A Program Evaluation of the Organizational Readiness for Pathway to Excellence at Two Community Hospitals

Abstract

The American Nurses Credentialing Center’s (ANCC) mission is to promote excellence in nursing and healthcare globally through credentialing programs (ANCC, 2020). This can be done through individual nurses who certify in specialty areas or through healthcare organizations that promote nursing excellence. Two programs that the ANCC provides for healthcare organizations is Pathway to Excellence® and Magnet Recognition Program® (Pabico & Graystone, 2018). Both programs provide valuable frameworks for achieving nursing excellence in slightly different ways. The Magnet Recognition Program® recognizes healthcare organizations for quality outcomes, patient care and nursing excellence, and innovations in professional practice whereas Pathway to Excellence® emphasizes supportive practice environments which value nurses’ contributions (Pabico & Graystone, 2018). After careful consideration, the chief nursing officer at Spectrum Health Big Rapids and Reed City Hospitals decided to pursue the Pathway to Excellence® program because it had more of a focus on well-being and less of a focus on empirical outcomes.