MedStar Southern Maryland Hospital Center Receives ANCC Pathway to Excellence® Designation

First national nursing designation for a Prince George’s County hospital

Clinton, Md (October 26, 2022) – MedStar Southern Maryland Hospital Center was awarded the Pathway to Excellence® designation by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), an enterprise of the American Nurses Association, this week. 

MedStar Southern Maryland Hospital Center treats 45,000 people in its Emergency Department and 11,000 inpatients annually. It is the first national nursing designation for the hospital and makes MedStar Southern Maryland the only hospital in the Southern Maryland peninsula to be Pathway designated. Additionally, MedStar Southern Maryland is the only hospital in Prince George’s County to receive this designation.

The Pathway designation is a global credential that highlights MedStar Southern Maryland’s commitment to creating a healthy work environment where nurses feel empowered and valued. Pathway nurses are engaged, resulting in higher job satisfaction, improved safety for both patients and associates, and better patient outcomes. “The national designation of Pathway to Excellence is a career changing experience for nurses,” says Cody Legler, DNP, chief nursing officer and vice president of Nursing for MedStar Southern Maryland. “I am forever grateful to the team of clinical nurses and nurse leaders at MedStar Southern Maryland for their dedication to this work throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. A thriving nursing practice environment is essential to healthcare delivery now and into the future.”

The four-year designation also reflects the organization’s commitment to excellent patient care. “We are enormously proud of our nurses and this achievement,” says Stephen Michaels, MD, President of MedStar Southern Maryland. “As we continue to grow the exceptional patient care we provide for our community, the sustained excellence in our nursing practice is critical to our success. It is wonderful that our nurses have been recognized for all their efforts.”