• E-mail
• Print
• RSS

Ten tips to weave a web of Magnetism

Nurse Leader Weekly, May 8, 2006

Want to receive articles like this one in your inbox? Subscribe to Nurse Leader Weekly!

Connecting with colleagues involved in the Magnet journey can feel like striking a gold mine. Many times, however, such meetings are sporadic and unplanned-you run into a fellow coordinator at a conference, or have a brief conversation with a nurse manager from a Magnet facility over the phone.

So why not take the irregularity out of these chance meetings and create your own gold mine? That's the idea behind the Massachusetts Magnet Network Group (MMNG), a consortium formed by nurse leaders from several healthcare facilities in that state.

The group, which was started more than a year ago, now consists of 15 healthcare organizations that get together several times a year to share best practices, Magnet experiences, and other forms of support.

If you're interested in developing such a group, take heed of the following ten tips offered by Michelle Barrella, RN, BSN, coordinator of nursing professional advancement at Boston Medical Center and member of the MMNG:

1. Start with a group of committed people. These individuals can range from Magnet coordinators to nurse managers who are interested in learning about the Magnet process.

2. Come up with some ground rules or bylaws that make sense for the committee. These rules don't need to be set in stone. In fact, it may be better to start out with only a few expectations and let the group evolve from there.

3. Elect one person who is willing to take on the coordinator role.

4. Determine how often your group will meet and where.

5. Create an agenda for each meeting. Send out an email or speak with members to see if there are any topics or questions they would like to discuss and make them the focus of the meeting.

6. Allow the host person/facility to run the meeting (i.e., take minutes, notes, etc.). The host facility can share the work with the coordinator and others, if needed.

7. For the first initial meetings, focus on more general issues. Allow time for group and individual introductions, and have people give status reports on where they are in the process.

8. Make it clear that the group's purpose is all in the spirit of supporting one another's success.

9. Stress the importance open sharing, but with the understanding that personal information will remain confidential. Make trust the foundation of your group.

10. Have an open mind. Be more inclusive than exclusive and remember that everyone can learn from one another.

Source: Magnet Status Advisor, May 2006, HCPro, Inc.

Want to receive articles like this one in your inbox? Subscribe to Nurse Leader Weekly!

• E-mail to a Colleague
• Print
• RSS
• Archive