Pathway to Excellence: The St James's Story

St James's Hospital became the first hospital in Ireland to achieve Pathway to Excellence — an international accreditation from the American Nurses Credentialing Centre that recognises a genuinely positive working environment for nurses.

This episode is the story of how a nursing team got it over the line, in their own words.

Marie Kilduff talks to some of the people behind the success — from the Director of Nursing to the staff nurses on the wards — about what Pathway actually asks of a hospital, why the staff survey was the hardest part, and how link-nurse meetings, ward competitions and even a viral video helped bring more than 2,000 nurses with them. It's a candid conversation about culture, voice and what respect looks like in daily practice — including the moments when the effort dipped, and the day, right before St Patrick's weekend, when they finally heard the result.

In this episode:

• What Pathway to Excellence is, and the six standards behind it
• The submission, and the staff survey that had to clear a high bar
• Making it stick: link nurses, competitions and the ward trolleys
• The honest part — when momentum dipped, and what carried them through
• The nursing councils, and what an equal voice looks like in practice
• Hearing the result, and what changes once you have it

Featuring from St James's Hospital:

• Sharon Slattery, Director of Nursing
• Charlotte Stuart, Assistant Director of Nursing
• Marian Broderick, CNM 3
• Anne-Marie McKenna, CNM 2
• Ajin Ragavan Selvi, CNM 2
• Maria Begley, Staff Nurse

Credits:

Presented by Marie Kilduff

Guests: Sharon Slattery, Charlotte Stuart, Marian Broderick, Anne-Marie McKenna, Ajin Ragavan Selvi and Maria Begley, St James's Hospital