Writing Non-EO Magnet Exemplars in 6 Easy Steps
Welcome back to the Excellence in Nursing blog! Today, we’re diving into non-Empirical Outcome (non-EO) exemplars.
BTW: If you’re looking for tips on EOs, check out our last post: 5 Essential Steps to Master Your Magnet EO Exemplars.
While EOs are built around specific, measurable, and data-driven results—hence the term empirical outcomes—non-EO exemplars demonstrate nursing excellence without requiring direct outcome data.
But don’t let that fool you—non-EOs are still packed with evidence. It’s just a different kind of evidence.
Writing non-EO exemplars requires a combination of strategy and precision. The goal is to tell a focused, evidence-backed story that demonstrates nursing excellence in your organization.
Many people overcomplicate the narrative or include unnecessary details that don’t directly align with key requirements. This guide will help you streamline your process, spotlight your team’s strengths, and leave a lasting impression on Magnet appraisers.
So, let’s dive in:
Step 1: Master Your SOE Requirements
Whether you’re working on an EO or a non-EO, the first step is always the same—take out your Magnet Manual and thoroughly review the Sources of Evidence (SOE) criteria. Highlight or underline the key elements. This may sound basic, but missing even one critical element can undermine your entire narrative.
Ask yourself:
What’s the focus? Interprofessional collaboration, innovation, EBP?
Who are the key players? Clinical nurses, nurse managers, interprofessional teams?
What must we demonstrate?
No guesswork here. If anything’s unclear, use the ANCC glossary to clarify.
Example: Let’s say your SOE focuses on a nurse manager advocating for resources to meet a unit goal. Here’s how to break it down:
Unit Goal: What’s the goal, and how will you prove it (show evidence)?
Nurse Manager’s Advocacy: What did the Nurse Manager advocate for, and what or where’s the evidence?
Resources Supporting the Unit Goal: How did the resources support the unit goal?
Key Tip: While this SOE may not explicitly require proof of the resources being secured, including this information strengthens your narrative. Demonstrating that the resources directly supported the goal shows a more complete picture. Magnet appraisers are looking for a clear, cohesive story— so, make it as airtight as possible.
Step 2: Pinpoint the Perfect Example
Once you’ve mastered the criteria, the next step is selecting an example of nursing excellence from your organization that fits. Choosing a solid story is crucial—it must align with the key requirements, highlight nursing excellence, and fall within the required 48-month submission window.
Story selection and alignment (or SOE mapping) is a detailed process and topic that I’ll cover in an upcoming blog post. For now, don’t force an example that doesn’t fully match the SOE criteria—it will show in your final narrative.
Example: Let’s continue with the nurse manager’s advocacy example from Step 1. Here’s what a well-aligned story might look like:
Unit Goal: The goal is to improve patient safety by reducing nurse turnover and improving staffing ratios.
Nurse Manager’s Advocacy: After analyzing turnover data, the nurse manager identified key challenges and advocated for $30,000 in funding to support professional development and workplace improvements.
Step 3: Lock in Your Evidence
Before you start writing, gather all the evidence you’ll need to support your narrative. Each key element of the SOE statement must be backed by strong documentation.
Gather first, write second. You don’t want to draft your exemplar only to find later that you lack the evidence to substantiate key points.
The ANCC Magnet Manual provides specific details on what types of evidence are acceptable for non-EO exemplars, so be sure to refer to it for additional guidance. For now, here are some ideas to get you started:
Example: Continuing with the NM’s advocacy example, here are several types of evidence you can use—meeting minutes, strategic plans, emails, memos, reports. The possibilities are broad, so don’t limit yourself. Consider the following:
Unit Goal Evidence: Gather documents that prove the existence of the unit goal. This could include:
Unit Strategic Plan: A formal document outlining the goal of improving patient safety by reducing turnover and increasing staffing ratios.
Meeting Minutes: Documentation of leadership discussions where staffing and turnover were identified as key issues impacting patient care, along with the goal to improve safety by addressing these challenges.
Emails or Memos: Internal communications, such as an email from the NM or unit leadership, outlining the high turnover as a critical challenge and emphasizing the unit’s goal to reduce turnover and improve staffing ratios.
Advocacy Evidence: Next, find evidence that supports the NM’s advocacy. This could include:
Correspondence: Emails or memos from the NM to leadership, requesting resources to address staffing challenges and proposing solutions like professional development programs.
Leadership Meeting Agendas & Minutes: Detailed notes from the meeting where the NM presented the case for additional resources.
Budget Request: The formal request submitted by the NM for funding to support staff retention, mentorship programs, and workplace improvements.
Implementation Evidence: Finally, gather evidence showing how the resources were used to achieve the goal:
Professional Development Program Documents: Materials outlining the professional development and mentorship programs rolled out as part of the initiative.
Turnover Data: Reports demonstrating a reduction in turnover rates and improved staffing ratios following the implementation of the initiatives.
Staff Satisfaction Surveys: Results showing increased job satisfaction or staff morale after workplace improvements and mentorship programs were introduced.
Key Tip: Before you begin drafting, organize your evidence and ensure each document aligns with the key elements of the SOE. This preparation ensures your exemplar is cohesive and well-supported, making it easier to integrate the evidence seamlessly into your narrative.
Step 4: Prioritize and Organize the Strongest Evidence
Now that you’ve gathered the evidence, narrow it down to the five strongest pieces. Magnet allows five, so choose wisely. Here’s how to prioritize:
Relevance: Each piece of evidence should substantiate a key element of the SOE statement.
Variety: Use a mix of policies, meeting minutes, emails, and data for a comprehensive view.
Completeness: Each piece should include relevant dates, names, and signatures (if applicable)—without these, your evidence won’t hold up.
Here’s how to organize your evidence:
Label Each Piece: Use a clear and consistent naming convention. Here is an example: SOE.1: Unit Strategic Plan. Be sure to label each piece according to the actual SOE number you're addressing (e.g., TL1.1). Make sure you stay consistent with this process throughout the entire document.
Reference in the Narrative: Ensure each reference is placed next to the corresponding statement in the narrative so appraisers can easily connect the dots.
Limit to Five Pieces: More doesn’t equal better—stronger does. Choose the documents that most powerfully substantiate your narrative and directly address the SOE criteria.
Dated and Specific: Every piece of evidence should be dated and include relevant names, roles, and signatures (if applicable). For example, meeting minutes should list the attendees, their titles, and the date and/or location of the meeting.
Example: Let’s select the strongest evidence for the nurse manager’s advocacy example.
Unit Goal Evidence:
The strategic plan or memo outlining the unit’s goal to reduce nurse turnover. This establishes the unit’s overall goal. (SOE.1: Unit Strategic Plan, April 2023)
Advocacy Evidence:
Meeting minutes from the leadership meeting where the NM presented her case and advocated for additional resources. (SOE.2: Leadership Meeting Minutes, May 2023)
The budget request submitted by the NM outlining the need for resources to improve retention and patient safety. (SOE.3: B3 Retention Budget Request, May 2023)
Unit announcement and communication regarding the engagement and retention initiatives, showing how the NM communicated the approved initiatives to the staff and reinforced the importance of the improvements. (SOE.4: Unit Announcement and Communication Re: Engagement and Retention Initiatives)
Implementation Evidence:
Evidence of the NM advocacy and outcomes—turnover data showing a 15% reduction and details from the professional development program showing how resources were implemented. SOE.5: Professional Development Program PPT with Turnover Reduction Data)
Key Tip: Remember, the ANCC Magnet Manual provides specific guidelines on acceptable evidence types and how they should be used, so it’s always worth reviewing it when making your selections. Also, be creative with your evidence—emails, memos, policy documents, meeting minutes, PowerPoint slides, and reports can all help paint a comprehensive picture that makes your case as strong as possible.
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Step 5: Outline Your Narrative
Don’t dive into the writing without a plan. Outlining your narrative first ensures that it stays focused, flows logically, and covers all the SOE criteria.
Use Key Elements as Section Headings: Start by using the key elements from the SOE as section headings. This keeps your narrative structured and ensures you don’t miss any required elements.
Example: In the nurse manager advocacy case, your section headings might include:
The Unit Goal
Nurse Manager’s Advocacy
Impact of the Resource(s)/Support for the Unit Goal
Chronological Order: Organize the events in a logical, chronological order so the appraisers can easily follow the progression of the story. This ensures your narrative flows smoothly and doesn’t feel disjointed.
Example: Begin by identifying the problem (high turnover), followed by the NM’s advocacy efforts. Next, move to the steps taken to secure resources, and conclude with the implementation and outcomes.
Outline Evidence Placement: Identify where each piece of evidence fits into your outline. Linking evidence directly to the appropriate sections is critical to substantiate the claims you’re making.
Tip: As you map out the narrative, note which piece of evidence supports each section. For example, if you're discussing the approval of funding, reference SOE.3: B3 Retention Budget Request in that section.
Sketch Key Points for Each Section: For every section, write down the main point you want to convey before diving into the details. This will help you stay on track and avoid unnecessary information.
Example: In the Nurse Manager’s Advocacy section, the key point might be: Jane Doe advocated for additional funding to improve retention and patient safety by demonstrating the cost of turnover and its impact on care.
By the end of this outlining step, you will have:
A fully mapped-out narrative structure with section headings tied to the SOE criteria.
A clear flow of events in chronological order.
Identified where each piece of evidence will be integrated into the narrative.
A strong sense of the key points you need to communicate in each section.
Step 6: Draft Your Narrative
With your outline and evidence in place, it’s time to write. The goal is to expand on the outline and turn your bullet points into a compelling, well-supported story. Keep it simple and stay focused.
Here’s how to approach drafting:
Start Strong, Stay Focused: Lead each section with a key point and avoid unnecessary details.
Leverage Your Evidence: Integrate evidence seamlessly into the story. Each claim about key elements needs to be backed by the relevant documentation—don’t leave appraisers searching for proof.
Build Logical Flow: Ensure your narrative flows smoothly from one section to the next. Each event should naturally lead into the next, creating a cohesive story.
Stay Aligned with the SOE: Keep the SOE front and center, referencing it continuously to make sure each section responds to the required elements.
Example of a Full Non-EO Exemplar Draft
Here is what the example non-EO draft might look like when it’s all pulled together:
Nurse Manager Advocacy and Strategic Resource Allocation to Improve Retention and Patient Safety on B3 Medicine Unit at Mercy Health
Background: The B3 Medicine Unit Goal
In April 2023, the B3 Medicine Unit at Mercy Health, which serves a high-acuity patient population, faced significant challenges with staffing shortages and high nurse turnover. These issues were directly impacting both patient care and nurse satisfaction. To address these concerns, the unit established a goal to improve patient safety by reducing turnover and improving staffing ratios SOE.1: Unit Strategic Plan, April 2023.
Nurse Manager’s Advocacy for Resources
Nurse Manager (NM) Jane Doe, MSN, RN, NE-BC, recognized the adverse effects turnover was having on both patient safety and staff morale. She conducted an internal cost-benefit analysis that examined the financial impact of turnover, including orientation costs for new staff, as well as the negative effects on patient outcomes—such as increased adverse events and delayed care. Her analysis revealed that turnover was costing the unit approximately $150,000 annually, and these financial losses were compounded by decreased staff engagement and increased patient safety risks.
Armed with this data, NM Doe advocated for additional resources during a leadership meeting in May 2023 SOE.2: Leadership Meeting Minutes, May 2023. She presented her case to the Chief Nursing Officer, Mary Smith, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, requesting $30,000 in funding to support a two-part initiative:
A professional development and mentorship program to retain current staff and attract new hires.
Workplace improvements, such as renovating the breakroom to create a more welcoming space for staff and adding new equipment to enhance workflow efficiency.
The request was approved, and Jane Doe successfully secured the funding SOE.3: B3 Retention Budget Request.
Following the approval, Jane communicated the new initiatives to the B3 nurses and care partners via email announcements and staff meetings. She emphasized the focus on professional development, mentorship, and staff well-being, explaining how these improvements would address the key challenges affecting the unit SOE.4: Unit Announcement and Communication on Engagement and Retention Initiatives.
How the Resources Supported the Unit Goal
With the approved funding, NM Doe launched the professional development and mentorship program in June 2023, offering staff access to continuing education opportunities, mentorship pairings, and leadership development workshops. These initiatives were designed to boost staff retention by investing in their growth and professional satisfaction.
Additionally, workplace improvements were implemented, including an upgraded breakroom, which provided a more comfortable environment for staff to recharge during shifts. These improvements, along with the mentorship program, helped improve overall staff morale and engagement.
By September 2023, the unit had successfully improved staffing ratios and reduced the vacancy rate. Together, the professional development programs and workplace improvements led to a 15% reduction in turnover within six months of implementing the initiatives, aligning with the unit's goal of reducing turnover and enhancing patient safety SOE.5: Professional Development Program PPT with Turnover Reduction Data.
Conclusion
Through strategic advocacy and effective use of resources, NM Jane Doe significantly advanced the B3 Medicine Unit's goal of improving patient safety by addressing staffing challenges and reducing turnover. These initiatives not only fostered a more stable and supportive work environment for the team but also laid a strong foundation for sustained improvements in care quality and workforce stability.
Wrapping it Up and What’s Next…
Drafting Magnet exemplars is a process of refinement—don’t expect perfection on the first try. Stay focused on the SOE requirements, align your evidence with the narrative, and keep refining until your exemplar is both clear and concise.
In an upcoming post, we’ll explore editing strategies to ensure your final draft is polished, professional, and Magnet-ready.
If you have questions, don’t hesitate to reach out. And if you have any tips, tricks, or strategies for tackling non-EO exemplars, I’d love to hear them!
Until next time, onward and upward, Magnet colleagues! 🙂