OhioHealth journeys to Pathway to Excellence® and Magnet® designations
OhioHealth is dedicated to nursing excellence. One way the system drives outstanding nursing achievements is fostering a path for all its care sites to succeed through ANCC Pathway to Excellence® or Magnet® designations. Both awards are given by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), and they both are a testament to the dedication and collaboration of OhioHealth’s nursing team.
“Magnet and Pathway to Excellence designations are aligned with OhioHealth’s vision and bring benefits to the communities we serve,” said Cynthia Latney, MSN, RN, NE-BC, OhioHealth’s Chief Nursing Executive. “Both designations elevate nursing standards, improve clinical outcomes, and ensure consistent, high-quality care across the health system. Achieving an ANCC designation at all OhioHealth hospitals is one example of our nurses living our nurse’s vision of leading at every level.”
Both ANCC designations highlight a hospital’s commitment to nursing excellence and positive work environments.
Each hospital seeking designation must submit a detailed document demonstrating compliance with Pathway or Magnet standards. For Pathway, the documentation is followed by a nurse survey measuring staff engagement and satisfaction. For Magnet the documentation is followed by a site visit to verify, validate and exemplify the nursing excellence culture. Both the survey and the site visit are opportunities for OhioHealth nurses to share their achievements, goals, and aspirations.
OhioHealth’s Nursing Excellence leaders across the system are part of an OhioHealth specific collaborative that oversee and support nursing excellence at every care site. The group mentors and supports one another through Pathway and Magnet designation activities. OhioHealth Doctors Hospital and OhioHealth Marion General Hospital have achieved Pathway to Excellence Designation while OhioHealth Dublin Methodist Hospital and OhioHealth Berger Hospitals are officially on the Pathway designation journey. OhioHealth Grant Medical Center, OhioHealth Riverside Methodist Hospital and OhioHealth Mansfield Hospital have achieved Magnet Designations. The OhioHealth Nursing Collaborative facilitates sharing of best practices and support in meeting designation and re-designation requirements.
Understanding Pathway to Excellence® and Magnet® designations
Pathway to Excellence is a rigorous four-year designation that recognizes hospitals fostering a positive practice environment for nurses. Often described as a “sister” to Magnet designation, Pathway differs in that it includes both registered nurses (RNs) and licensed practical nurses (LPNs) as direct care providers.
Nurses at any care site pursuing Pathway designation play an integral role in verifying the necessary elements through the Pathway nurse survey, which measures agreement with statements about leadership, professional growth opportunities and workplace culture. For successful redesignation, at least 60% of nurses must complete the survey and a majority must indicate agreement with key statements.
Magnet is a designation given to healthcare organizations as a recognition for nursing excellence. This designation lasts four years and does not come easily.
The necessary paperwork for Magnet involves a lengthy document that shows a hospital meets the right structures, processes, and outcomes to meet the rigorous Magnet standards for excellence. Within the document, leaders are required to show proof of transformational leadership, structural empowerment, exemplary professional practice, new knowledge, innovation, and empirical outcomes that occur within the hospital.
A team effort: the journey to Pathway
Laurel Janning, BSN, RN, Manager of Nursing Excellence oversees the Pathways initiative at Doctors Hospital. Her work involves conducting a gap analysis to identify areas for improvement and leading efforts to collect narratives and success stories that illustrate the hospital’s commitment to the Pathway standards. Doctors Hospital first received Pathway Designation in 2020. Laurel and the team are currently working on redesignation. The Doctors nurses had a 90% participation rate in taking the Pathway survey, well above the minimum threshold. The team is waiting to hear from the ANCC that they have been redesignated, a call which should come any day.
“Our efforts mark a significant milestone for both our nurses and the hospital as a whole,” she said. “Achieving a Pathway designation strengthens our reputation and sets us apart as a leader in healthcare,” she said.
The journey to Pathway redesignation is a meticulously coordinated effort. OhioHealth Marion General Hospital was Pathway Designated in 2021. Their Redesignation, led by Sarah Nagy, MSN, RN, NPD-BC, Manager of Nursing Excellence and the Marion Pathway Steering Committee, is also supported by nurse leaders and additional bedside nurses.
With the November 2025 Pathway submission deadline approaching, the Marion General nursing team remains committed to demonstrating its continued excellence. Through strong leadership, shared governance and a focus on well-being, the hospital is well-positioned to achieve redesignation and possibly earn Pathway with Distinction.
“Our theme for this redesignation is ‘Road Trip to Redesignation,’ because this truly is a journey,” said Nagy. “We evaluate where we are, where we need to be and put strategies in place to close the gaps.”
Pathway to Excellence extends past showing internal achievements, though. Both Doctors and Marion General have strengthened their focus on community engagement, encouraging nurses to participate in outreach programs, health education initiatives and volunteer opportunities that extend their impact beyond hospital walls.
In the spring of 2025, OhioHealth Dublin Methodist Hospital submitted their intention to the ANCC to submit documentation in pursuit of a Pathway designation. OhioHealth Berger Hospital is also working through that process.
Solidifying excellence: fifth Magnet at Grant and Riverside
For more than two decades, Shellie Scribner MSN RN NPD-BC, Manager of Nursing Excellence, OhioHealth Grant Medical Center, has played a role in the hospital’s Magnet journey. Scribner guided the hospital through its latest Magnet designation in 2024.
"I’ve been part of the entire Magnet journey at Grant, which is exciting,” Scribner said. “You don't get to show evidence of excellence one time and then just put in a renewal application; you can’t rest on your laurels. You have to continuously show that the care site is always evolving.”
Grant’s nursing leadership emphasized mentorship and succession planning as critical factors in maintaining Magnet standards. The fifth designation milestone was celebrated with a hospital-wide event, recognizing not just nursing but the entire interprofessional team that contributed to the achievement. “We don’t work in a vacuum. We work collaboratively and we can't do things alone,” Scribner noted.
Amy Sayers, MSN, RN, NE-BC, Manager of Nursing Excellence, OhioHealth Riverside Methodist Hospital understands just how much that collaboration matters for her care site. Amy led the Riverside team to their successful fifth Magnet Designation.
“The designation process provides us the opportunity to highlight the wonderful work and outcomes our awesome nurses are accomplishing at Riverside,” she said. “It reflects our extraordinary culture and continuous dedication to improving the health of those we serve.
Grant and Riverside will not be the only OhioHealth care sites with multiple Magnet designations. After achieving Magnet Designation in 2023, OhioHealth Mansfield Hospital is now working toward their first redesignation.
Looking ahead — a culture of excellence and collaboration
At the heart of each OhioHealth care site’s success and accolades is a strong sense of community and teamwork among its nurses.
Each care site is on their own journey to ANCC designations. These designations benefit all OhioHealth hospitals, because they drive policy, process, nursing practice and desired outcomes.
For OhioHealth nurses and their teams, these designations are more than just recognitions, they are testaments to their dedication, professionalism and unwavering commitment to patient care.