The second session of the American Hospital Association’s Affinity Forum Series: Elevating Workforce Excellence Through Strategic Development, hosted in partnership with StaffGarden by Ascend Learning, spotlighted OhioHealth’s innovative approach to clinical talent development.
The conversation centered on building a resilient nursing workforce through a comprehensive, data-driven strategy that supports clinicians from hire to retirement.
Watch the full AHA Affinity Forum Session Two recording now.
Healthcare systems today face a multifaceted challenge: retaining clinical talent across generations while supporting diverse career goals and expectations. Burnout, shifting priorities, and the demand for work-life balance are also reshaping how nurses at all levels of experience engage with their roles.
At the heart of retention lies a simple truth: nurses seek meaningful work that aligns with their personal values. Nursing is a purpose-driven profession, and clinicians want to grow, contribute, and be recognized for their impact.
To address these challenges, health systems must embrace a culture of continuous learning and an integrated talent lifecycle that reflects the evolving needs of their workforce.
OhioHealth, a nationally recognized not-for-profit health system with 16 care sites and over 40,000 associates, answered the call for an integrated talent pipeline by launching the Professional Development and Advancement Program (PDAP).
Designed for bedside and patient-facing nurses, PDAP offers a personalized, non-hierarchical approach to growth. PDAP provides four categories for advancement based on years of service, professional degree achievement, and activity points.
To achieve the latter, nurses choose from 48 professional development activities, ranging from advanced coursework and clinical research to simulation debriefing and recruitment events. Each category offers incentives and supports nurses in defining their own path toward becoming an elite nurse at OhioHealth.
As Tricia Edwards, Advisor, Nurse Professional Development and Advancement Program at OhioHealth, explained, "we wanted to create a program that allows nurses to see themselves in a continuous journey of growth. [They’re] not just climbing a ladder, but expanding their impact in ways that align with their passion and purpose."
Managing professional development across 16 care sites is no small feat, which is why advances in technology and data services have enabled standardization and visibility into the program as administered across a large system like OhioHealth.
As Jenna Lloyd Fisher, Vice President of Clinical Excellence at StaffGarden by Ascend Learning explained, digital clinical ladder platforms (DCLPs) offer a “high touch” solution by providing real-time visibility into team engagement and individual progress. With dashboards replacing paper-based systems, leaders can identify opportunities to support and celebrate their staff in more timely, authentic, and inclusive ways.
With StaffGarden’s digital platform. OhioHealth gains:
Larissa Africa, Vice President of Healthcare Workforce Solutions at StaffGarden by Ascend Learning, emphasized this widened scope of abilities: “You can’t manage what you’re not measuring. Technology gives us the data we need to understand what’s working, and to improve the structure and framework of our programs. Having that visibility makes a huge difference. Instead of guessing who to engage, we can clearly see who’s putting in the work. And as Tricia [Edwards] said, it’s not about committing a two-year program right away. It’s about taking a class, exploring a pathway, and feeling like you’re advancing your career while trying new things."
“From a strategy and management perspective, platforms [like StaffGarden] provide real-time visibility into engagement, progress, and impact. This allows us to continuously refine our approach, scale what works, and ensure equity, access, and advancement across all 16 care sites,” Africa added.
Results: Engagement, Retention, and Cultural Transformation
“PDAP is still a young program,” noted Edwards, “we officially launched in December of last year, with the first round of completed applications submitted in May. We're currently in what I’d call 'wave two' of the rollout. After testing the initial launch, we’re now more confident and actively engaging teams in what the program can truly offer.”
Using the Gallup Nursing Engagement Survey, OhioHealth evaluated program usage and impact across three key questions:
All three questions showed improvement on OhioHealth’s nursing scorecards. OhioHealth also surveyed care site champions to assess PDAP’s impact:
These results reflect a meaningful shift in engagement and culture, with real-time data helping to actively inform decisions. Edwards noted, “I often take for granted how quickly I can access insights that help guide decisions. For example, while the program includes 48 professional development activities, we now know that applicants typically submit around 20 activities on average. That’s a helpful benchmark to share with teams so they don’t feel overwhelmed when they first open the application.”
“When we need to make adjustments and add clarity into the activity we can go in and make a real-time edit to that application and to that activity, or maybe build different activities in different ways,” added Edwards.
In one example, “we identified a gap in professional language: Magnet care sites are on board and understand what a professional or elite nurse looks like, but do all of our 10,000 nurses (and 7,500 eligible nurses)? We have a lot of upskilling opportunity to raise the bar, we didn’t even know this gap existed,” Edwards noted. “We now see PDAP not just as a recognition tool, but as a mechanism for upskilling and aligning nurses with a shared vision of excellence.”
Leaders are actively involved, with 50 care site champions providing localized support and feedback. Some units have even exceeded 50% nurse engagement, far surpassing initial benchmarks.
The program has become a tool for aligning frontline nurses with organizational priorities. “For example, we added a financial project activity after senior leaders emphasized its importance,” with Edwards noting that when “nurses are now asking, ‘What does financial impact look like?’ It’s a sign that they’re engaging with leadership goals.”
OhioHealth’s Chief Nursing Executive Council meets regularly, and Edwards shares direct feedback from the application data. Edwards reports that the council ask targeted questions like, “how many LPNs are engaged?” and “are nurses participating in initiatives like discharge rounding or collaborative care models?”
This back-and-forth between leadership and frontline staff has been one of the most encouraging outcomes, Edwards emphasized. Nurses appreciate being in alignment with the organization’s values, and they’re excited to contribute in meaningful ways. PDAP has gone beyond filling a gap in the need for workforce development, now becoming a catalyst for cultural transformation.
“We were intentional about involving leaders from the start,” said Edwards. “We didn’t want frontline nurses to feel disconnected from the process or like they were just submitting to a distant system team. Instead, leaders are actively engaging with their teams, using PDAP as a tool to spark individual conversations around professional development. It’s become a strategic resource for improving engagement scores and aligning personal growth with organizational goals."
Fisher contextualized OhioHealth’s success within broader national trends. Most healthcare systems have some form of career advancement program, but “struggle to even locate or access it,” Fisher added. “That’s where digital tools make a significant difference. They bring transparency and ease of access (clinicians can see exactly what’s required to move up the ladder, what activities count, and how far along they are).”
Paper-based systems and static electronic forms— what Fisher refers to as “dead data”— is inaccessible, making analysis and actionability impossible. “From the clinician’s perspective, digitization removes confusion. When the process is unclear or buried in paper, it’s overwhelming. But when it’s visible and intuitive, adoption increases significantly… as automation continues to evolve in this space, we expect even greater efficiency and engagement in the months and years ahead.”
"In some cases, we’ve seen up to a 200% increase in adoption after implementing digital solutions," Fisher shared. "When nurses can see their progress and understand what’s possible, engagement naturally follows."
Recognition is a powerful driver of retention. As Africa noted, nurses want more than a simple “thank you”. They want acknowledgment of their specific contributions to patient care and the organization.
PDAP provides a structured framework for meaningful recognition, helping nurses see how far they’ve come and where they can go. Internal champions— nurses who’ve advanced through the program— play a key role in inspiring others and accelerating adoption.
Fisher emphasized that “What truly motivates many nurses is purpose, the desire to be the best clinician they can be, to grow, and to contribute meaningfully to their organization. These programs support that purpose by offering structured, visible pathways for advancement and recognition.”
“What we’re seeing across healthcare systems is a growing adoption of digital solutions for career advancement, and it’s being driven by internal champions,” said Fisher. “These are nurses who previously engaged with paper-based ladders and are now leading the transition to digital formats. Their visibility and credibility on the unit make a real difference. They’ve done the work, they’re continuing to grow, and now they’re helping others see what’s possible.”
As Africa emphasized, it’s never too early to introduce students to professional development. Some organizations are even including students in their clinical ladder programs, helping them envision their future in healthcare and understand the opportunities available to them.
Forward-thinking organizations are adopting a hire-to-retire strategy: an integrated approach to talent lifecycle management that spans recruitment, onboarding, development, and succession planning.
Career development now begins as early as middle and high school, with health systems building relationships and offering exposure to healthcare careers. In nursing school, students are engaged through capstone projects and preceptor opportunities that prepare them for practice. Once licensed, clinicians are supported through structured development programs like clinical ladders, enabling them to advance professionally.
Edwards added, “We work with academic partners early so that nurses know what’s offered to them. We make sure they know the pathways and that they can see themselves aligned with those opportunities.”
Technology plays a critical role in this strategy. With digital tools, leaders can see how many nurses are engaged in development programs, what activities they’re completing, and where additional support is needed. This data-driven approach fosters a culture of continuous learning and leadership development.
"Digitize with purpose,” concluded Africa. “As we’re looking towards digitization, what are the goals that we’re trying to achieve? Is it streamlining workflows? Enhancing decision-making? Or freeing up teams to focus on exceptional care? We need to build this culture of advancement and create an environment where learning is continuous, leadership is nurtured at every level, and that we're celebrating growth as well.
She reiterated, "We can’t manage what we don’t measure. Use data to measure what truly matters and align those metrics with our mission. I know that a journey like this can be overwhelming, but the hardest part of this is just getting started. Just take that one step and then the journey will continue.”
Watch the full AHA Affinity Forum Session Two recording now.
Stay tuned for the final session featuring Bon Secours Mercy Health, where we’ll explore how to overcome data fragmentation and unlock strategic workforce intelligence.
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