Are you wondering which journey to take…Pathway to Excellence® or Magnet®?

by Gen Guanci, MEd, RN-BC, CCRN-K

For some organizations which journey to take is significant concern. A comparison of the purpose, similarities, differences and cost can often help gain clarity and lead to the best decision for an organization.

	Pathway to Excellence®	Magnet®
Purpose	To recognize positive practice environment where nurses flourish.	To recognize organizations for excellence in nursing and patient care.
Similarities	Grounded in cultural transformation CNO must have bachelor's degree or higher in nursing Annual Conference 4-year designation Organizational demographic form (ODF) Written document requirements (self-assessment) Organizational Overview Elements of Performance (EOP) Electronic submission	Grounded in cultural transformation CNO must have bachelor's degree or higher in nursing Annual Conference 4-year designation Demographic data collection tool (DDCT) Written document requirements (self-assessment) Organizational Overview Sources of Evidence (SOP) Electronic submission
Submission times	Feb, April, June, Aug and Nov	Feb, April, June, Aug and Oct
Interim report	Annual	Biannual
Nurse Satisfaction Survey	Not Applicable	Vendor driven 7 potential categories
Nurse Satisfaction Participation	Not Applicable	RNs at all levels, APRNs FT, PT, PD, and agency Includes leadership team At least 3 months on the unit
Nurse Satisfaction Requirements	Not Applicable	No completion minimum Within 30 months of document submission Unit level data Submit 4 categories (survey dependent) Majority of units/areas exceed the benchmark 3 out of 4 categories.
Pathway Characteristics Confirmation	On-line from ANCC Items align with EOPs Completed by: RNs, APRNs, LPNs FT, PT, PD, and agency Includes leadership team	Not Applicable
Pathway Characteristics Completion Requirements	60% of all nurses After document is reviewed Aggregated at org level 75% favorable on 2/3 of the items <50% favorable on ANY item stops process Items align with EOPs	Not Applicable
Standards	Shared Decision-Making Leadership Safety Quality Culture of Well-Being Professional Development	Empirical Outcomes Transformational Leadership Structural Empowerment Exemplary Professional Practice New Knowledge, Innovation and Improvement
Differences	No on-site visit CNO does not have to have a Masters degree No mandatory educational credentialing requirements for NM No requirement to belong to an external database of nurse sensitive indicators. Fees are significantly less	On-site visit to verify, clarify and amplify document CNO must have a Master's degree Nurse Leaders must have a bachelor's degree or higher in nursing Must submit data to an external database of nurse sensitive indicators. Fees are significantly higher
Total Cost Examples (Cost Vary based upon bed size. Please refer to ANCC website for the most up-to-date costs.)	50-100 beds: $23,200 100-299 beds: $33,200 300-399 bed: $43,000 400-500 beds: $53,000 600-699 beds: $61,000 >700 beds: $61,000 +	100-399 bed: $58,150 400-499 beds: $68,650 500-649 bed: $78,100 650-799 bed: $104,550 800-949 bed: $121,250 >950 beds: call for pricing

As you can see, there are similarities and differences. Organizations would be wise to make a thoughtful decision on what journey to take. If you would like assistance walking through the decision-making process we can. If you would like a copy of our What Journey to Take Self-Assessment please contact Gen Guanci at gguanci@chcm.com.

MAGNET®, Magnet Recognition Program®, ANCC Magnet Recognition®, Journey to Magnet Excellence®, Pathway to Excellence® Program, Pathway to Excellence in Long Term Care®, Demographic Data Collection Tool®, DDCT®, Practice Transition Accreditation Program® (PTAP) are registered trademarks of the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). The products and services of Creative Health Care Management are neither sponsored nor endorsed by ANCC. All rights reserved. The content presented in here is the expressed opinion of the author/presenter and not that of the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC).