In an era where nurse shortages are stretching hospital systems across the United States, retention has become just as critical as recruitment. AdventHealth, one of the nation’s largest faith-based healthcare systems, has uncovered a winning strategy: a redesigned career ladder program that has prevented the departure of more than 700 nurses and saved an estimated $47.5 million in 2024.
The program known as the Professional Excellence Program is a powerful reminder that retaining nursing talent should be the first step in any healthcare staffing solution. For organizations considering international nurse recruitment and nurse visa sponsorship, it underscores a vital truth: skilled nurses should be given clear pathways to grow without feeling pressure to leave bedside care.
From Bedside to Career Growth without Leaving Patient Care
Launched in 2022, AdventHealth’s program was designed to address a long-standing challenge: nurses often believed they had to move into administrative or non-clinical roles to advance in their careers.
“Historically, to advance, nurses often felt they had to step away from the bedside because those roles didn’t fully recognize the specialized competencies they bring,” explained Trish Celano, RN, System Chief Nurse Executive for AdventHealth. “The clinical ladder changes that.”
The redesigned career ladder helps nurses identify and log their skills via a streamlined digital platform replacing cumbersome paper binders. Each skill is assigned point values, which nurses can use to progress through four defined stages of professional growth. This not only boosts engagement but empowers nurses to see a future inside the organization.
Caring for Patients and for Nurses
A unique aspect of the program is its incorporation of principles from Jean Watson’s Theory of Human Caring, which emphasizes the importance of compassion, patient relationships, and self-care. That human-centered approach resonates deeply with both U.S.-based and international nurses who value meaningful patient connection.
The initiative has been standardized across all 56 AdventHealth facilities, with results that speak volumes:
- Half of the 23,000 eligible nurses enrolled in the program
- Turnover among participants fell to 4.2%, compared to 14.1% overall
- Vacancy rates dropped below 5%
- Agency nursing usage fell under 0.5%
These retention gains have significantly reduced recruitment costs, which for many healthcare organizations could be redirected into overseas nurse hiring programs.
The Link Between Retention and International Nurse Recruitment
While AdventHealth’s success story is driven by keeping existing nurses, it presents a valuable blueprint for hospitals working with immigration partners like VisaMadeEZ to hire nurses from abroad. Here’s why:
- Retention programs increase the likelihood that internationally recruited nurses will stay longer maximizing the return on visa sponsorship investment.
- Hospitals with strong career development offerings are more attractive to *foreign-trained nurses seeking long-term U.S. nursing jobs.
- Lower vacancy rates give staffing teams more flexibility in focusing international recruitment efforts on highly specialized or hard-to-fill roles.
At VisaMadeEZ, we help healthcare organizations not only hire international nurses but integrate them into supportive systems that encourage lasting careers in the United States. Programs like AdventHealth’s ladder demonstrate that when nurses see opportunities to advance whether they are U.S.-born or internationally trained retention increases, costs drop, and patient care thrives.
Looking Ahead
AdventHealth is already planning to monitor the next wave of results particularly the impact on patient care quality in 2026 and 2027 if experienced nurses remain in bedside roles. For hospitals seeking to bridge staffing gaps, combining robust retention programs with strategic international nurse recruitment could be a game-changing strategy.
VisaMadeEZ Insight: If your healthcare facility is facing high nurse turnover and struggling to fill vacancies, consider pairing a retention-friendly career ladder with our end-to-end nurse visa sponsorship services. Together, we can help you hire, retain, and empower the talent that keeps your patients safe and cared for.
