***click here*** for a printable Magnet Glossary (version date September 15, 2010)
Accountability – The concept of being answerable or responsible for one’s actions. The primary goals of professional accountability in nursing are to resolve problems, maintain high standards of care, and to protect patients from harm.
Advanced Practice Nurse (APN or APRN) –A registered nurse who has met advanced educational and clinical practice requirements beyond the basic nursing education required of all RN’s. This includes many roles such as nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives, clinical nurse specialists, and certified registered nurse anesthetists.
American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) – The ANCC is the largest and most prestigious nurse credentialing organization in the United States. ANCC developed the Magnet Recognition Program to recognize hospitals and healthcare organizations that provide nursing excellence.
Autonomy – the capacity to consider alternatives, make choices, and make an informed, independent decision.
Benchmarking – Comparing data within the organization or outside for the purpose of goal setting and performance measurements. Benchmarking allows an organization to compare themselves with others so they can identify best practices to incorporate into their care.
Bylaws – the Nursing Staff Bylaws is the document that provides the framework for accountability and autonomy in nursing at Vanderbilt. They define the responsibility of nursing board, committees, and councils. The Bylaws can be accessed on the Vanderbilt Nursing Shared Governance site under the Nursing Bylaws tab.
Care Delivery System – a system for the provision of care that outlines the nurses’ authority and accountability for clinical decision-making and outcomes. The care delivery system describes the context and manner in which care is delivered, the skill set required, and expected outcomes of care.
Certification – a process by which a nongovernmental agency or association validates that an individual licensed to practice a profession has met certain predetermined standards. The purpose of nurses holding specific certifications is to ensure that an individual has mastered a body of knowledge and acquired skills in a particular specialty. Examples include CCRN, CPN, OCN, etc. It does not routinely include ACLS, PALS, or BLS in which the nurse is certified for the ability to perform clinical interventions.
Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) - the nurse who participates in the management of healthcare services delivery by directing and coordinating the work of nursing and other personnel and representing nursing services. The Executive Chief Nursing Officer for Vanderbilt Nursing is Marilyn Dubree, RN, MSN, NE-BC
Elevate – A Vanderbilt initiative that promotes a culture of excellence based on service to patients, commitment to colleagues, and professionalism. One Elevate goal is to strengthen VUMC leadership practices to recruit, retain, and develop an engaged and committed workforce.
Evidence-based Practice (EBP) – Process by which clinical decisions are made using best available evidence, clinical expertise, and patient preference.
Exemplary Professional practice –A way to describe practice when nurses are key members on an interdisciplinary, collaborative team that works to achieve high quality patient outcomes. It also includes staff having significant impact on staffing and scheduling processes, functioning autonomously, and being grounded by a culture of safety and quality.
Forces of Magnetism - The original Magnet research from 1983 first identified 14 characteristics that differentiated organizations that were best able to recruit and retain nurses during the nursing shortages of the 1970s and 1980s. These characteristics became the ANCC Forces of Magnetism that provide the conceptual framework for the Magnet appraisal process. These forces are still valid and the concepts are included within the Essential Components of Magnet organizations (Transformational Leadership, Structural Empowerment, Exemplary Nursing Practice, New Knowledge, Research, and Innovation, and Empirical Outcomes).
Handover – structured process to accurately and efficiently transfer patients and patient information from one care giver or healthcare team to another. Handovers should be conducted using the SBAR format and in an environment that is free from distraction or interruption.
Innovation – the introduction of something new or a change in the thought process for doing something to improve outcomes, efficiency, cost effectiveness or user experience.
Institutional Review Board (IRB) – A board, committee, or other group formally designated by an organization to review and approve research involving humans as participants and conduct periodic review of that research. This is an independent committee comprised of scientific, non-scientific, and non-affiliated members established according to the requirements of U.S. federal regulations.
Licensure – the process of granting permission to engage in a specified activity or to perform a specified act. Permission generally is granted following confirmation of knowledge (usually by way of a test) and abilities (demonstrated competencies to perform specific activities and tasks).
Magnet Designation – the highest level of recognition that the American Nurses credentialing Center can accord to health care organizations which provide nursing care.
New knowledge, Innovations and Improvements – Nurses using evidence based practice, research, and QI information to make changes in their practice and ensure their patients are receiving the best healthcare available. Nurses are committed to sharing their expertise and knowledge.
Nurse Practice Act – The basic law in U.S states and territories that defines who may practice nursing and to some extent, how nursing will be practiced in the jurisdiction. ***Click here for more Info***
Nurses at Every Level – This phrase is used to emphasize that it is important that direct-care nurses and nurses in every role, not solely nurse managers and nurse administrators, participate in decision-making bodies.
Nursing Research – a systematic search for knowledge about issues of importance to the nursing profession. Nursing research may develop knowledge to build the scientific foundation for clinical practice, prevent disease and disability, manage and eliminate symptoms caused by illness, and enhance end of life and palliative care. ***Click here for more info***
Nurse Satisfaction – job satisfaction expressed by nurses. Usually measured by asking a uniform series of questions designed to elicit nursing staff attitudes toward specific aspects of their employment situation.
Nursing Sensitive Indicators – factors that reflect the structure, process and outcomes of nursing care. “Patient outcomes that are determined to be nursing sensitive are those that improve if there is a greater quantity or quality of nursing care (e.g. pressure ulcers, falls, IV infiltrations).” ***Click here for more info*** Source: ANA
Outcomes –measurable results of a nursing process. Empirical outcomes are ones that are based on evidence. Outcomes that are important in a magnet organization are outcomes related to patients, nurses, the organization, and consumers.
Patient satisfaction – Patient opinion of the care received. Usually measured by asking a series of questions designed to elicit patient views about aspects of care.
Professional Practice Model – a description of how nurses practice in a highly collaborative and interdisciplinary manner to provide the highest quality care to those served by the organization. Vanderbilt has defined their model by putting patients and family at the core. See Exemplary Nursing Practice.
Quality Improvement (QI) – Process of continually evaluating existing processes of care and developing new standards of practice.
Rapid Response Team (RRT) – a team of healthcare providers that respond when patients show signs of deterioration in their clinical condition. Staff is educated on changes in patient’s conditions that may warrant calling the RRT. Family Initiated RRT gives family members a way to get medical help when they feel that something is just not right.
SBAR – method to format handover information when giving report on patients to oncoming staff members. S=situation, B=background, A=assessment, and R=recommendations, Shared Leadership/Participative Decision-Making – a model in which nurses are formally organized to participate in decision making about clinical practice standards, workplace operations, quality improvement, staff and professional development, and research. VUMC uses a Shared Governance model for shared decision making.
Shared Governance – a dynamic staff-leader partnership that promotes collaboration, shared decision making and accountability for improving quality of care, safety, and enhancing work life. Examples of shared governance vehicles are unit/clinic boards, committees, task forces, and surveys seeking staff member’s input. Any avenue which gives staff a way to be heard and included in decisions that directly impact them.
Staff Nurse Council – nursing representatives from each unit within the medical center who form a committee to serve in an advisory capacity and provide a forum for direct dialogue with key leaders on topics related to quality of work life, clinical quality, patient/family care and professional development. At Vanderbilt, there is a staff council for VUH, Children’s Hospital, VMG, and VPH.
Standard – a norm that expresses an agreed-upon level of performance with the aim of achieving excellence in practice.
Structural Empowerment –An environment that provides a mechanism for nurses to have a voice in their daily work and professional practice. (Putting policies, procedures and processes in place – the structures that also support patient care)
Transformational Leadership – leaders that have a vision for the future and strategically plan to prepare for the organization to advance. They help individuals and departments see where they fit into future plans, they guide staff through transitions, and they advocate for staff.
