendation 9 urges several federal healthcare organizations to support a research agenda that determines the impact of nursing interventions on social determinants of health and health equity.1
The 2023 Manual components of Organizational Overview (OO), TL, and Structural Empowerment (SE) have new SOEs applied to these recommendations. In OO7, organizations are expected to have a workplace advocacy initiative that addresses DEI issues.2 TL2 requires organizations to represent an initiative that promotes workplace DEI.2 To address SE12a/b, organizations must provide an example of their support for nurses who volunteer in a population health initiative.2 In SE13, SOEs are looking for a nurse or group of nurses to deliver culturally and/or socially sensitive care.2
Evidence-Based Practice
Throughout the FON report recommendations, there is an emphasis on the evidence-based practices in nursing and how nursing leadership can use evidence to improve health equity in their communities.1 The 2023 Manual's Empirical Outcomes and New Knowledge components match this recommendation. The 2023 Manual requires organizations to provide 2 key evidence-based references to support interventions that led to an improvement in outcomes.2 In addition, New Knowledge5 component requires 2 examples of a clinical nurse(s) who implemented an evidenced-based practice that is new or a revision to existing practice within an organization.2
There are more examples of how the underpinnings of the Magnet model align with the FON report with a focus on nursing education, research, health equality, DEI, and clinician well-being grounded by evidence-based practice. The 2023 Magnet Manual and the Magnet Commission continue to raise the bar. Magnet organizations must have a workplace culture to attract nursing staff and provide opportunities to improve the health of their communities.
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