If your organization has decided to embark on the Magnet journey or has already earned Magnet recognition, you might
be interested in answers to the frequently asked questions below.

Q My organization is applying for Magnet designation for the first time. What’s the timeline for document submission after application?

A New applicants may submit the online application on any day of the year. Also, the online application, application fee, and supporting documents (such as the chief nursing officer’s curriculum vita, organizational chart, and nationally benchmarked nurse satisfaction survey tool) must be received by the Magnet program office no later than 3 months before the month intended for written documentation submission.

You may choose to submit written documentation on the first business day of February, April, June, August, or October. Changing the documentation submission date will incur an extension fee. Example: If you wish to submit written documentation on April 1, 2012, the application, fee, and supporting documents must have been received by the Magnet Program Office no later than midnight January 1, 2012.

Q What is the new source of evidence announced at the 2011 National Magnet ConferenceJ?

A The new source of evidence (SOE), which will be added to the Magnet application in 2013, supports the Institute of Medicine’s recommendation to increase the proportion of nurses with a baccalaureate degree to 80% by 2020. The SOE reads: "Provide an action plan and set a target, which demonstrates evidence of progress toward having 80% of direct care nurses obtain a baccalaureate degree in nursing or higher by 2020." The SOE will be effective June 1, 2013.

Organizations submitting documentation on or after June 1, 2013 (regardless of the application date) will be expected to address the SOE. The SOE won’t be scored from June 1, 2013, through June 1, 2015. The Commission on Magnet will review the results of the SOE, making a decision on scoring before June 1, 2015.

Q Can you give some guidance about collecting data for nurse-sensitive indicators?

A The intent is to collect data that are applicable and value-added for the particular unit and organization. Organizations must contribute their own data (patient and nurse satisfaction, clinical nurse-sensitive indicators) to a national database that compares the organization’s data against cohort groups at the national level. When a national database is available, it must be used. If a national database is not available for unique clinical areas or subjects, an organization can choose another appropriate way to benchmark. An organization can choose another benchmarking measure or database as long as it can justify the reason for choosing that measure or database. Benchmarking should be done at the highest level possible (national, state, specialty-specific) to have meaning and value. Appraisers will ask: Why are you using it? What did you use to determine the measure? What else did you look at?

Reprinted with permission from the ANCC web site. For the full FAQ, please visit the web site.