Eligibility

The following eligibility requirements apply to organizations applying for the Pathway to Excellence Program.

Chief Nursing Officer and Nursing Leadership
The applicant organization must designate one individual as the chief nursing officer (CNO) who is ultimately accountable for the standards of nursing practice throughout the organization.

• The CNO is responsible for all nursing practice; therefore, all areas and campuses under the CNO's accountability where nursing is present must be included in the application, regardless of reporting relationships.
• The CNO, as part of the organization's highest governing, decision- making, and strategic-planning body, advocates for nursing to the Board of Directors.
• The Chief Nursing Officer/Director of Nursing must have a minimum of a baccalaureate degree in nursing.
  • If the baccalaureate degree (or higher) in nursing was obtained outside the United States, the Chief Nursing Officer/Director of Nursing does not need to have the degree evaluated for comparability to US degree requirements.
  • If the Chief Nursing Officer/Director of Nursing is educated outside the United States and does not hold a baccalaureate (or higher) nursing degree, they must have their credentials evaluated for comparability to US degree standards through Commission on Graduate of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS). You may email mrawls@cgfns.org for further information.
• All requirements must be maintained through the application phase, the review phase, and designation as a Pathway to Excellence organization.
• Appointees as interim CNOs and subsequent CNOs must also comply with all requirements. 

Organizational Structure
Any size or type of health care group where nurses care for patients can apply for Pathway designation, as long as it is fully compliant with state and federal laws. Individual organizations within the system may apply; however, a multi-facility healthcare system cannot apply as a whole. (For those with campuses, please refer to the campus definition below.)

Long-term care organizations can pursue a different, dedicated application and review process that addresses standards unique to that environment – the Pathway to Excellence in Long Term Care program.

Compliance
The organization must be compliant with all state and/or federal laws as they relate to registered nurses in the workplace.

Terms Defined

• chief nursing officer
  The highest-level nurse with ultimate responsibility for all nursing practice within the organization. In long-term care, this role is synonymous with the "director of nursing" (DON).
• nurse manager
  A registered nurse responsible for the supervision of registered nurses and other health care providers who deliver nursing care in an inpatient or outpatient area. The nurse manager’s primary domains of activity are planning, organizing, leading, and evaluating. The term “nurse manager” is not synonymous with the chief nursing officer. In long-term care, “nurse manager” may be used interchangeably with “associate director,” “charge nurse,” or “supervisor.” 
• remote care sites
  • branch
    For Pathway purposes, a branch is a remote care site of a free-standing ambulatory care organization (e.g., Clinics, ED, Urgent Care, Infusion Center, Medical Groups, Dialysis Center) that provides only ambulatory services. The CNO of the applicant organization is accountable for nursing practice at the branch(es). The executive leadership and Board of Directors are shared across the applicant site and branches. Policies and procedures are the same for the applicant site and branches, as are ancillary resources.
  • campus
    For Pathway purposes, campuses are remote care sites of an in-patient organization (e.g., Hospital, Rehab, LTC facilities). The CNO of the applicant organization is accountable for nursing practice at the campus(es). The executive leadership and Board of Directors are shared across the applicant site and campus. Policies and procedures are the same for the applicant site and campus, as are ancillary resources. Campuses typically provide services to augment the full set of services offered at the primary site. If the additional campus is an acute care setting, the nurses are shared between the acute care sites.

Eligibility criteria: Pathway to Excellence application

Is this an individual healthcare organization? If NO, please refer to definitions above or contact the Pathway Program Office for further clarification or click on the link: Pre-app Eligibility

A Multi-facility healthcare system cannot apply as a whole. However, individual organizations within the system may apply.

• Is the organization compliant with all state and /or federal laws as they relate to registered nurses in the workplace?
• Will the organization have a CNO/ DON in place at the time of application?
• Does the CNO/ DON hold a BSN or higher degree in nursing?

Answering yes to all of these questions indicates your organization is automatically eligible to apply for Pathway to Excellence designation.

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Answering no to any of these questions indicates your organization may be ineligible to apply for Pathway to Excellence designation.

For more information, contact the Pathway office.

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