St. Joseph's Hospital-South Receives Excellence In Nursing Designation

Press release from BayCare Health System:

Oct. 21, 2022

Earlier in 2022, St. Joseph’s Hospital-South in Riverview was redesignated as a Pathway to Excellence Program® through the American Nurses Credentialing Center.

The hospital’s previous designation was from 2017-2021 and the current redesignation is good through 2026. The Pathway to Excellence Program recognizes health care organizations for positive practice environments where nurses excel, nursing leadership fosters a collaborative culture and hospital policies reflect nursing input where patient and nurse safety come first. As a Pathway-designated organization, St. Joseph’s Hospital-South nurses embody the highest standards in nursing practice. Better quality care from nurses means better outcomes for patients.

To qualify for the designation, St. Joseph’s Hospital-South had to meet practice standards essential to an ideal nursing environment. The hospital conducted a review process to fully document the integration of those standards in practices, policies and culture. St. Joseph’s Hospital-South nurses validated the data and other submitted data via an independent, confidential survey. This was a critical element exemplifying the theme of empowering and giving nurses a voice.

“Pathway to Excellence is recognized by the American Nurse Credentialing Center as achieving our commitment to providing a positive, high-quality care environment that empowers our nurses and staff,” said Rita Smith, St. Joseph’s Hospital-South’s director of patient services. Rita oversees nursing personnel and leads and evaluates the nursing team and helps to set nursing objectives and long-term goals.

“This creates a culture of teamwork, excellent care, successful recruitment and staff retention,” she said. “Our nurses and staff have a voice in the care we provide and nurses feel empowered by having this opportunity. It is a huge honor to achieve this again at St. Joseph’s Hospital-South. It means we’ve met every expectation as a team. It’s a team achievement. It’s getting nurses, managers and leadership to unite as one to give the care the community needs.”

This press release was produced by BayCare Health System. The views expressed here are the author's own.