• Skip to main content
  • Skip to main content
Choose which site to search.
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Logo University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
Nurses
  • UAMS Health
  • Jobs
  • Giving
  • About Us
    • Hospital Overview
    • Lifestyle
    • News
    • Nursing Philosophy
    • Why I Chose UAMS Nursing
  • Center for Nursing Excellence
    • About Center for Nursing Excellence
      • Contact Us
    • Communication
      • CNO Corner
      • CNO’s State of Nursing Address
      • Nursing Annual Report
      • Nursing Newsletters
      • Take 2
    • Magnet
      • Roadmap to Excellence
    • Practice
      • Culture of Inquiry
        • Evidence-Based Practice
          • UAMS Evidence-Based Practice Model
        • Innovation
        • Quality Improvement
        • Research
      • UAMS Resource Nurse Program and Application
        • Resource Nurse Program Application – Ambulatory
        • Resource Nurse Program Application – Inpatient
        • UAMS Integrated Clinical Enterprise (ICE)
    • Professional Development
      • Professional Development – Clinical Ladder
      • Professional Development – National Certification
        • Become a Nationally Certified Nurse
        • FAQs About National Certification
      • Professional Development – RN IV/V
        • RN IV/V Workshops
      • Professional Development – RN to BSN
    • Recognition
      • In Remembrance of a Nurse
      • Nomination for DAISY Award
      • Nomination for the BEE Award
      • Professional Nursing Awards
        • Advancement of Nursing Practice Award
        • Excellence in Advanced Practice Award
        • Excellence in Nursing Education Award
        • Outstanding Community Service Award
        • The Betty Casali Transformational Leadership Award Guidelines
        • The Mary Helen Forrest Legacy in Nursing Award
      • The Daisy Nurse Leader Award – Honoring Nurses Internationally In Memory of J. Patrick Barnes
  • Give to UAMS Nurses
  • Jobs and Sign-On Bonuses
    • Clinical Areas
      • Ambulatory/Outpatient Clinics
      • Inpatient
        • Critical Care
        • Float Division
        • Medical
        • Surgical
        • Transplant
        • Trauma & ED
        • Women and Infants
      • Other Practice Departments
      • Psychiatric Research Institute (PRI)
      • Surgical Services/Interventional
    • Employment Information
      • Available Jobs & Sign on Bonuses
      • Hotel Lodging Program
      • New Graduate RN Residents
        • Frequently Asked Questions for New Graduate RN Residents
        • New Graduate RNs Transition to Practice Program
      • Nurse Referrals – LPN
      • Nurse Referrals – RN
      • Salary and Benefits
      • Student Jobs – Clinical Care Assistants (CCA)
      • Transfer to PRN
    • Experienced Nurses (RN/LPN) Hiring Event
    • Contact Us
      • Directions
      • Inquiry Form
  • Advanced Practice Providers (APP)
  1. University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
  2. Nurses
  3. In Pursuit of Excellence

In Pursuit of Excellence

The Oxford dictionary describes Excellence as “the quality of being outstanding or extremely good,” (Lexico.com).  Excellence is very different from perfection, which can be thought of as a state of being without mistake, flaw or fault.  Excellence is a state of maximizing performance to reach or exceed goals.  It requires knowledge, skill, focus, commitment and desire (Clark, B., 2017; Orlick, T., 2016;)  In the ever-changing and complex environment of healthcare, excellence is a constant pursuit – following a path that never ends, a journey for which there is no final destination.  Terry Orlick, author of, In Pursuit of Excellence, describes what is at the heart of excellence:  “discovering an activity, mission, possibility, or opportunity that absorbs you, frees you, challenges you, or gives you a sense of meaning, purpose, joy, or passion.”  I cannot think of any better way to describe the profession of Nursing. 

As nurses, we are on a constant mission of achieving excellence.  We seek to attain the knowledge and skill to care for patients.  We consistently look for ways to advance our delivery of care to improve outcomes for our patients.  We practice to the full extent of our scope to meet the goals of high-quality patient care.   It takes a daily (and maybe even hourly) commitment to show up and face the challenges of healthcare head on.  This is Nursing Excellence.

Magnet® designation is the highest recognition of nursing excellence.  It is a prestigious credential awarded by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) to healthcare organizations committed to supporting the profession of nursing as evidenced by highly engaged nursing staff, improved patient outcomes and increased patient satisfaction (ANCC, 2019).  ANCC provides a model, or guide to nursing excellence.  Each month, this newsletter will feature an aspect of nursing excellence, for which UAMS nurses embody, or seek to embody.  Thank you for your commitment to nursing excellence. 

ANCC. (2017). 2019 Magnet application manual.  American Nurses Credentialing Center.

Clark, B. (2017, October 31). The key asset in the pursuit of excellence.  https://further.net/pursuit-of-excellence/

Orlick, T. (2016). In Pursuit of Excellence (5th ed.).  Human Kinetics.

Posted by Rebekah Thacker on September 3, 2020

Filed Under: Newsletters

University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences LogoUniversity of Arkansas for Medical SciencesUniversity of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
Mailing Address: 4301 West Markham Street, Little Rock, AR 72205
Phone: (501) 686-7000
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Disclaimer
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Statement

© 2023 University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences