The Practicing Excellence Blog
Driving Progress Through Human Development
Partner Spotlight: Andrea Wilson, Director of Patient Safety at Phoebe Putney Health System
We’re excited to spotlight Andrea Wilson, Director of Patient Safety at Phoebe Putney Health System! How long have you been in nursing, and...
Behavior Change at Scale: Watch the Webinar and Continue the Conversation
Healthcare leaders can readily name the outcomes their organizations need: stronger engagement, improved retention, better patient experiences,...
Healthcare Workforce Futures Forum: Equipping Leaders For What’s Next
The Workforce Advantage Healthcare Leaders Can't Afford to Ignore Healthcare is changing faster than ever: clinical knowledge is doubling at an...
Partner Spotlight: Jordan Tuckett, Executive Vice President of Operations at Concord Medical Group
We’re excited to spotlight Jordan Tuckett, Executive Vice President of Operations at Concord Medical Group! What is one brief story or example of...
AMGA Webinar: Why Behavior Change Is Healthcare’s Next Strategic Advantage
Behavior Change at Scale: What Healthcare Leaders Must Build Next Healthcare leaders know what better looks like: stronger clinical outcomes,...
New White Paper: Rethinking Workforce Development in Healthcare
Healthcare Doesn’t Need More Training. It Needs Workforce Enablement. Health systems are under growing pressure to improve outcomes while...
Honoring Their Journey: Why Veteran Patient Experience Matters
On our nation’s 250th anniversary, we are surrounded by grand celebrations of history and service. Yet, I believe, the true spirit of...
Announcing Wexl: Your Coach in the Flow of Work
Dear colleagues, It is an exciting time at Practicing Excellence. Like you, we believe developing human capabilities is essential to unlocking...
Partner Spotlight: Chandra Campbell, BSN, RN, Assistant Nurse Manager at Ballad Health
We're excited to spotlight Chandra Campbell, BSN, RN, Assistant Nurse Manager at Ballad Health! How long have you been in Nursing, and what are your...
From Knowing to Doing: Activating Behavior Change in Healthcare
For decades, healthcare has invested heavily in training, yet very little has produced lasting behavioral change. Although these efforts provide...
Partner Spotlight: Anthony Consolazio, MD, Lead Provider at United Health Services Walk-in Clinics
We’re excited to spotlight Anthony Consolazio, MD, Lead Provider at United Health Services Walk-in Clinics! How long have you been in health...
AMGA Reflections: Why the Future of Healthcare Is Still Deeply Human
Friends and colleagues, I had the privilege of attending the American Medical Group Association (AMGA) 2026 Annual Conference in Las Vegas, and I...
Partner Spotlight: Rachel Mastellone, MSN, RN, MEDSURG-BC, Nurse Manager at Hackensack Meridian Health
We're excited to share a spotlight of Rachel Mastellone, MSN, RN, MEDSURG-BC, a Nurse Manager at Hackensack Meridian Health! How long have...
Partner Spotlight: Derek J. Heard, MD, MHL, CMIO, Medical Director Primary Care at Phoebe Physicians Group
We're excited to share a spotlight of Derek J. Heard, MD, MHL, the CMIO and Medical Director Primary Care at Phoebe Physicians Group! How long have...
Salem Memorial Partners with Practicing Excellence to Expand Commitment to Leadership Excellence
Salem Memorial District Hospital (SMDH) has selected Practicing Excellence as its partner in advancing the leadership development of their...
Partner Spotlight: Lee Warren III, MD, Cardiothoracic Surgeon at Med Center Health
We're excited to share a spotlight of Lee Warren III, MD, a Cardiothoracic Surgeon at Med Center Health! How long have you been in health care, and...
Re-Imagining Human Development in Healthcare
Re-Imagining Human Development in HealthcareBy Gidon Margolin, President and CEO, Practicing Excellence Healthcare leaders have been clear with us....
Partner Spotlight: Tim Crafts, Physician Assistant at Children’s Primary Care Medical Group
We're excited to share a spotlight of Tim Crafts, a Physician Assistant at Children's Primary Care Medical Group! How long have you been in health...
United Health Services Partners with Practicing Excellence to Strengthen Leadership Skills Among Care Team Leaders
United Health Services has selected Practicing Excellence as its partner in advancing human development by implementing skill-building programs to...
AMGA and Practicing Excellence Partner to Provide AI-Powered Human Development Platform for Healthcare Teams
AMGA and Practicing Excellence Partner to Provide AI-Powered Human Development Platform for Healthcare Teams Strategic collaboration delivers to...
The Impact of Human Development in Action: Highlights from CONNECT 2025
Each year, we celebrate our partners and highlight the important impact they make in healthcare during our annual, two-day virtual gathering,...
Partner Spotlight: Jeff Bacon, DO, Chief Medical Officer at Banner Health
We’re delighted to share a conversation with Jeff Bacon, DO, Chief Medical Officer at Banner Health! Dr. Bacon shares the impact of building...
Partner Spotlight: Josepha Weeks, MSN, RN and Elizabeth Jones, BSc, RN, CRNI with Onvida Health
We are delighted to share a spotlight that includes two nurse leaders from our great partner, Onvida Health! Josepha Weeks, MSN, RN and Elizabeth A ...
Partner Spotlight: Douglas Stranges, DO, Medical Director at Virtua Health
We’re delighted to share a conversation with Douglas Strange, DO, Medical Director of the Clinical Decision Unit at Virtua Health! Dr. Stranges...
New Standalone Skill: Keeping Patients in Network
We’re excited to announce the release of a new standalone skill in the Practicing Excellence library: Keeping Patients in Network, led by Practicing...
A Leadership Transition at Practicing Excellence
Dear friends and partners, I founded Practicing Excellence with the deep belief that every clinician, leader, and team member deserves the...
Introducing Our Newest Program: Understanding the Current Use of AI in Healthcare
We’re excited to introduce our latest program: The Current Use of AI in Healthcare, a skill-building experience designed to enhance AI literacy...
Partner Spotlight: Lisa Bowie, MD, Medical Director of Primary Care at Sturdy Health North Attleboro
We’re delighted to share a conversation with Lisa Bowie, MD, Medical Director of Primary Care at Sturdy Health North Attleboro! Dr. Bowie shares how...
Introducing Our Newest Program: Building a High Reliability Organization
At Practicing Excellence, we believe every member of a healthcare organization plays a role in delivering safe, high-quality, patient-centered care....
Partner Spotlight: Shelby Burk, Front Office Lead at Hoag Health
We’re delighted to share a conversation with Shelby Burk, Front Office Lead at Hoag Health's Voltmer Sleep Center. Shelby shares how her journey as...
Introducing the Ambulatory: Honoring Patient Uniqueness Certification Programs
At Practicing Excellence, we believe that great care starts with one essential truth: every patient is a unique human being with their own story,...
Partner Spotlight: Diane Zimmerman, Patient Access Specialist at St. Peter’s Health
We’re delighted to share a conversation with Diane Zimmerman, Patient Access Specialist at St. Peter’s Health. Diane shares her favorite skills she...
Advancing Hospitalist Skills to Improve Patient Experience with the Hospital Medicine: Human Connection Certification Program
Practicing Excellence’s mission is to help helps organizations, teams, and individuals build skills to drive outcomes. Through role-specific,...
Nurses Week 2025 – Supporting the Nurses Who Care, Lead, and Inspire
Each year, Nurses Week gives us a moment to pause and reflect on the unwavering dedication, resilience, and compassion that nurses bring to every...
Celebrating Patient Experience Week: Spotlight On Our CPXP-Certified Experts
At Practicing Excellence, Patient Experience Week is more than a celebration—it’s a reaffirmation of our commitment to advancing human connection in...
Partner Spotlight: Rachel Koldenhoven, Rehab Manager at Corewell Health
We’re delighted to share a conversation with Rachel Koldenhoven, Rehab Manager at Corewell Health. Rachel shares the improvements she has seen in...
Excellence Redefined: Launching the Distinguished Emergency Medicine Patient Experience Certification Program
Practicing Excellence’s mission is to help helps organizations, teams, and individuals build skills to drive outcomes.Through role-specific,...
Partner Spotlight: Melissa Williams, BSN, RN, Ballad Health
We’re delighted to share a conversation with Melissa Williams, BSN, RN, from Ballad Health. Melissa shares the impact that Practicing Excellence...
Partner Spotlight: Ann Beers, MD, St. Elizabeth Physicians Chief Medical Officer
We’re delighted to share a conversation with Dr. Ann Beers from our partner organization St. Elizabeth Physicians, one of the oldest, largest, and...
The Inside-Out Approach: How Human Development Drives Exceptional Patient Experience
Advancing Patient Experience Through Human Development Imagine if every patient and family, at every touch point, every time they came for care,...
Transforming Healthcare Leadership: The Leading To Engage Certification Program
Investing in leaders to engage their teams is a key organizational commitment that focuses on developing, empowering, and utilizing the talents of...
Achieving Clinical Excellence: A Strategic Approach
In the pursuit of clinical excellence, healthcare organizations are in a constant race to improve the ways they drive harm reduction, promote a...
Driving Organic Team Engagement: How to Foster a Thriving Culture in Healthcare
Engaged teams form the backbone of a successful healthcare organization. When executives to the front line teams feel valued and connected to the...
Leadership Development: How Effective Leader Behaviors Drive Organizational Growth and Change
Mapping Leadership Development to Organizational Goals Effective leadership is the foundation of a thriving healthcare organization. Strong...
Empowering Nurse Leaders: The Transformative Impact of the Nurse LEAD Program
The role of a nurse leader is demanding, requiring a unique blend of clinical expertise, leadership acumen, and emotional resilience. Recognizing...
Human Development For Everyone, Everywhere: The Next Evolution Of Practicing Excellence
Over the years, Practicing Excellence has become a partner of choice for leading health systems and medical groups that value the development of...
Partner Spotlight: Baptist Memorial Health Resident Physician Strengthens Patient and Colleague Relationships
We’re delighted to share the experience of Dr. Michael R Brunner from our partner organization, Baptist Memorial Hospital, a healthcare system...
New Year, New Connections: Resolutions for Clinicians in 2025
As we step into 2025, it's that time of year again when we reflect on our past and set intentions for the future. For clinicians across the care...
Decreasing Nurse Burnout With A Collaborative Learning Approach: Partner Spotlight on King’s Daughters Medical Center Behavioral Health Unit
We are pleased to share the exciting work that our partners at King's Daughters Medical Center are doing in their Behavioral Health Unit. Debi J....
Partner Spotlight: Skill-Building Empowers Personal and Professional Confidence in KDMC Healthcare Professionals
Our partners’ frontline healthcare professionals are doing incredible work to strengthen patient connections, engage in team collaboration, and...
Transforming Organizational Performance: Ballad Health Selects Practicing Excellence As Enterprise Skill-Building Partner
Ballad Health has selected Practicing Excellence as its partner in advancing human development by implementing skill-building programs to develop...
Driving Impact in Healthcare Through Microlearning: A Success Story in Nurse Engagement and Patient Care
In an exciting development for healthcare organizations, our team's findings and outcomes on microlearning and nurse engagement have been published...
Partner Spotlight: El Camino Health’s Nurses Inspired by Actionable Learning
Each month we highlight the incredible work that our partners' frontline healthcare professionals are doing to strengthen patient connections,...
Social Determinants of Health Program Empowers Nurses to Address Health Inequities
Practicing Excellence is pleased to announce our new skill-building program in the Nursing Experience Project, the Social Determinants of Health...
5 Healthcare Leadership Behaviors that Drive High-Performing Teams
At our annual conference, CONNECT 2024, where we heard from our Practicing Excellence community partners and top industry executives, we were...
Building a Stronger Workforce: Yuma Regional Medical Center Deepens Employee Commitment, Partners with Practicing Excellence
Yuma Regional Medical Center has chosen Practicing Excellence as its partner in advancing human development through skill-building programs aimed at...
Why Developing Nurse Leaders is Crucial for Quality Patient Care
The contribution of nurse leaders is essential for ensuring patients receive high-quality care. Given the increasing demands on healthcare systems,...
The Critical Role of Professional Development in Nursing
The journey of a nurse is one of continuous learning and growth. Professional development in nursing, which may refer to continuing education,...
5 Reasons Why Continuous Learning Enhances Patient Safety
Patient safety is a fundamental priority in healthcare, and the most effective way to promote a culture of safety is through continuous learning. By...
3 Reasons Why Curiosity-Driven Empathy Can Revolutionize Patient Care
Conversations about soft or character skills have gained traction in recent years, indicating a growing recognition of their importance across...
5 Tips to Navigate Communication Pitfalls Through Nurse Professional Development
As the backbone of patient care, nurses frequently serve as the primary point of contact for patients and their families. They are the first to...
5 Reasons Why Human Connection Skills Make You a Better Leader
Effective leadership in healthcare is fundamentally about people. Strong human connection skills form the foundation on which successful leaders...
How to Improve the Patient Experience Through Human Development
The question of how to improve the patient experience is one that we often receive here at Practicing Excellence. Based on our conversations with...
Developing Healthcare Leaders to Advance the Engagement of Teams
There is an immense need, now more than ever, for developing healthcare leaders. The days of top-down...
How to Improve the Patient Experience by Becoming a Better Leader
The patient experience is not only determined by those on the frontlines but also by those in leadership. From the boardroom to the bedside, leaders...
Fostering Healthier Communities by Advancing Health Equity
We all know the statistics. Despite growing awareness, significant disparities in health outcomes persist across different populations. According to...
How to Improve the Patient Experience Through Continuous Learning and Human Development
How to improve the patient experience? This question goes beyond simply treating a medical condition. It's about creating a journey that prioritizes...
Transforming Healthcare Through Human Development: Announcing Our Summer Workshop Series
The heart of healthcare has always been, and always will be, the people delivering care. Every interaction, every decision, and every effort made by...
Understanding the Essential Role of Human Connection Skills in Healthcare
At its core, healthcare is about humans caring for each other. Whether it's a nurse comforting a patient during a difficult moment, a doctor...
5 Reasons Why You Need to Invest in Your Nurse Managers
Leadership is often perceived as an innate trait, something bestowed upon a select few at birth. While some may possess natural leadership traits,...
Skill Building in Healthcare: 3 Key Reasons Why Building a Learning Culture Matters
At its core, healthcare is about humans caring for each other. Whether it’s a nurse comforting a patient during a difficult moment, a doctor...
Improving the Patient Experience: The Rising Influence of Local Leaders
Patients today expect more than just medical treatment; they seek compassionate care, clear communication, and seamless processes throughout their...
Bending the Cost Curve: The Power of Value-Based Care
Practicing Excellence is pleased to announce that the third and final part of the Value-Based Care Program is now launched in the app. We know that...
Sustaining Trust: Why Nurse Professional Development is Key
Nurses were recently awarded, for the 22nd consecutive year, the honored title of ‘most trusted profession’ according to a longstanding Gallup poll....
Building a Stronger Workforce: Hannibal Regional Healthcare System Deepens Employee Commitment, Partners with Practicing Excellence
Hannibal Regional Healthcare System has selected Practicing Excellence as its partner to design and implement customized human development programs...
Human Connection Skill Series: Knowing Your Patient
When a caregiver enters the exam room, they have no way of knowing the many layers of their patient’s life story. But as leaders in healthcare,...
Human Connection Skills: Assessing Compassion’s Role in Healthcare
Can compassion help improve the care experience for both patients and providers? In the most recent episode of This Clinical Life, our host, Stephen...
The Untapped Power of Human Connection Skills in Healthcare
Picture a scenario: A patient sits in the exam room, grappling with a diagnosis that feels like an insurmountable mountain. The clinician, armed...
How to Improve the Patient Experience? Promote Human Connection
It’s all too easy to leave the responsibility for improving patient experience on the shoulders of the clinicians who interact with patients...
Transformational Nurse Leadership for Transformational Times
With the profound changes occurring in healthcare and nursing, transformational nurse leadership is needed now more than ever. This type of...
Skill Building in Healthcare: Can People Development Counter Burnout and Engage the Healthcare Workforce?
Every day, in our conversations and in healthcare commentary, we encounter discussions about a variety of approaches to reduce burnout and improve...
Transforming Your Team: Five Ways to Cultivate a Culture of Continuous Improvement in Five Minutes
With lives on the line, it’s no wonder clinicians often feel as though they have to have all the answers. Although this confidence is a critical...
INTEGRIS Health Chooses Practicing Excellence as Skill-Building Partner
INTEGRIS Health has selected Practicing Excellence as its partner to design and implement customized skill-building programs to develop their teams...
Want to Teach Your Team How to Improve the Patient Experience? Start with Skill Building
“The patient experience is now globally recognized as an independent dimension of healthcare quality,” according to the Journal of Patient...
From Medicine to Management: The Essential Role of Skill-Building in Healthcare Leadership
We continuously call on clinicians to become managers. Unfortunately, though, we rarely give them the training they deserve to tackle these roles...
3 Tips to Help Your Leaders Nurture Team Ownership
Recently, a physician leader shared a valuable perspective, stating, “I think one of the most challenging aspects of [our role] is how to guide...
Join Us At An Upcoming Executive Workshop
Imagine what your organization would look like if every one of your local leaders understood and acted upon their role as change agents, capable of...
Beyond the Bottom Line: A Shift of Mindset to Weather the Storms
I recently attended a conference where presenters shared survey data that was hot off the press. The survey asked health system CEOs about their...
Meaningful Feedback in Nursing
In a post-pandemic world, the million-dollar question revolves around how to ensure the well-being, emotional health, and full engagement of nurses....
Empowering Healthcare Leaders: Insights From Our Recent Workshop
At Practicing Excellence, we are unwavering in our dedication to revolutionizing healthcare organizations through empowering leaders at every level....
5 Tips on How to Improve the Patient Experience by Changing Your Body Language
Effective communication between clinicians and patients is vital to ensure better care outcomes. While we often focus on how to improve the patient...
Addressing Workplace Violence: Paving The Way For Change
As a nurse, I vividly recall my first encounter with violence in the workplace. A patient, intoxicated and agitated, attempted to strike me while I...
Workplace Violence: Where Do We Start?
I recently went through training to be a volunteer, and part of the pre-work was a course on managing workplace violence, including how to respond...
How To Bring Value-Based Care Into the Exam Room
In the fifth episode of This Clinical Life, I sat down with Jennifer Main Rutberg, MD, Medical Director of Care Coordination at Banner Health, to...
Yoga This, Yoga That: Why We Need to Rethink Nurse Well-Being
Maybe it’s because it’s January, but every day I seem to read another article or blog post about how to stay healthy and build resilience as a...
The Impact Of Effectively Explaining Actions
Connecting with patients is what many clinicians value most about their work. Meaningful connection involves effectively explaining your actions to...
Create Lasting First Impressions with Patients
You’ve likely heard the saying, “you only get one chance to make a first impression”. Researchers from Princeton confirmed this when they...
Nurse Manager Development: The Key to Transforming Nursing
We know it—nurse managers are the linchpin in making health care hum. Nurses will always care for their patients and perform what is expected of...
The Power of Clinician to Clinician Storytelling
A Native American proverb says, “Tell me a fact and I’ll learn. Tell me a truth and I’ll believe. But tell me a story and it will live in my heart...
To Be a Great Leader, You Have to Be a Great Listener
One of the most confusing and frustrating experiences of my career occurred when I was a nurse educator for a hospital’s critical care department....
Managing Families
When it comes to understanding the whole patient story, often family and friends can offer important additional insights. I remember caring for a...
Resilience Is Not Endurance
Several years ago, I was going through a really tough time at work and one of my colleagues commented “you are one of the most resilient people I...
A Two-Step Strategy to Reduce Decision Fatigue
As hospitalists, we make thousands of decisions each day, and often hundreds just for one patient. What is surprising is how those decisions impact...
Three Ways to Tap into the Benefits of Meaningful Recognition
Being a health care professional can at times seem like grueling, thankless work. With so many moving parts, you don’t always see the benefits of...
How To Effectively Coach Clinicians As A Non-Clinician
“I know you’re not a clinician, but I would like for you to formalize our Clinician Coaching Program and start shadowing and coaching clinicians at...