St. Luke’s Hospital Achieves Pathway to Excellence® Designation

On Thursday, Southcoast Health nurses, leaders and staff celebrated the official announcement that St. Luke’s Hospital has received designation as a Pathway to Excellence^® Hospital by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), joining an elite group of hospitals worldwide that lead the way in providing supportive practice environments, shared governance and elevating nurses’ voices.

With this prestigious recognition, Southcoast Health is now the only multi-hospital system in New England to earn Pathway to Excellence designation for all its hospitals.

The Pathway designation is a global credential that highlights Southcoast Health’s commitment to creating a healthy work environment where nurses feel empowered and valued. Very few hospitals earn this prestigious recognition. Following Charlton Memorial and Tobey Hospital’s designations in 2024 and 2025, respectively, St. Luke’s is now only the fifth hospital in Massachusetts to achieve Pathway designation.

“Our exceptional nurses have played a pivotal role in achieving this honor,” said Alicia Pimentel, DNP, RN and Associate Chief Nursing Officer for St. Luke’s Hospital. “This accomplished group of professionals exemplifies a culture of excellence and the highest standards of care for our patients. I especially want to thank our Pathway to Excellence Program Manager, Andrea Laliberte, DNP, RN for expertly leading this process.”

St. Luke’s nurses are an integral part of the healthcare team, with a voice in policy and practice. Throughout the designation process, this was verified with nurse participation required in a written application and survey attesting that the hospital environment supports its nurses’ needs and promotes high standards.

The Pathway program requires 60 percent of hospital nurses to participate in the survey portion of the application to share their perceptions of the workplace environment. The nurses at St. Luke’s not only met but greatly exceeded this requirement with an impressive 78 percent participation.

“Earning Pathway to Excellence designation reflects the deep respect and support our organization has for nurses and the outstanding care they deliver every day,” said David O. McCready, President and Chief Executive Officer of Southcoast Health. “I want to recognize everyone who contributed to this achievement, especially Jackie, Alicia, Andrea and the nursing team whose dedication made it possible. I am incredibly proud of all St. Luke’s nurses, providers and staff, whose collective focus on collaboration and patient-centered care fosters a healthy, supportive environment for our caregivers.”

“This recognition affirms the caring and inclusive environment we have created – one where nurses are empowered, engaged and encouraged to grow both professionally and personally,” said Jacqueline Somerville, PhD, RN, Senior Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer for Southcoast Health. “I am proud of the collaboration and commitment our nurses demonstrated in achieving designation. Through their dedication to our patients, our community and one another, St. Luke’s Hospital continues to be a place defined by compassion, healing and clinical excellence.”

Beginning their Pathway to Excellence journey in April 2024, nurses at St. Luke’s implemented wellbeing initiatives and shared governance days, relaunched unit-based councils, and researched and implemented nursing evidence-based projects. In addition, nurses collaborated with community partners to provide much-needed donations to support our most vulnerable community members.

“All of these initiatives are a clear demonstration of our nursing staff’s commitment to make Southcoast Health an exceptional place to practice and receive care,” said Andrea Laliberte, DNP, RN.

As Southcoast Health worked to expand Pathway to Excellence designation across its three community hospitals, individual donors generously provided the seed funding for each hospital to launch its Pathway designation journey.

Para saber mais sobre enfermagem na Southcoast Health, visite www.southcoast.org/careers/.