GOING FOR
MAGNET
Magnet designation
is the gold stan-
dard for nursing
excellence inter-
nationally. Kootenai
Health first received
this designation in
2006 and was redes-
ignated in 2011.
“The decision to seek Magnet designation was
totally in the hands of the nursing staff,” said
Carmen Brochu, chief nursing officer. “We began
the journey in early 2001.”
Only about 390 hospitals internationally hold
Magnet designation. To receive designation,
staff must meet rigorous standards in 14 areas
of practice. Getting Magnet designation is about
creating a healthy work environment, collegial
relationships, employee engagement, evidence-
based practice, quality nursing care outcomes,
and transformational leadership.
“Magnet really is the gold standard for nurs-
ing excellence,” said Carmen. “It’s one way
patients can know they are going to receive the
best nursing care available, and the quality of
nursing care is a strong indication of the care
patients receive overall.”
But it is still only one indication. Nursing at
its core remains as much art as science. When
asked about the differences between nurses en-
tering the field in the 1970s and 80s and today,
Carmen lists some core similarities.
“There are generational differences, of course,
but nurses today have the same passion to care
for people and drive to do their best. That hasn’t
changed,” said Carmen.
Members of nursing leadership throughout Kootenai Health work
together to ensure patients receive the best care possible.
“In those days patients were in the hospital much
longer than they are today,” Carmen said. “The average
length of stay was around seven days so nurses had
more time to connect with their patients. Today there
are instances where patients that used to be in the hos-
pital four or five days are sent home the same day.”
Having patients in the hospital for a shorter time
does not mean less work for nurses. In fact, it’s quite
the opposite. Patients who are in the hospital are
generally sicker and require more care from the nurses.
And there are more patients to care for.
“Our daily census (the number of patients in the hos-
pital at any given time) is more than double what it was
in 1988,” said Carmen. “And nurses are doing about
40 percent more work for every patient they care for.”
Not surprisingly, advances in technology and medi-
cines have impacted nursing as well. IV pumps, oxygen
monitoring equipment and bedside computers, now key
to patient care, were absent 20 years ago.
In some ways, nursing has come into its own as a
profession over the past 25 years. With increasing
expectations for advanced education, technical skills,
and disease-specific plans of care, nurses have seen a
comparable increase in compensation. Once a second-
income profession, nurses are often their families’
primary breadwinners. This shift has lured more men
to the formerly female-dominated career. In our region,
Kootenai Health is leading this trend. Currently 16 per-
cent of Kootenai’s nursing staff are men, well above the
national average of 5 to 6 percent.
With sweeping changes on the horizon for health
care, nursing is sure to see its share as well. Carmen’s
own predictions with nurses at the center of progress
reveal a vision that explains her ability to navigate
25 years of industry change.
“I see nurses becoming catalysts in a continuum of
care that is much broader than before,” Carmen said.
“That will include doing things to encourage health
through personal wellness and prevention. Nurses will
be working to keep patients from needing a trip to the
hospital in the first place.”
Even with a commitment to retirement, Carmen’s ex-
citement about the future of nursing is clear. Once again,
it’s all about nurses as people and as a profession. “I am
most proud of my nurses. They give of themselves and
they work hard. They always want to do their best.”
KOO T ENA I
HE A LT H
. ORG
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