Programs that inspire, educate, and activate
We collaborate with industry veterans and experts to create programs that address some of the most pressing challenges at the front-lines of health care
About CERTIFICATION Programs
Each Practicing Excellence program is designed to build a set of skills in a specific area that maps to organizational goals.
- Programs bundle a progressive series of short coaching tips with recommendations for reflection and putting into practice.
- Tips are distributed weekly to members via a mobile app.
- Each tip includes Try This Challenges to encourage immediate application.
- Each participant can track progress on their personal dashboard, while leaders can view group-wide participation results on program completion.
- Measurable results happen with just 5 minutes a week!
Practicing Excellence partners with Credly to offer Digital Badging for our Certification Programs!
We have partnered with Credly to translate the learning outcomes demonstrated into a badge that is issued and managed through the Credly digital badging platform. This enables earners to manage, share, and verify competencies digitally. Digital badges can be used in email signatures or digital resumes, and on social media sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.


PROGRAMS
The programs we offer include but are not limited to the following:
Patient Experience
Proven to advance the experience of both patients and those providing care.
LEARN MORE About Patient Experience Programs
Ambulatory Patient Experience Program
Includes skill development and role-specific tips for clinicians, and staff, allowing them to learn at the same time.
Focus areas:
- Building rapport
- Creating patient confidence
- Listening well
- Conveying compassion
- Finishing strong
Duration: 6 months
Advanced Ambulatory Patient Experience Certification Program
Learn and apply evidence-derived patient connection skills through role-specific learning for clinicians and staff. The certification will demonstrate clear qualifications and commitment to advancing knowledge in improving the patient experience.
Focus Areas:
- Explaining Care
- Engaging Patients
- Time Perception
- Respecting Patients
- Connecting with Patients
- Care as a Team
Duration: 6 months
Distinguished Ambulatory Patient Experience Certification Program
Includes skill development and role-specific tips for clinicians and staff that build upon the foundational and advanced skills learned in previous patient experience programs.
Focus Areas:
- Empathy
- Providing Kindness
- Managing Difficult Encounters
- Managing Patient Expectations
- Service Recovery
Duration: 6 months
Ambulatory Patient Communication Certification Program
Building upon the foundational and advanced skills in the Ambulatory, Advanced Ambulatory, and Distinguished Ambulatory Patient Experience Programs, this program advances the knowledge, promotes sustainment, and develops abilities in mastering the nuances of patient connection.
Focus Areas:
- Choosing The Best Words
- Matching Emotions For Burdened Patients
- Caring For Diverse Populations
- Challenging Patient Communication Scenarios
- Communicating With Your Actions
- Patient Connection Despite Task Demand
Duration: 6 months
Emergency Medicine Patient Experience Certification Program
Designed by and for emergency medicine clinicians, this program covers the principle drivers of care quality and patient connection in the ED and actions that can be taken to establish trust and rapport.
Focus Areas:
- Communicating at the Bedside
- Practicing Self-Care
- Supporting Your Team
- Knowing Your Flow
Duration: 6 months
Hospital Medicine Patient Experience Certification Program
Designed to be completed by individuals or teams, this program builds skills that help hospitalists connect to patients, including listening techniques, building patients’ confidence in them, and providing support lifelines for when patients leave the hospital.
Focus Areas:
- Hospitalist First Impressions
- Conveying Respect
- Bringing Compassion
- Listening Well
- Explaining Care
- Sending Home
Duration: 6 months
Advanced Hospital Medicine Patient Experience Certification Program
Patient connection curricular program, specifically designed for clinicians practicing in a hospital setting to build upon skills learned in the foundational Hospital Medicine Patient Experience Certification Program.
Focus Areas:
- Being There
- Supporting Family
- Efficient Rounding
- Hospitalist Connection
- Clinical Shift Transitions
- Partnering with the Nurse
Duration: 6 months
Distinguished Hospital Medicine Patient Experience Certification
Builds upon the foundational skills learned in the Hospital Medicine Patient Experience Certification Program and the Advanced Hospital Medicine Patient Experience Certification Program to support mastery of the nuances of patient experience.
Focus Areas:
- A Common Voice with Multiple Specialists
- Providing Empathy
- Positioning Teams
- Providing Kindness
- Managing Difficult Encounters
- Patient Experience with Complex Teams
Duration: 6 months
Hospital Staff Patient Experience Certification
Offers strategies for all members of hospital staff for connecting with patients to deliver a positive experience and improve service behaviors.
Focus Areas:
- Bringing Compassion
- First Impressions
- Respecting Patients
- Listening Well
- Explaining Actions
- Finishing Strong
Duration: 6 months
Advanced Hospital Staff Patient Experience Certification
Offers strategies for all members of hospital staff for connecting with patients to deliver a positive experience and improve service behaviors and builds upon the foundational skills learned in the Hospital Staff Patient Experience Certification.
Focus Areas:
- Connecting Along The Patient Journey
- Engaging Patients
- Crucial Communication
- When Things Go Wrong
- Being There
- Owning The Experience
Duration: 6 months
Inpatient Care Team Patient Experience Certification
Designed to educate all hospital care team members on how to better connect with patients and deliver a positive patient experience.
Focus Areas:
- First Impressions
- Conveying Respect
- Bringing Compassion
- Listening Well
- Explaining Care
- Sending Home
Duration: 6 months
Nursing Patient Experience Certification
Patient connection curricular program specifically designed for nurses in the inpatient environment.
Focus Areas:
- First Impressions
- Conveying Respect
- Bringing Compassion
- Listening Well
- Explaining Care Plans
- Discharge
Duration: 6 months
Leadership Effectiveness
Our leadership programs providing coaching support for current, new, and emerging leaders.
LEARN MORE About Leadership Effectiveness Programs
Foundations of Leadership Program
An introduction to building the skills necessary for improving leadership effectiveness. The program is designed for leaders to take as a team.
Focus Areas:
- Self-awareness
- The power of why
- Expressing gratitude
- Team communication
- Empathy in teams
- Trusted leadership
Duration: 6 months
Foundations of Nursing Leadership Program
Designed for nursing leaders to participate together. After each weekly tip, leaders are challenged to apply what they have learned with their next patient or team interaction.
Focus Areas:
- Demonstrating heart
- Elevating my team
- Inspiring success
Duration: 9 months
Leading the Patient Experience Certification Program
Designed for simultaneous participation by all leaders–physician, APP, and administration and operations–but also available for new leaders to take individually.
Focus Areas:
- Create a Cause
- Communicate the Future
- Track Success
- Build Skills
Duration: 3 months
Building Transformative Leaders Certification
Accelerates the growth and development of leaders at any level to increase leader impact, teach leaders to appreciate those they lead, and shift mindset in self and others.
Focus Areas:
- The Modeling Leader
- The Appreciative Leader
- Leader as Teacher
- Mindset
- Listening Leader
Duration: 5 months
Nursing Certifications
LEARN MORE About Nursing Certification Programs
Nursing Onboarding Coaching Program
Supports those involved in onboarding, orienting, engaging, and supporting new registered nurses for an engaging, meaningful, and rewarding experience.
Focus Areas:
- Creating the Onboarding Experience
- Creating a Positive Learning Environment
- Precepting for Clinical Competence
- Creating a Successful Practice
- Joy in Onboarding
Duration: 6 months
Nursing Transition to Practice Certification
Supports the onboarding and orientation of new nurses in their first year of practice to accelerate critical skill development and confidence.
Focus Areas:
- Patient-Focused Care
- Team Collaboration
- Time Management
- Quality and Safety
- Life-Work Balance
- Professional Role Socialization
Duration: 6 months
Specialized certifications
LEARN MORE About Specialized Programs
Telehealth Certification Program
Tapping the expertise of experienced clinicians on the front line of virtual care delivery, the program provides in-depth content around the nuances of delivering effective virtual visits. Ideal for individual clinicians and new clinicians.
Focus Areas:
- Virtual Rapport
- Virtual Respect
- Virtual Caring
- Virtual Participation
- Managing Covid-19 Circumstances
Duration: 4 months
Clinician Coach Certification Program
Monthly virtual coaching clinics designed to build mastery coaching competencies to coach and develop clinicians in the domain of patient experience through immersive development sessions. These didactic sessions provide in-depth instruction for each facet of the coaching interaction.
Focus Areas:
- Analytical Action Planning
- Clinician Relationship-Building
- Active Listening
- Systems Thinking
- Providing Effective Feedback
Duration: 6 months
Residency Certification Program
Designed for resident physicians to learn and apply evidence-derived patient connection skills, fuel success now and into the future, and to deepen the learning vigor in ACGME core competencies.
Focus Areas:
- Patient Connection
- Team Collaboration
- Leadership Development
- Well-Being
Duration: Multi-Year

LET’S CONNECT
Interested in launching a program in your organization?