St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital Achieves Pathway to Excellence National Nursing Designation

St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital has achieved the Pathway to Excellence® designation by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) and is the first acute pediatric hospital to achieve this recognition in the State of Florida and second in the United States.

The ANCC awards the Pathway to Excellence to health care organizations with elements of work environments where nurses can flourish and feel empowered.

“The designation substantiates nursing job satisfaction and identifies St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital as one of the best places to work,” said Lisa Johnson, senior vice president/chief nursing officer at BayCare Health System. “It confirms our commitment to creating an environment where nurses excel and know their efforts are valued and supported.”

To qualify, organizations need to meet 6 practice standards essential to an ideal nursing environment:

• Shared decision-making
• Leadership
• Safety
• Quality
• Well-being
• Professional development.

Applicants must successfully undergo a thorough review process that documents the integration of those standards in the organization's practices, policies and culture.

Pathway designation can only be achieved if an organization's nurses validate the data and other evidence submitted, via an independent, confidential survey submitted to every licensed nurse in the facility.

“What we are most pleased with is the Nurse Survey response rate,” said Johnson. “We had a 94 percent response rate, which means 298 of the 316 nurses took the survey over a 21 day period. I am extremely proud that our nurses at St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital feel this is a place where they can effectively serve our patients and achieve their goals.” 

St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital joins Morton Plant Hospital, Mease Dunedin Hospital, Mease Countryside Hospital, Morton Plant North Bay Hospital and St. Anthony’s Hospital as BayCare hospitals that have achieved the Pathway to Excellence designation. 

“Our goal is to have all BayCare hospitals recognized by the ANCC in the next year,” Johnson adds. “This would mean Pathway to Excellence designation for all 14 BayCare hospitals.”