Professional Advancement Model

Through our PAM, we reward nurses for their contributions to the advancement of nursing practice and patient care at UMMC and beyond while creating opportunities for continued professional growth, placing an emphasis on involvement at the unit level. Nurses are encouraged to choose an area of concentration they want to advance in from four key practice focus areas:

• Clinical practice and care delivery
• Professional development
• Service quality and safety
• Unit operations

Advancement requires nurses to meet defined criteria in their chosen focus area.

PAM Objectives

The model's objectives are to:

• Enhance professional growth and development
• Provide recognition for professional contributions
• Encourage involvement of bedside nurses in decisions that support/enhance patient care outcomes
• Provide motivation for direct care nurses to pursue higher education, certification, and other professional achievements
• Recruit and retain the highest caliber of nurses at UMMC

Model Components

The PAM comprises four roles:

• Clinical Nurse I (CN I)
• Clinical Nurse II (CN II)
• Senior Clinical Nurse I (SCN I)
• Senior Clinical Nurse II (SCN II)

See the descriptions for these roles.

(NOTE: The SCN I role is for nurses who are clinical and professional leaders at the unit level. The SCN II role is for nurses who have achieved expertise and leadership in clinical and professional roles within the unit and beyond. Each nursing unit can support an unlimited number of SCNs.)

Hiring Criteria

• A nurse with less than 12 months of experience will be hired as a CN I.
• A nurse with more than 12 months of experience will be hired for the role for which he or she can show evidence of meeting that role's qualifications (minimum role for a nurse with greater than 12 months experience is CN II).

Promotion Criteria

• Promotion from CN I to CN II occurs when the nurse has successfully met all requirements of the CN II role (including completion of the Nurse Residency Program) and has greater than 12 months experience in the RN role.
• A nurse may apply for advancement to SCN I or SCN II when meeting the requirements of the role. The applicant's manager must endorse the application. When applying for the SCN II role, the Director or Vice President must also endorse the application.

Unit Transfers

When a nurse transfers units, the hiring manager will assess performance and competency to determine the appropriate role for the nurse in the new area.