Redesigned nurse career ladder saves AdventHealth $47 million

AdventHealth’s standardized career ladder program to keep nurses at the bedside has helped it retain more than 700 nurses, saving roughly $47.5 million in 2024. Launched in 2022, the Altamonte Springs, Fla.-based system’s Professional Excellence Program strives to enable front-line nurses to progress in their careers while remaining at the bedside instead of migrating into leadership, quality or safety roles. The digital tool enables bedside nurses to identify their skills, which are assigned points. Nurses progress through four leadership levels based on their number of points. Half of AdventHealth’s 23,000 nurses have enrolled, with turnover of participating nurses dropping to 4.2% compared with 14.1% overall, notes CNE Trish Celano, MSN, RN . Nurse satisfaction and engagement also have improved, according to AONL member Celano. (Becker’s Hospital Review article, 10/9/25)