Pathway to Excellence® with Distinction, new to the 2024 manual, is an advanced recognition given by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) to healthcare organizations that go beyond meeting the standard Pathway to Excellence designation criteria and demonstrate exceptional performance in key areas as determined by the ANCC.
If an organization achieves “Pathway With Distinction,” it means that the organization has demonstrated the highest level of achievement in the Pathway framework by:
- Achieving Pathway to Excellence standards and shown measurable, sustained excellence across all six practice standards.
- Providing strong outcome data that connects nursing practices directly to high-quality patient care and workplace culture.
- Showing leadership in promoting nurse-driven innovation and fostering a culture of continuous improvement.
Organizations do not apply separately for Pathway with Distinction, but rather achieve this higher level within the standard Pathway process.
To be considered “with Distinction,” your organization needs to demonstrate strong links between nursing practice and quality outcomes, innovative nurse-led practices, and sustained outcomes tied to the Pathway standards. Your organization must also provide robust supporting evidence of outcome data that proves sustained excellence in the six Pathway standards, as well as narratives that describe nurse-led improvements, and examples of how nurses influence organizational decisions.
In addition to achieving excellence in your Pathway submission, your organization must also go above and beyond in the ANCC’s confidential Pathway Survey of your nursing staff, which follows appraisal results of your entire submission document. To achieve “with Distinction,” your organization’s survey results must meet a higher benchmark, show consistent positive responses across departments and roles, and demonstrate staff satisfaction and engagement that exceeds national norms.
ANCC appraisers review all submitted documentation and survey results. If your organization exceeds expectations in the review process, the ANCC awards Pathway to Excellence with Distinction.
Receiving Pathway to Excellence with Distinction reflects a commitment not just to nursing excellence but to an organizational culture that empowers nurses to lead, innovate, and thrive. It is considered a mark of distinction that positions an organization as a model of nursing excellence. When you work with Tipton Health, we will edit and coach your examples to be a strong as possible to give you your best chance at earning exemplars.