In June, Houston-based University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center earned its sixth Magnet designation and its first Magnet with Distinction rating from the American Nurses Credentialing Center.
The latest designation means MD Anderson is one of 26 organizations worldwide that have earned six or more Magnet designations, according to a June 24 news release from the cancer center. It is also 1 of 41 hospitals in the world to earn Magnet’s top honor, Magnet with Distinction.
MD Anderson employs more than 5,000 nurses throughout its Texas Medical Center, the largest medical complex in the world. ANCC appraisers highlighted the nursing workforces’ low turnover rate of 8%, the share of highly credential nursing staff, and the “outstanding” levels of nurse satisfaction and engagement, as key drivers behind the Magnet rating.
Leading efforts to earn the designation — and looking forward to the next — are Kim Slusser, RN, MSN, and Christie Griffin-Jones, RN.
Ms. Slusser joined MD Anderson as associate chief nursing officer in 2023 and has been serving as interim CNO since January. In both roles she sat on the Magnet steering committee, working closely with Ms. Griffin-Jones.
Ms. Griffin-Jones has served MD Anderson for four years and directs the Magnet program, reporting to and communicating with the American Nurses Credentialing Center while ensuring MD Anderson maintains alignment with the Magnet standards.
Both leaders spoke to Becker’s about the strategies they believe are behind the achievement and the what’s next for nursing at MD Anderson.
Editor’s note: Responses have been lightly edited for clarity and length.
Question: How do these recognitions translate into operational value and strategic advantage for the organization beyond clinical excellence?
Ms. Kim Slusser: Beyond the clinical excellence, I think sustaining Magnet designation for six consecutive times speaks to who we are. It’s our identity. It’s a globally recognized standard. When we say we’re Magnet designated, and especially now that we have the distinction honor as well, everybody knows that it is the highest level of nursing. It helps us from a recruitment and retention standpoint, and it also improves patient safety and experience.
Our turnover rate is well below the national standard and I think that speaks to the culture that we’ve created and our commitment to the Magnet standard. If you have a low turnover rate, it reduces the financial burden of the institution having to onboard more nurses to keep up with higher turnover.
The education level of our nurses and the percentage of our nurses that are specialty certified were two pieces of our distinction designation, so we are clearly leading the way in those efforts.
Ms. Christie Griffin-Jones: It’s our shared purpose that makes it effortless to be able to obtain a recognition as Magnet, and now Magnet with Distinction, and aligns with all of our strategic values and goals. It’s a passion that every nurse brings forward in their day-to-day operations.
During the Magnet site visit, one of the [post-anesthesia care unit] nurses actually moved the appraisers to tears when they said, “Hope is in the hallways.” It gives me chills when I think and reflect on that comment. When our nurses show up every day, they want to make a difference.
At MD Anderson, nurses have a seat at the table, and that’s essential for any Magnet hospital — to have nurses being able to be a part of the decision-making process. Multiple teams expressed, throughout our institution and at all levels, a desire to be a part of the research infrastructure that we have. The sheer number of our nurses involved in research was another key component of our Magnet document.
Q: What specific strategies have been most effective in promoting nurse satisfaction, retention and engagement?
KS: One of the things that we do here at MD Anderson that is a distinction with Magnet organizations is that we believe in shared governance, nurses are engaged in decision-making across the institution. They are on interdisciplinary committees and are involved in policy and care delivery decisions, and that type of engagement is critical.
A nurse wants to be able to inform how care is delivered. They want to be a part of the interdisciplinary, interprofessional team. Having a commitment to that shared governance structure — not only within how nurses deliver care, but how we deliver care as an interprofessional team — is incredibly important. That’s what nurses are: professionals. They want to evolve and improve care, and the patient experience. If they’re involved in decision-making and they’re involved in initiatives that push our care forward, they want to stay here.
Q: Can you share a bit on how the Meyers Institute for Oncology Nursing model contributes to institutional resilience and mitigates burnout in a demanding cancer care environment?
KS: We are so excited to have been able to establish the Meyers Institute for Oncology Nursing, and that could have only been done through generous philanthropic support. We launched the Meyers Institute a year and a half ago, and it came out of looking at nursing and asking, “How can we build and sustain a strong nursing workforce here at MD Anderson? How do we lead in nursing and oncology nursing both nationally and globally?” We wanted to invest in nursing in a way that went beyond hiring recruitment and retention.
Whether that investment is in leadership development and growth, well-being or continuing to expand evidence-based practice nursing research and innovation, the Meyers Institute provides support and programming that allows us to continue to move all of that forward.
We are looking forward to continuing to develop at the Meyers Institute, there is so much more to come. We also established the Wheeler Nursing Leadership Academy to invest in our nursing leaders and enhance their leadership skills.
Q: Looking to the future – what is next for nursing at MD Anderson?
KS: Innovation is a space where nurses can truly lead. I am so proud of the work we’ve done with virtual nursing, but we have so much more we can do. With our expansion further out in Texas, in Austin and Sugar Land, our virtual nursing platform will just continue to grow.
Nurses are going to be at the forefront of what smart room technology looks like in the future.
We have, over the last year, sent several of our nurses to educational opportunities so that they could learn what it takes to have a culture that embraces innovation and how it will set us up for the future.
CJ: When I reflect on not only where nursing is going but the impact of the future on our Magnet redesignation. It’s a global recognition that we don’t take lightly. As Magnet continues to do research and gather evidence on what’s next, each cycle gets more and more intense and there is a higher focus on outcomes.
What that means for MD Anderson as an organization is that we’ve got to continue to improve our shared governance structures and functions as well. It doesn’t stop. It’s a continuous cycle of improvement.
