“Clinical advancement programs (CAPs) provide nurses opportunities to increase engagement in their nursing practice and increased monetary rewards through opportunities for professional development. This increased engagement can lead to improved patient outcomes, healthy practice environments, and increased retention. The redesigned CAP sought to improve upon these tenants by increasing participation through an objective
process while honoring the contributions and expertise of bedside nurses.”

“The CAP Board has committed to annual review including feedback from frontline nurses and nursing leadership. These review cycles require reeducation of direct supervisors of changing requirements and transparency of changes to nursing team members. Upon completion of the 1st-year edits and revisions, the changes were well received and highlighted the commitment to continuous improvement of the program based off feedback. Opportunities exist for future research to determine the im-pact of advancement programs on retention. Qualitative studies could evaluate if this program is a significant driver of intent to stay. Quantitative studies could evaluate the impact of increased participation in this type of program on turnover in nurses to determine how much decreased turnover can be explained by participation in this type of program.
Challenges to long-term sustainability have been noted 18 months after go-live of the CAP. This program requires involvement and engagement of the direct supervisors of bedside nurses. To support the supervisors, continued educational offerings and avenues for sup-
port are necessary. This required a significant investment by the CAP Board and executive leaders to continue to prioritize this education to ensure continued success. Turnover rates of direct supervisors pose another challenge, as teams work to get new leaders oriented and proficient to the program.”

Hamby, A, Worley-Morse, M, Peters, L, Rannie, M, Givens, P & Kleiner, C. (2025). Redesign of a Clinical Advancement Program to Highlight Clinical Expertise. The Journal of Nursing Administration, 55, 323-328.