In a recent AHA Affinity Forum, Ohio Organization of Nurse Leaders (OONL) poster presentation, and the Millenium Alliance Patient Experience Transformation Assembly, Tricia Edwards, Advisor of Nurse Professional Development and Advancement Programs at OhioHealth, walked nursing leaders through how the organization is transforming professional development for bedside nurses across a large and diverse health system. Across all presentations,Edwards detailed the challenges OhioHealth faced, the strategy behind its digital Professional Development and Advancement Program (PDAP), and the outcomes that signal meaningful cultural change.
OhioHealth had long supported new graduates and aspiring leaders with structured pathways. But as Edwards told audiences, tenured bedside nurses lacked an equivalent, systemwide framework. Many wanted recognition, advancement opportunities, and a clearer sense of how to grow in place, but inconsistent ladders across care sites created inequity andconfusion. PDAP emerged as the solution: a unified, digitally enabled,data-driven advancement program designed specifically for frontline, patient-facing nurses.
With 50 care site champions providing active leadership through localized support and feedback, the program has resulted in 14.5% nurses engaged within the first year. Some units even exceeded 50% engagement, far surpassing initial benchmarks.
41% said PDAP positively impacted recognition, 78% said it positively impacted encouragement for development, and 90% said it positively impacted opportunities to learn and grow.
During her presentations, Edwards explained that OhioHealth’s rapid expansion had inadvertently created uneven access to professional development. Different care sites maintained their own clinical ladders— or had none at all— resulting in stark variation in expectations and opportunities. She noted that nurses working nights or in specialty units were particularly disadvantaged because many required activities weren’t accessible to them.
Edwards emphasized that OhioHealth needed a program where every nurse, regardless of location, schedule, or unit, could see themselves reflected and supported. She described PDAP as a direct response to bedside nurses who wanted a structured pathway designed for them, not one adapted from leadership or residency programs. The guiding philosophy, Edwards said, centered on the idea of enabling nurses to “grow where they’re planted.”
In all sessions, Edwards highlighted how PDAP was developed through a collaborative A3 process, involving stakeholders from all 16 care sites and representing the full spectrum of frontline practice. More than 7,500 eligible nurses were considered during the design process, ensuring that the final framework reflected real needs and real workflows.
Edwards explained that PDAP offers four advancement categories based on years of experience, degree achievement, and accumulated points through professional activities. Nurses can choose from 48 predefined activities— ranging from coursework to research participation tocommunity engagement— allowing each individual to craft a personalized path.
Edwards told attendees that PDAP intentionally avoids a hierarchical “ladder” feel, instead offering a flexible set of avenues through which nurses can expand their impact while remaining in direct patient care. The goal, she emphasized, is to help all nurses see themselves as leaders,regardless of title.
Edwards reported strong early traction. Within the first year, 14.5% of eligible nurses engaged with PDAP, putting OhioHealth on pace to meet its two-year goal of 20%. She highlighted that some high-performing units have surpassed 50% engagement, driven in part by the 50 PDAP care-site champions who support nurses locally.
During both presentations, Edwards discussed the cultural impact emerging from PDAP data. She noted that nurses regularly recommend adjustments to activity criteria, share ideas across care sites, and consultwith peers in other specialties— behaviors that reflect increasing collaboration and ownership.
Edwards also shared survey results demonstrating PDAP’s influence on recognition, development encouragement, and access to learning opportunities. Leaders are seeing improvements on Gallup Nursing Engagementscorecard elements tied directly to these factors.
A recurring theme across both presentations was the vital role of technology. Edwards described how OhioHealth partnered with StaffGarden to deliver PDAP as a fully digital program. This shift eliminated inequities tied to geography or shift schedules by giving nurses 24/7 access to the platform.
Digitization also streamlined administrative burden. Edwards shared how the system now allows real-time updates to activities, clearer expectations for participants, and consistent oversight across all care sites. This visibility, she noted, gives leaders meaningful insights into engagement,strengths, and development trends that simply weren’t possible with paper processes.
She also explained that PDAP includes pay premiums for nurses who invest in professional growth. Digitization makes it easier to validate activities, manage incentive structures, and align rewards with organizational priorities.
To demonstrate value, OhioHealth is conducting an ROI Methodology® evaluation that links PDAP usage to organizational outcomes, including engagement, retention, and clinical results.
The analysis leverages a digital tracking platform tomonitor participation, completion rates, and utilization of professional development activities. This real-time data enables OhioHealth to measure engagement and identify trends across its 16 care sites. In addition, a satisfaction questionnaire gathers feedback from nurses and stakeholders to assess program effectiveness and highlight areas for improvement.
Leaders described PDAP as still early in its lifecycle— initial launch in December 2024 with the first wave of applications completed in May— but emphasized that the iterative approach is allowing them to refine quickly as they learn what works across different sites.
Edwards reported that PDAP is now a vehicle for aligning frontline work with system priorities, ranging from safety outcomes (e.g.,CAUTI, CLABSI, falls, HAPI reductions) to OhioHealth’s talent pipeline goals. Because activities can be reprioritized digitally, the program can quickly incentivize work tied to reducing CAUTIs, CLABSIs, patient falls, HAPIs, or other key indicators.
Edwards shared that senior leaders are increasingly using PDAP data to ask targeted questions about LPN engagement, participation in discharge rounding, involvement in collaborative care models, and more. She described this feedback loop between leadership and frontline staff as one of PDAP’s most encouraging outcomes, noting that it both builds trust and sharpens organizational focus.
Academic partners had flagged a shortage of clinical instructors as a bottleneck for student placements. In response, OhioHealth embedded instructor engagement and student-facing activities within PDAP (e.g.,high-school engagement, faculty/instructor roles, preceptorships, recruitment events). Edwards shared that within one year, academic partners reported that OhioHealth had become the region’s leading clinical placement site, surpassing other Central Ohio organizations in student volume. She credited PDAP’sstructure and incentives for enabling this shift.
To peers seeking to modernize clinical ladders, Edwards repeatedly advised “digitizing with purpose.” She encouraged leaders to begin by clarifying objectives— whether reducing administrative burden, improving decision-making, or strengthening talent pipelines —before selecting tools.
She also emphasized the importance of continuous iteration, using real-time data to refine design and support frontline teams. PDAP, she shared, is helping OhioHealth move from a culture of workforce survival to one of growth, empowerment, and shared accountability.
Across recent national presentations with the Ohio Organization of Nurse Leaders (OONL), AHA Affinity Forum, and the Millenium Alliance Patient Experience Transformation Assembly, Tricia Edwards conveyed how OhioHealth’s Professional Development and Advancement Program is reshaping professional growth for frontline nurses. By combining co-design, digital transparency, strategic alignment, and real-time insight, PDAP is raising the bar for professional practice, driving stronger engagement, and supporting a more stable and skilled nursing workforce.
As the program evolves, OhioHealth aims to deepen connections between professional development and clinical outcomes, positioning PDAP not just as an advancement structure, but as a catalyst for systemwide excellence.
Based in Columbus, Ohio, OhioHealth is a nationally recognized, not-for-profit, charitable, healthcare outreach ofthe United Methodist Church.
Serving its communities since 1891, OhioHealth is a family of 35,000 associates, physicians and volunteers (including 10,000 nurses and nearly 500 nurse leaders) across a network of 16 hospitals, three joint-venture hospitals, 200+ambulatory sites and other health services spanning a 50-county area.
As experts in healthcare workforce development, StaffGarden by Ascend Learning makes it easy for nurse leaders to empower their workforces to thrive and achieve clinical standards of excellence. Our proven solutions simplify strategic decision-making and provide 360° data-driven workforce intelligence to unlock efficiencies; establish strong, engaged talent pipelines; elevate competency standards; and advance clinical workforce careers.
To learn more about clinical ladders and professional advancement programs at StaffGarden by Ascend Learning, visit https://www.staffgarden.com/solutions/professional-advancement.
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