PATHWAY NURSE OF THE YEAR AWARD^TM

Eligibility Criteria

ANCC will accept nominations for eligible Registered Nurses (RN), Licensed Practice/Vocational Nurses (LPN/LVN), Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRN), Registered Midwife (RM), and Certified Nursing Assistants (CNA) from organizations with active Pathway to Excellence designation. An individual winner can receive the award once in a lifetime.

• Registered Nurse (RN) or Licensed Practical/Vocational Nurse (LPN/LVN) is a nurse who holds state board licensure in the United States, or the equivalent thereof outside the United States, or any new graduate or foreign nurse graduate with a temporary license and the responsibilities of a RN or LPN/LVN.
• Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) includes certified registered nurse anesthetists, certified nurse-midwives, clinical nurse specialists and certified nurse practitioners. An APRN is eligible to take the survey if the nursing practice is under CNO's oversight.
• Registered Midwife (RM) For Pathway purposes, RMs are midwives who are eligible to take the Pathway Survey if: (a) they work in a midwife role (not an auxiliary role) and their education aligns with the recommendations set forth by the International Confederation of Midwives, AND (b)their practice is under the CNO's oversight, regardless of the reporting relationship.
• Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) For the purposes of Pathway, a certified nursing assistant/nursing aide that helps residents with direct health care needs, under the supervision of a nurse in a long-term care facility.

Nominees, regardless of tenure and hours worked, from any site included in the Pathway to Excellence application are eligible.

ANCC does not charge an entry fee for nomination submission.

Only one award will be awarded to an organization in an award year.

At minimum, one award will be awarded to a direct care nurse.

• Direct Care Nurse is a nurse whose primary responsibility is the provision of direct patient/resident care. Direct care may involve direct physical contact or care provided remotely (telehealth). This includes nurses at every level who provide direct patient/resident care at least 50% of the time.

Online Submission Steps and Instructions:

1. Award Agreement

   Read the Eligibility Criteria and acknowledge compliance.

2. Entry Details

   Enter title of nomination, nominator email, and nominee qualifications.

3. Award Type

   Assign the nominee to the Pathway Nurse of the Year category (Shared Decision-Making & Leadership, Safety & Quality, or Well-Being & Professional Development).

4. People

   Enter name, affiliation, and contact information for nominator, nominee, and CNO/DON Endorser

5. Documents

   The nominator's online submission must include:

   1. Nominee's resume (3-page maximum): Must outline his or her credentials, educational background, work experience, professional activities, publications, presentations or projects, and full contact information—nominee name, credentials, home address, email address, and direct phone number.
   2. Narrative essay: 500 words or fewer, written by the nominator, demonstrating the contributions the nurse or nurse partner nominee has made in the designated Pathway organization to include:
      
      • How the nominee's contributions exemplify living the chosen category (Shared Decision-Making & Leadership, Safety & Quality, or Well-Being & Professional Development) with a focus on the individual’s contributions as defined by the two criteria (a and b) below:
        
        1. Role modeling exceptional professionalism and leadership in working collaboratively with team members
        2. Integrating clinical expertise with compassionate patient or resident care and contributing to organizational and/or patient outcomes.
      • The nominator must write the narrative essay on official organization letterhead and must include his or her full contact information—nominator name, credentials, email address, direct phone number, and organization address.
   3. Letter of endorsement: Limited to one page from the chief nursing officer or LTC director of nursing (CNO/DON) of the nominating Pathway-designated organization describing why the nominee should be chosen as the Pathway Nurse of the Year (nurse or nurse partner) to include: 
      
      • How the nominee's contributions exemplify living the chosen category (Shared Decision-Making & Leadership, Safety & Quality, or Well-Being & Professional Development) with a focus on the individual’s contributions as defined by the two criteria (a and b) below:
        
        1. Role modeling exceptional professionalism and leadership in working collaboratively with team members
        2. Integrating clinical expertise with compassionate patient or resident care and contributing to organizational and/or patient outcomes.
      • The CNO/DON must write the letter of endorsement on official organization letterhead and must include his or her full contact information—CNO/DON name, credentials, email address, direct phone number, and organization address. The CNO/DON must sign the letter of endorsement. 

6. Confirmation

   You will have a chance to look over the submission to make sure all is complete.

7. Submission Process and Deadline Date

   Nominators must complete submissions through the online submission website. The website details all nomination information and walks nominators through the submission process step-by-step.

   Nominators must complete submissions by 11:59 p.m. EDT on Monday, April 21, 2025.

   Please Note: ANCC will review only completed applications.

8. Rules

   The Pathway Nurse of the Year Award committee will only consider properly submitted nominations and material submitted with or in support thereof.

   Material submitted with or in support of any nomination shall be received on the conditions that:

   • The Pathway Nurse of the Year Award committee shall have permission to use, and display submitted materials in any manner it deems appropriate and to not return such material or any portion thereof to the nominee or nominators.
   
   
   • The Pathway Nurse of the Year Award committee may make such a disclosure of the names of the nominees and of the work disclosed in such material as the committee deems appropriate.
   
   
   • No claim shall be made, and no action shall be brought against the American Nurses Credentialing Center, its board of directors, employees, or members of the Pathway Nurse of the Year Award committee arising out of the use made of such application material or of any such disclosure.
   
   
   • The decision of the Pathway Nurse of the Year Award committee is final. If the Pathway Nurse of the Year Award committee does not consider any nominations suitable in the three categories during a given year, ANCC shall not give a Pathway Nurse of the Year Award in that category.
   
   
   • Submitting a nomination constitutes agreement that each representative submitting the nomination and each nominee agrees to be bound by the rules of the Pathway Nurse of the Year Award program.
   
   
   • Only one award will be awarded to an organization in an award year.
   
   
   • At minimum, one award will be awarded to a direct care nurse.
   
   
   • Direct Care Nurse is a nurse whose primary responsibility is the provision of direct patient/resident care. Direct care may involve direct physical contact or care provided remotely (telehealth). This includes nurses at every level who provide direct patient/resident care at least 50% of the time.

9. Award Ceremony

   ANCC will present the Pathway Nurse of the Year Awards during the ANCC Pathway to Excellence and ANCC National Magnet Conference in Atlanta, GA October 8-10, 2025.

10. Award Information

    The awardee will receive: stipend for travel costs to the ANCC Pathway to Excellence® and ANCC National Magnet Conference®; Conference registration fee; Award presentation onstage at the Conference; Recognition during the ANCC Pathway Nurse of the Year reception during the Conference with an invitation extended to registered conference attendees from the winner's Pathway-designated organization; Pathway Nurse of the Year crystal award, engraved with winner's name, credentials, and award category; Invitation to the Pathway leadership Luncheon; Lab coat embossed with name, credentials, and award category, and a lapel pin; Professional photos and videos taken at the Conference; and Award announcements on the ANCC website and ANA media platforms.
    
    In addition, responsibilities of the winner: Keep the award confidential until announced at the conference; be a member on the Review committee the year after and contribute to an article with the Pathway Program Office for Nursing Management Journal (Pathway Nurse of the Year).