Dole va garners international designation of excellence. | va wichita health care | veterans affairs

I am excited to announce that Robert J. Dole VA Medical Center has been designated a Pathway to Excellence health care facility by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC).  The

Pathway to Excellence Program recognizes a health care organization’s commitment to creating a positive practice environment that empowers and engages staff. This is very prestigious

recognition for us. We are one of only 11 VA medical centers, one of 204 medical facilities nationwide, and one of only three hospitals in the State of Kansas to receive this designation.

Our status as a Pathway to Excellence facility is a strong indicator of the quality of care we provide to our Veterans, but it also reflects our focus on developing and continuously

improving a positive practice environment for our nurses across a variety of health care settings. The ANCC Pathway to Excellence Standards impact a range of factors that influence

bottom-line results, such as employee turnover, job satisfaction and engagement, productivity and teamwork, nursing-sensitive quality indicators, errors and safety events, and patient

satisfaction. We started this journey nearly two years ago at the height of the COVID pandemic. Becoming a Pathway to Excellence health care facility is no small feat, but to do it under

such conditions is a testament of the dedication and excellence of our nursing staff. Associate Director of Patient Care Services and Nurse Executive Dr. Julie Cotton stressed the honor was

not bestowed in recognition of special actions by our nurses. “There was no effort to do things differently just to achieve this designation,” Dr. Cotton said. “We just did what we always

do, and that is serve our Veterans the very best we can.” “Our nursing staff bought in to our mission completely and embraced our values absolutely,” she said. “This is an international

designation for all of us.” Being the drivers of both the application process for the Pathway to Excellence Program and the practices, policies, and culture that enabled us to achieve this

elite status, we are very proud of our nurses. Becoming a High Reliability Organization takes every one of us, and our designation as a Pathway to Excellence facility shows our focus on that

goal. This acknowledges not only our nurses’ commitment to quality, resiliency, and safe practices but that of our entire team and we are very proud of all of them. This is a historic

moment.