Portsmouth, VA  –   Naval Medical Center Portsmouth (NMCP) is the first Navy military treatment facility (MTF) to be awarded the American Nursing Credentialing Center (ANCC) Pathway to Excellence designation, Dec. 10.

It was a three-year journey to not only be the first MTF in Navy Medicine to achieve this goal, but also one of two Department of Defense MTFs to receive this designation.

“In order for an organization to achieve Pathway to Excellence designation, we first assembled our Pathway team and attended a Pathway workshop to learn about the designation and application process in September 2018,” said Capt. Laura McMullen, NMCP’s Nursing Services director and chief nursing officer.

According to the ANCC website, to help support and promote nurses, those on the front line of health care, a healthy working environment is key to their success. To this end, the Pathway to Excellence program recognizes health care organizations that focus on six standards involved in creating a positive nursing working environment which includes decision making, leadership, safety, quality, well-being and professional development.

“Pathway to Excellence accreditation is a way to recognize NMCP as a facility that places the highest value on nurses and that we have an empowered practice environment, and NMCP was already satisfying most of the Pathway requirements even before we started the journey,” said Cmdr. Lacy Gee, NMCP’s Pathway to Excellence lead. “This recognition gave us a chance to highlight the nurses here and to show the ANCC what a great place NMCP is to work.”

This designation benefits not only the nurses who are employed or stationed at NMCP, but also the many beneficiaries who are enrolled at NMCP and its ten Branch Health Clinics throughout the Hampton Roads area.

“Our nurses are highly educated, with many of them now certified in their specialties as a result of our ongoing free specialty certification classes. Certification and education lead to the best possible patient outcomes,” added Gee. “With free continuing education and robust unit practice councils driving high quality care from the deckplate, our patients can rest assured NMCP nurses truly are the ‘First and Finest.’”

As the U.S. Navy's oldest, continuously-operating military hospital since 1830, Naval Medical Center Portsmouth proudly serves past and present military members and their families. The nationally-acclaimed, state-of-the-art medical center, along with the area's 10 branch health and TRICARE Prime Clinics, provide care for the Hampton Roads area. The medical center also supports premier research and teaching programs designed to prepare new doctors, nurses and hospital corpsman for future roles in healing and wellness.