CEO Greg Seiler addresses the nursing team as CNO Chadi Awad looks on.

San Antonio, TX — Methodist Hospital Metropolitan is on the Pathway to Excellence, again.

Earlier this month, the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) renewed the hospital’s Pathway to Excellence Designation.

“I remain humbled by my team for doing such amazing work without hesitation, despite concerns of COVID-19,” said Chadi Awad, Chief Nursing Officer for Methodist Hospital Metropolitan.

He added that while this pandemic has slowed down initiatives around the world, his team has not slowed down. This honor is proof of that.

“I truly believe the best way to defeat COVID-19 is to continue to rise above the occasion,” Awad said. “My team did just that.”

Added Awad: “To accomplish this honorable milestone during a global pandemic is by no measure a surprise for us.”

The Pathway to Excellence Program is a premier designation. It recognizes health care and long-term-care organizations that are creating an environment that encourages its nurses to excel.

Organizations must meet six Practice Standards that are essential to creating an ideal nursing environment: Shared decision-making; leadership; safety; quality; well-being; and professional development.

Applicants must also undergo a review process to ensure that their organization has indeed implemented those standards in its practices, policies and culture. Designation is possible only after nurses within the hospital validate the data and any other evidence their company provided via an independent, confidential survey. This survey is critical, officials contend, as it exemplifies the mission of empowering nurses and giving them a voice.

Mary Lee Potter, director of professional nursing practice for Methodist Hospital Metropolitan, admits that COVID-19 did make the 2020 process especially challenging.

“Submitting the packet at the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, and taking the nurse survey in the middle of a pandemic was a huge undertaking and risk,” she said. “The re-designation was an incredible win for the nurses, and I felt tremendous pride for them and their achievements.”


About the American Nurses Credentialing Center

The American Nurses Credentialing Center is a subsidiary of the American Nurses Association. The Center recognizes healthcare organizations that promote nursing excellence and quality patient outcomes while providing safe, positive work environments.

tags: covid-19