Issuu

lead with EXCELLENCE grow with PURPOSE serve with LOVE ChristianaCare NURSING REPORT FISCAL YEAR 2026

Table

of Contents

Message A from Danielle

ollowing the Pathway F to Excellence

ead with L Excellence

ased e-B nc ctice

PAG E 4

p ow

Tea m

e t ic

ac al

e of Pr

Empiric al

erment

Quality

Saf e

PAG E 4 8 ChristianaCare Nursing Professional Practice Model

Caring

RNs, APRNs, LPNs at ChristianaCare

Professional Governance

Be n s & tia u e is Val C hr

c hi St Et &

ha aC v i o ar r s eW a

4,785

ion ss

ip rsh de ea lL na

rk wo

Integrity

Exe mp la r

M e

ons and novati Im e, In pr o

on iti

resentations P and Publications

PAG E 4 2

St r

Serve with Love

sf or m at io

fessional Pro De ve lo p m e nt

t en m ve

dg owle N e w Kn

PAG E 2 0

Rec og n

row with G Purpose

orship nt

ch ar

vocacy Ad

PAG E 8

Rese

Ev id e Pr a

Tra

PAG E 3

s, S an co p da e rd s

MISSION

VISION

We, the nurses of ChristianaCare, provide a high quality, exceptional care experience for every patient, every day, by partnering with our neighbors, colleagues and each other.

To be the transformative and intellectual force improving health through the evolving art and science of nursing.

A MESSAGE FROM DANIELLE

A Message Danielle

from

Dear Colleagues, Annually, ChristianaCare’s Nursing report captures our caregivers’ love and excellence in all its forms and settings — at the bedside, online, across our communities and with our patients and each other. Fiscal year 2026 was another banner year. We proudly celebrated our Cecil County Campus Nursing team submitting a Pathway to Excellence® application to the American Nurses Credentialing Center. With more than 1,000 cumulative caregiver hours invested and all six Pathway standards — Shared Decision-Making, Leadership, Safety, Quality, Wellbeing and Professional Development — documented, our Cecil County caregivers captured a culture and practice that I’m proud to lead. And across our Magnet®-designated areas — Christiana and Wilmington hospitals, HomeHealth and our ambulatory and community care practices — nurses continued to bring the Magnet pillars to life in innovative and extraordinary ways. To honor our Nursing community, we have organized this year's Nursing report around the full breadth of our team’s commitment to serving our neighbors as partners in their health and wellbeing. The report celebrates how our nurses Lead with Excellence, Grow with Purpose and Serve with Love. The highlights shared on the following pages are extraordinary. Our nurses expanded workplace violence prevention systemwide, refined our ambulatory care model, delivered zero harm milestones across diverse units, launched Delaware's first nurse anesthesiology degree program, pioneered virtual care and so much more. They earned DAISY awards, Beacon awards and numerous local and national recognitions. They published. They presented. They supported. And they led. Most of all, they cared with skill, courage and a deep human commitment that no metric can fully measure. I am profoundly grateful for each member of ChristianaCare’s Nursing community. Together, we are shaping the future of nursing while serving our patients today in ways that matter most to them and their families. Warmly,

Danielle Weber, DNP, MSM, RN-BC, NEA-BC Chief Nurse Executive

ChristianaCare Nursing Report 2026 | 3

F O L LO W I N G T H E PAT H WAY TO EXCELLENCE

the

Following Pathway Excellence

ChristianaCare’s Cecil County Campus Nursing team is on an extraordinary journey. After 36 months of intense work, the campus’s caregivers reached a major milestone, submitting the American Nurses Credentialing Center Pathway to Excellence® application in March.

Left to right, Joan Pirrung, MSN, APRN, ACNS-BC, president of Union Hospital, with Pathway Lead Renee Dortch, MSN, RN-BC, nurse manager, Union Hospital Behavioral Health; Pathway to Excellence Program Director Sarah Davis, MSN, RN, CEN, nursing coordinator; and Chris Lenz, MSN, RN, chief nursing officer of Cecil County Campus.

6 Standards

10 standard writers The Pathway designation recognizes practice environments where nurses lead with a strong voice, supported by engaged leadership and a culture grounded in the six Pathway standards: shared decision-making, leadership, safety, quality, wellbeing and professional development. Guided by Pathway to Excellence Program Director Sarah Davis, MSN, RN, CEN, and Pathway Lead Renee Dortch, MSN, RN-BC, nurses mobilized teams to gather evidence of standards in action. Two nurses partnered on each standard, ensuring every practice area was represented. All told, the work — evidence-gathering, writing, project managing — logged more than 1,000 cumulative

100+ standard examples

1,000+ cumulative caregiver hours invested along the journey

hours.

"The Pathway to Excellence application process was just as important as the outcome. It's easy to say we do a lot of good things. But writing it out — actually validating what nurses accomplish and showing here's the proof of excellence — was powerful. It made what we already knew visible to everyone."

Sarah Davis, MSN, RN, CEN,

Nursing coordinator, Pathway to Excellence program director

ChristianaCare Nursing Report 2026 | 5

F O L LO W I N G T H E PAT H WAY TO EXCELLENCE

Pathway to Excellence Standards The six standards of the Pathway to Excellence framework come to life in the way our Cecil County campus caregivers practice. At the bedside and across the organization, they nurture patient and caregiver experiences that are unmistakably defined by love and excellence. The following are several examples of the standards in action from our Pathway to Excellence application.

Shared Decision-Making creates opportunities for direct care nurses to network, collaborate, share ideas and be involved in decision-making. •

Professional governance councils where those closest to the work shape practice and policies.

•

Interprofessional committees that jointly evaluate care processes, safety initiatives and outcomes.

•

Nurse leaders prepared through governance education to facilitate shared problem solving.

Leadership supports a shared governance environment by ensuring that leaders are accessible and that they facilitate collaborative decision-making. •

Leaders who round regularly, listen actively and maintain open lines of communication.

•

Shared governance structures that empower frontline nurses to influence their practice environment.

•

Succession planning, mentorship and leadership development that preserve vision and standards through transitions.

Safety prioritizes both patient and nurse safety, fostering a respectful workplace culture free of incivility, bullying and violence. •

Use of Report2Learn to capture near-miss, no-harm and harm events for review.

•

Nurse-led debriefs and practice council work that address identified fall and alarm trends.

•

Unit-level data displays and huddles that keep safety issues visible and actionable.

Quality is central to an organization’s mission, vision, goals and values, and is based on person- and family-centered care, evidence-based care, continuous improvement and improving population health. •

Values and behaviors that guide nurses to serve together with excellence and love.

•

The Way We Care service standards such as “Take the Time” and “Explain What to Expect.”

•

Making Tomorrow Happen huddles and quality boards that align unit goals with Zero Harm aims.

to dream team Pathway Excellence

Wellbeing promotes a workplace culture of recognition for the contribution of nurses and the healthcare provider team, providing staff with support and resources to promote their physical and mental health.

Standard writers

•

Strategic priorities that emphasize safety, belonging and exceptional leadership for caregivers.

•

Systemwide Wellbeing Council embedded in professional governance to elevate wellbeing initiatives.

Safety: Tarra Rea, RN, RNC-OB, C-EFM, and Hannah Rackie, BSN, RN, C-EFM

•

Campus-level use of Caregiver Voice Survey results to design unit-specific wellbeing projects.

Wellbeing: Heather Barlow, BSN, RN, CMSRN, and Jennifer Gipson, RN, CMSRN

Professional Development ensures that nurses are competent to provide care and provides them with mentoring, support and opportunities for lifelong learning.

Shared Decision Making: Samantha Clark, BSN, RN, and Kristy Sexton, BSN, RN-BC Leadership: Emilee Roberts, BSN, RN, FNE, CEN

Quality: Donna Buettner-Hartsoe, BSN, RN

Professional Development: Hillary Rhoades, BSN, RN, CCRN, and Kelsey Benner, BSN, RN

Support

•

Systemwide learning needs assessments ask nurses which topics and learning formats they most need.

Brittany Anderson, MSN, APRN, AGCNS-BC, CCRN, Sr., program manager, surgical quality and community health impact

•

Proactive surge plan to manage anticipated increases in patient volume during the winter months.

Michelle Collins, DNP, APRN, CNS, ACNS-BC, NPD-BC, NEA-BC, LSSBB, FAAN, vice president, nursing professional excellence

•

Optional critical-care refreshers and ICU shadowing that prepare nurses for surge and specialty roles.

Chris Lenz, MSN, RN, CNML, chief nursing officer, Cecil County Campus Lauren Liebman, administrative assistant Paige Merring, DNP, RN, CCRN, NEA-BC, Magnet program director, Nursing excellence program manager Lisa Valle, executive assistant

LEAD WITH EXCELLENCE

with

Lead Excellence Across ChristianaCare’s campuses, ambulatory and community care settings and HomeHealth, Nursing excellence comes to life through exemplary professional practice and transformational leadership. Propelled by Magnet components and Pathway to Excellence standards — leadership, safety and quality — nurses lead with accountability, elevate care delivery and shape outcomes across every setting.

LEAD WITH EXCELLENCE

A New Ambulatory Nursing Model for a Better Nurse Experience Over the past two years, ChristianaCare has reshaped primary care nursing into a regional, team approach. Previously, many ambulatory care nurses were anchored to a single practice and “glued to the phone” in nonstop triage, with little room to use the full breadth of their skills. There were competing nursing demands, staffing challenges and decreased access, as well as uneven distribution of resources and skills. ChristianaCare’s new ambulatory care nursing model has transformed how our caregivers work. Regional nursing teams now share a common panel of patients and practices, rotating between triage and in-person visits to balance critical phone work with hands-on care. A built-in flex nurse steps into any role when someone is out, keeping phones answered and visits covered without adding staff or relying on a float pool. Designed to be budget-neutral and to respond to what nurses need — flexibility, variety and human connection — the innovative, region-wide model improves both patient and caregiver experience.

"The new model has been a game-changer for how we work, connect as a team and serve patients. Rotating practices have broadened our skills and adaptability, while our huddles keep us informed and supported. Hybrid flexibility offers work-life balance and makes us more efficient in care coordination, triage and patient outreach. Our patients feel the difference too, with faster responses, more consistent care and better access throughout the day for calls, messages and follow-up. The model has had a significant impact on me personally, and I'm so grateful for our innovative leadership."

Erin Hemple,

BSN, RN, AMB-BC, ChristianaCare Primary Care at Woodstown

ChristianaCare Nursing Report 2026 | 9

LEAD WITH EXCELLENCE

Showing Up for the People Who Show Up for Patients Supporting Safety at the Bedside ChristianaCare added two clinical safety nurse coordinators at the end of the last fiscal year to focus on proactively preventing workplace violence* incidents at the bedside. Coordinators serve as specialized clinical safety experts, monitoring real-time triggers such as violence alerts, aggression precautions, Dynamic Appraisal of Situational Aggression scores greater than four and restraint use. They round on at-risk patients, review medical records, consult with the patient care team to optimize medications, develop behavioral safety plans and coordinate with Behavioral Health, Public Safety and others.

COORDINATOR IMPACT

Since the program launch, coordinators have conducted proactive and follow-up rounds for hundreds of patients. Most actions focused on caregiver education, medication management, patient assessment, patient needs and provider collaboration. Nurses have also expressed increased confidence in identifying and managing safety concerns for patients with or at risk of violence rose sharply. Given the program's early success, we’ve recently added a coordinator at our Wilmington Campus.

of nurses felt very or moderately confident managing safety concerns after engaging with the coordinators, a 700% increase

257 proactive and follow-up rounds completed for 194 patients at highest risk for aggression or violence.

96.9%

Clinical Safety Nurse Coordinators, left to right, Angela Pizza, BSN, RN PMH-BC, and Gabrielle Scollo, BSN, RN, GERO-BC, consult with a patient.

* An act or threat occurring at the workplace involving staff, licensed practitioners, patients or visitors that includes verbal, nonverbal, written, or physical aggression; threatening, intimidating, harassing, discriminatory or humiliating words or actions; bullying; sabotage; sexual harassment; physical assaults or other behaviors of concern.

LEAD WITH EXCELLENCE

Driving a Safer Caregiving Environment Over the past several years, ChristianaCare has intensified our focus on workplace violence prevention. In FY 26, guided by the Systemwide Interprofessional Workplace Civility Steering Committee, which includes several nurse leads, the health system set a formal goal in our Annual Operating Plan to strengthen safety by expanding public safety and security measures. Directed by a collaboration among Nursing and Public Safety – led by Susan Mascioli, MS, BSN, RN, NEA-BC, CPHQ, LSSBB, CPPS, vice president of Nursing Quality & Safety and Mark Wilhelm, director, Public Safety — key actions included: •

Expanded weapons screening for patients and visitors across all campuses and non-ambulatory screenings in Emergency Departments.

•

Deployed DATAMINR in Public Safety, a real-time AI platform that detects early signals of events and risk in the community using publicly available data.

•

Implemented a Public Safety Investigator role to follow up with caregivers impacted by workplace violence to provide support and guidance with pursuing criminal charges.

•

Improved parking lot lighting.

•

Increased transparency around the Patient and Visitor Code of Conduct.

•

Introduced strategies, such as doll therapy (see below) and enhanced clinical behavior safety care planning to reduce risk and support staff.

Additionally, the organization continues to focus on increasing mental health and wellbeing resources available to caregivers to support them through the emotional effects of violent events.

Comfort That Calms Patients identified as at risk for violence often present with altered mental status and/or delirium, highlighting the need for targeted, evidence-based interventions. In FY 26, all three ChristianaCare campuses implemented doll therapy through a new partnership with Angie’s Purpose, a program that helps health systems implement the model. The therapeutic approach is supported by clinical evidence showing reductions in anxiety, agitation and behavioral symptoms in cognitively impaired adults, including those with dementia, delirium and traumatic brain injury. Early adoption in other settings has been associated with fewer falls, decreased use of restraints and antipsychotic medications, and reduced need for safety companion hours—advancing patient safety while supporting caregivers in managing complex behaviors.

ChristianaCare Nursing Report 2026 | 11

LEAD WITH EXCELLENCE

Movement is Medicine To address patient mobility challenges, ChristianaCare developed a creative solution in its new Mobility Intern Program that brings local high schools into the ChristianaCare fold. A partnership among Nursing, Workforce Development and Rehabilitation Services, the unique workforce pipeline employs 17- and 18-year-olds as mobility interns. Working in pairs, the interns review patient lists and help those with higher Johns Hopkins Highest Level of Mobility scores who might benefit most from sustained walking. The program is part of a larger mobility improvement initiative that brings together three groups: patient care technicians focused on bathing, ambulation and turning, known as the BAT team; a network of Mobility Advocates, nurses who lead the mobility work on each unit and the interns. We are proud of this novel workforce program. The strategy is showing early improvement in mobilization rates and a steady reduction in patient length of stay. Of the 32 interns hired at our Newark and Wilmington campuses, 19 have accepted patient care technician positions at ChristianaCare following graduation. We also expanded the program to our Cecil County Campus for FY 27.

Three Integrated Initiatives Create a System for Mobility

BAT Team

Mobility Intern Program

Mobility Advocates Program

Bathing, Ambulation, Turning

Partnered with Vo-tech high school students who are certified nursing assistants to pair up and be assigned 7 shifts a pay period. 7-hour shifts on weekdays 1300– 2000 and weekends 0900–1600 to ambulate patients.

Nursing Staff champions drive culture change and sustain practice on each unit

Support

Sustain

Float pool patient care technicians rotated assignments and assigned to BAT team members for the campus. The innovative shifts allowed the team member to go unit to unit with a primary focus on mobilizing patients.

Standardize

LEAD WITH EXCELLENCE

Virtual Nursing Supports Postpartum Patients and Nurses Since 2022, ChristianaCare has been at the forefront of care delivery with our Virtual Acute Care Nursing (VACN) program, which uses virtual caregiving to give bedside nurses more time with patients. Part of the care team from admission to discharge, virtual nurses work remotely via tablet, handling admissions, medication histories, patient and family education, and discharge documentation. The result is more attentive care at the bedside and a more connected, supported experience for patients and families. In year three, the program reached another milestone — its first full year on the Newark Campus Postpartum Unit. Led by Colleen Aaron, BSN, RN, RNC-MNN, and Haley Martindale, BSN, RN, RNC-MNN, the team has made discharge support its cornerstone. Bolstered by virtual nurses, they ensure families leave the hospital better prepared and more confident about the transition to home.

Jacqueline Kitchens, BSN, RN

FY 26 participating VACN units across Newark and Wilmington campuses (July 2025 through April 2026)

4,615 Total virtual admissions

9,600 Total virtual discharges

1,540 Admissions hours saved for bedside nurses

4,800 Discharges hours saved for bedside nurses Haley Martindale, BSN, RN, RNC-MNN, Shannon Dorey, BSN, RN, RNC-MNN, Paige Mouser, MSN, RN, CNL, Dana Giannuario, BSN, RN, RNC-MNN, Kristen Connell, BSN, RN-BC, Elisa Inhof, BSN, RN, RNC-MNN, Lauren Mills, MSN, RN, RNC-MNN, Alyssa Noble , BSN, RN, RNC-MNN, Lesley Tepner, MSN, APRN, AGCNS-BC, NPD-BC, C-ONQS, RNC-OB, Not pictured: Jessica Cook, Danielle Feely, Jaci Kitchens, and Eileen Krapf

ChristianaCare Nursing Report 2026 | 13

LEAD WITH EXCELLENCE

Council Highlights Administrative Council Chair: Justin Scaricaciottoli, MSN, RN, CPN •

Strengthened nurse leader communication by standardizing leadership resources and embedding the nurse manager and assistant nurse manager onboarding checklist into Learning Space to support consistent role readiness; partnered with the Wellbeing Council to promote recognition practices and advanced a centralized SharePoint hub to improve access to systemwide tools and communications such as On the Same Page.

•

Advanced patient experience with expanded use of We Care Cards and Unit Welcome Letters to better set patient expectations and support advancement of the Nursing Bundle, and by partnering with Support Services leadership — including EVS, Escort and Textiles — to improve understanding of workflows and identify opportunities for stronger collaboration that positively impact the patient experience across care settings.

•

Supported quality and safety and systemwide accountability by contributing to quality and safety priorities through feedback and oversight related to the future IMPROVE model, including education review, accountability discussions and governance alignment, and by serving as a consultative body for multiple system initiatives — such as the Wellbeing Ambassador and Evidence-Based Practice Fellowship programs — ensuring nursing leadership perspectives inform design, implementation and sustainability.

Education, Development & Advancement Council Chair: Brenda Hollingsworth, MSN, RN, CCRN

•

Expanded certification support and achieved outcomes by providing comprehensive certification resources, including study materials and scheduled review courses for CEN, CCRN, PCCN, GERO, Med-Surg, and SCRN, contributing to exceeding systemwide certification goals.

•

Advanced organizational awareness of generational differences in nursing by featuring quarterly N.U.R.S.E. Newsletter articles on the topic and emphasizing the top three themes identified by the council (communication and feedback, recognition, and delegation) and by supporting systemwide education and engagement through a presentation on communication and feedback.

•

Promoted growth through the MentorLead platform, providing practical tips and step-by-step guidance in the N.U.R.S.E. Newsletter and introducing the new MentorLead mobile app to streamline the mentorship experience by making it easier for mentors and mentees to participate.

LEAD WITH EXCELLENCE

Nursing Research & Evidence-Based Practice Council Chair: Mandee Spence, BSN, RN-BC •

Hosted an interactive abstract-writing workshop for council members to strengthen their skills in scholarly dissemination, including reviewing abstract structure, drafting abstracts in small groups and receiving peer feedback to build confidence in submitting work to conferences and professional forums.

•

Collaborated with the Workforce Connection Council to develop a Nursing Project Showcase, creating a platform for bedside nurses to share quality improvement, evidence-based practice and research initiatives while advancing professional development, dissemination and engagement in professional governance.

•

Adopted the updated Johns Hopkins Evidence-based Practice (EBP) appraisal tools to standardize how council members evaluate research and evidence during journal reviews, integrating the new tools into article review processes to strengthen evidence appraisal skills and ensure alignment with current EBP standards.

Off-Shift Council Chair: Jacquelyn Hennelly, BSN, RN, TCRN •

Exceeded the goal of providing at least two off-shift educational sessions for nursing staff by offering 12 “Java Jams” sessions and one off-shift Basic Life Support (BLS) session, providing overnight education to 280 caregivers via Java Jams and training 10 nurses through the off-shift BLS session.

•

Conducted off-shift wellbeing rounds across all three campuses, reaching 140 caregivers, including providing support through the wellbeing cart, offering hand massages, and distributing snacks to promote staff wellness and engagement.

•

Established six Eco Champions on six different units who actively support sustainability efforts by collecting expired supplies and monitoring recycling bins to ensure materials are disposed of in the appropriate waste streams.

•

Established a collaboration with the Hope Center to organize a March donation initiative to collect essential supplies for individuals experiencing homelessness.

ChristianaCare Nursing Report 2026 | 15

LEAD WITH EXCELLENCE

Professional Nurse Council Chair: Liza Mitchell, BSN, RN-BC •

Continued meaningful recognition of caregivers with 51 DAISY and ROSE presentations completed through March, implemented a formalized process for notification of all DAISY and ROSE nominations to be recognized at the practice area level.

•

Reviewed 47 unit-based t-shirt submissions in accordance with the dress code policy and established a scrub recycling plan for safe disposal of scrubs with the previous logo.

•

Advanced 2026 Nurses Week planning with continued community engagement activities planned, including our annual 5K and food drive in support of the Food Bank of Delaware.

Quality & Safety Council Chair: Cayla Scrimer, MSN, RN, CCRN •

Developed the structure, function, FAQs and a Job Aid for IMPROVE, a new practice area improvement framework that engages all caregivers in working toward improved processes and outcomes.

•

Partnered with the VEST Center to complete a failure mode and effects analysis and risk mitigation action plan for the transition of insulin pens to multidose vials.

•

Provided feedback and made decisions to improve nursing practice and clinical outcomes for numerous quality and safety initiatives, including HAPI (transition to a softer, more pliable nasal cannula), alternative pressure injury prevention devices, fall prevention, hospital-acquired infections, environmental cleaning and medication safety.

Technology & Innovation Council Chair: Lorrinda Lockard, MSN, RN-BC, CWOCN

•

Partnered with Public Safety on violence prevention to support the implementation of new technology that enhances caregiver experience through improved safety and security.

•

Promoted systemwide financial strength by assisting with the evaluation of EPIC workflows to improve operational efficiency and supporting the implementation of technology to aid in care coordination and workflows.

•

Reviewed technology workflows on equipment (CareAware VitalsLink, PCA order, BCMA) to aid in the reduction of preventable harm.

Wellbeing Council Chair: Jana Dean, MSN, RN, CCRN •

•

Launched the pilot of Three Good Things (3GTs) across all units, an evidence-based practice that encourages reflection on three positive events — either personal or work-related — during change-of-shift huddles; expanded 3GTs into huddles and meetings; continued post-survey analysis to guide broader rollout; partnered with External Affairs to develop branding and support systemwide adoption. Expanded the Nurse Caregiver Wellbeing Ambassador Program to 88 ambassadors, achieving full Wellbeing Council participation. Completed Psychological First Aid training for Wellbeing Council members to strengthen peer support after stressful events.

Workforce Connection Council Chair: Olivia Danchik, MSN, RN, CCRN •

•

Created the Nursing Project Showcase in collaboration with Research & Evidence-Based Practice Council. The showcase provides guidance for clinical nurses interested in writing abstracts and creating posters, a critical skill in disseminating work externally. Began creating the framework for the Culture Club, in collaboration with the Center for Worklife Wellbeing. Practice councils will use resources to create a written unit culture agreement in FY 27. Continued review of staffing and scheduling policies to improve caregiver satisfaction and retention. Continued to promote the Heavenly Seven reassigned caregiver survey to address themes and improve the reassigned caregiver experience.

Promotions to Nurse Leadership Ken Anderson, MSN, RN, CCRN, NE-BC, nurse manager, 7E Christine Barbour, MBA, MSN, RN, CEN, CPEN, NE-BC, nurse manager, Pediatric Center Jessica Belmar, MSN, RN, CCRN, nurse manager, 5A Christine Brown, MSN, RN, OCN, NPD-BC, nurse manager, Virtual Acute Care Nursing Tom Carr, MSN, MBA, RN-BC, nurse manager, 3M and WCCU Frank Crispin, MSN, RN, CMSRN, LSSBB, vice president, Patient Care Services Taneka Curtis, MHA, BSN, RN, CNOR, nurse manager, Cardiovascular Surgical Nursing Jessica Dickerson, MSN, RN, CNL, nurse manager, ICU, RRT, VAN, WOC Erin Dignan, MSN, RN-BC, nurse manager, 6B Medical Kathleen Fetters, BSN, RN-BC, CWOCN, supervisor, Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Samantha Greenlaw, MSN, RN, PCCN, NE-BC, nurse manager, 5E Tania Haas, MSN, RN-BC, NE-BC, senior performance improvement program manager Tamie Hotchkiss, MSN, RN, RNC-NIC, nurse manager, NICU Bob Kennedy, MSN, RN, CV-BC, nurse manager, HVIS

Brianna “Bri” Langshaw, MSN, RN, CEN, NE-BC, TCRN, NPD-BC, nurse manager, Middletown Emergency Department Denise Lottero, MSN, MSM, RN, NE-BC, CNOR, vice president, Patient Care Services Megan Money, DNP, MBA, RN, PCCN, NE-BC, director clinical operations, Wilmington Campus (4N, 4W, 5N, 5W) Jasmin Orange, MSN, RN, CCRN, nurse manager, MICU Kristin Papiro, MSN, RN, CPHQ, LSSGB, manager, Nursing Quality and Workplace Violence Renee Platt, MSN, RN, GERO-BC, nurse manager, 4B Mary Podlas, MSN, MBS, CEN, TCRN, RNC-OB, C-EFM, nurse manager, Union Emergency Department Dawn Stepnowski, DNP, APRN, ACNPC-AG, ANP-BC, CBN, CPHQ, NEABC, Chief advanced practice clinician, Surgical Services Michael Szeliga, MSN, APRN, AGCNS-BC, CMSRN, CPHQ, lead clinical nurse specialist Courtney Turner, MSN, RN, TCRN, nurse manager, Newark Campus Emergency Department Trina Turner, DNP, RN, PCCN, LNC, CNE, nurse manager, 3B Pamela Woods, MSN, RN, ACNS-BC, CEN, TCRN, manager, trauma program, Wilmington Campus

ChristianaCare Nursing Report 2026 | 17

LEAD WITH EXCELLENCE

Zero Harm Awards ChristianaCare’s Zero Harm Awards recognize hospital patient care units, HomeHealth teams, Perioperative Services departments and Community Care Practices that have maintained zero cases of preventable harm in one of nine harm categories for at least 12 months. From May 2025 through March 2026, 123 awards were given, including four awards for at least 11 years (132 months or more) with zero harm. Since January 2017, 1,474 awards have been granted. NEWARK CAMPUS

CLABSI 96 months

TSU

72 months

TNU

36 months

5B, C6MS

24 months

3C, CEAD

12 months

4E, NCCU, 3A, NICU, 4B, BMT, 5C

CAUTI 132 months

BMT

84 months

TNU

72 months

CEAD

36 months

3C, 5D

24 months 2C, 4C, TMU, 6B, SCCC, NCCU 12 months

3B, 5C, 5A, C6MS, 7E

All Falls 12 months

PCM, TSU

WILMINGTON CAMPUS

CLABSI 132 months

72 months

Rehab (6W)

60 months

WCCU

24 months

WICU

12 months

4N/5W

CAUTI 144 months

132 months

4N/5W

108 months

84 months

WICU

60 months

WCCU

24 months

7N 7S

MRSA 108 months

TNU

84 months

BMT

MRSA 144 months

72 months

CEAD

84 months

60 months

6A, C6MS

60 months

WCCU

36 months

4B, 7E, 5A, 4E

48 months

24 months

4D, 6B, 2C

36 months

4N/5W

12 months

5E, 3B, TSU, 5C

C. difficile 72 months

CEAD

36 months

4W, 6S, WICU

48 months

C6MS

12 months

SCCC, 3B, 7E, TNU

All Falls 24 months

WICU

LEAD WITH EXCELLENCE

CECIL COUNTY CAMPUS

CLABSI 24 months

MSU

12 months

SSU, ICU, PCU

CAUTI 84 months

ICU

48 months

SSU, MSU

12 months

PCU

Short-Term Complications of Diabetes 24 months PC Linden Hill, PC Kennett 12 months PC Hope and Healing, PC Lantana, CP Gateway, PC at Home, PC Woodstown HOMEHEALTH

MRSA 84 months

SSU

48 months 12 months

ICU

CLABSI 24 months

NC Team 2

MSU

12 months

CD Team 1

C. difficile 60 months

CDU

CAUTI 24 months

NC Team 4

24 months

MSU

12 months

CD Team 3, NC Team 5, CD Team 1, NC Team 8

COMMUNITY CARE PRACTICES

Hypertension Admissions 24 months PC Westgrove, PC Kennett, PC Riverfront, PC Smyrna, Cardiology Consultants-NJ 12 months PC Hope and Healing, PC Springside, CHF CHR 1070

ChristianaCare Nursing Report 2026 | 19

GROW WITH PURPOSE

with

Grow Purpose

Throughout ChristianaCare, nursing growth is grounded in structural empowerment and new knowledge, innovations and improvements. Aligned with these Magnet components and the Pathway standards of shared decision-making, professional development and wellbeing, nurses expand their practice and drive continuous improvement in care.

GROW WITH PURPOSE

Growing Local Talent to Fill a Critical Need ChristianaCare launched Delaware’s first doctoral Nurse Anesthesiology Program in January 2026, creating a new in-state pathway to train highly skilled anesthesia providers. The inaugural cohort includes 25 students — many from ChristianaCare — who will complete rigorous coursework, simulation and more than 2,500 clinical hours. Developed in partnership with Wilmington University and Anesthesia Services, P.A., the largest anesthesia group in Delaware, the program strengthens the pipeline of advanced practice nurses and enables caregivers to grow their careers while continuing to serve our community.

ChristianaCare Nursing Report 2026 | 21

GROW WITH PURPOSE

Clinical Ladder ChristianaCare's four-tier professional advancement clinical ladder encourages nurses across primary, acute, community and specialty care and ChristianaCare HomeHealth to continually improve their skill set and practice at the top of their license. Congratulations to our caregivers who achieved RN III and RN IV status in FY 26, embodying a commitment to continued learning in service to our patients.

RN IV

Katie Carroll

Allison Juhl

Cassie Rocha

Arwen Craig

Chloe Charlsen

Jason Keller

Natalie Roddy

Lorie Meck

Imani Cobb

Mason Klass

Melissa Rollo

Hellen Okoth

Kendra Constance

Brigit Lavelle

Hannah Roth

Beverley-Ann Perera-Anderson

Kayley Cross

Natalie Leszczynski

Janet Roth

Danielle D’Ambrosio

Jessica Loller

Saheed Salam

Lauren Rosenthal

Merasol Degamo

Amy Long

Kristin Saraceni

Emily Spear

Shannon Dorey

Shannon Loomis

Corrin Simmons

Samantha Stafford

Jessica Duncan

Miranda Love

Mandee Spence

Ruth Woerner

Colin Durham

Cassie Lynch

Roseanne Swift

Ross Eckbold

Kaitlyn Madron

Heidi Tellefsen

Guadalupe Ramirez Espinosa

Vanessa Marianiello

Elizabeth Theil

Ruth Addison

Ashley May

Gay Thomas-Whye

Jazmin Aguilar

Melissa Ferguson

Sarah Mayfield

Outhay Thongdeng

Barbara Akorli

Adrienne Fiumara

Connor McCaffery

Rachael Toller

Christine Antes

Emily Francia

Shannon McCoy

Caitlyn Toulson

Abbey Austin

Sarah Freese

Kristie Avena

Jill Gelato

Deborah Megenhardt

Vipanjika Soman Unnithan

Becky Bartlebaugh

Jessica George

Jennifer Morrison

Cate Vallely

Heather Bauerle

Kellie Glenn

Heidrich Moscoso

Cheri Waynant

Regina Beardsley

Elaine Good

Sean Nagel

Cheryl Weber

Leigh Bennett

Leigh Greer

Mike Narasaki

Jennifer Weglarz

Jennifer Benson

Joe Hancharick

Meghan Overby

Melissa Wells

Heather Bracken

Jacquelyn Hennelly

Ashlynd Parish

Kayla Williams

Helen Brown

Jamie Hills

Kathleen Quirk

Roxann Williams

Carol Bryson

Nichole Hoffman

Hannah Windsor

Grace Buegel

Lindsey Hoosty

Lauren-Elizabeth Rakes

Kristi Burris

Elisabeth Jamison

Jamie Rebman

Lyndsay Wobbleton

Caroline Calitree

Brianna Jansen

Anita Reed

Michelle Zechman

Kevin Canady

Shireen Jeter

Susan Riggs

Melissa Carr

Angel Johnson

John Robinson

RN III

Mary Ann Witiak

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Excellence, Certified and Elevated ChristianaCare supports nurses in advancing their education and pursuing specialty certifications that strengthen clinical judgment, expand expertise and improve patient outcomes. Our commitment shows up across the system:

83%

1,858

65%

149

of nurses hold a BSN or higher

of certification-eligible nurses are certified

nurses hold at least one professional certification

specialty certifications are represented across Nursing

Doctoral Degrees

Coleen Dever, DNP, APRN, AGACNP, AGACNS, CEN, TCRN Doctor of Nursing Practice West Chester University

Paige Merring, DNP, RN, CCRN, NEA-BC Doctor of Nursing Practice, Executive Leadership Wilmington University

ChristianaCare Nursing Report 2026 | 23

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Nursing Residencies and Fellowships Nurse Residency Program Our Nursing Residency Program is accredited with distinction as a Practice Transition Program by the American Nurses Credentialing Center Practice Transition Accreditation Program® (PTAP). In FY 26, ChristianaCare offered three nurse residency cohorts, serving units across our three campuses, which hire newly graduated RNs with fewer than 12 months of nursing experience.

95%

241

primary curriculum tracks

average first-year retention rate across the program

nurse residents hired

Critical Care, Emergency, Float Pool, HVIS, Labor and Delivery, Medical, Neonatal ICU, Perioperative, Postpartum, Progressive Care and Surgical

(compared to 86% for all residencies recognized by the ANCC’s PTAP)

Nursing Fellowships RN Fellowship ChristianaCare Nursing offers RN fellowship programs for experienced nurses (typically 12–24 months or more of RN experience) transitioning into a new specialty or care setting. These fellowships provide a structured, individualized transition for nurses without prior clinical experience in the specialty area. The model incorporates intentional peer support to promote confidence, accelerate clinical learning, and support successful transition and early retention.

Fellows permanently hired across Perioperative, ED, Labor and Delivery FY 26

APC Fellowship Our Advanced Practice Clinician (APC) Fellowships support recently graduated APCs as they transition into confident, skilled providers. Spanning nine-12 months, the structured fellowship programs combine diverse clinical experiences, advanced educational opportunities, and dedicated clinical mentorship to facilitate a successful transition into practice.

Fellows permanently hired across Primary Care, Behavioral Health, Critical Care, Hospitalist, NICU, Neuro-Cognitive FY 26

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Pathways to Nursing ChristianaCare builds a strong pipeline of tomorrow's nurses and nurse leaders through extensive collaborations with premier nursing schools, community partners and vocational programs. We provide undergraduate and graduate students with valuable clinical experience alongside leading clinicians. Additionally, we partner with nearby middle and high schools to inspire enthusiasm for the field of nursing.

Delaware State University Nursing Scholars Program Up to eight scholarships annually University of Delaware Nursing Scholarship Up to four scholarships annually

igh School Programs H Nursing Career Collaborative with William Penn High School Seven students Mobility Intern Program Partnership with technical high schools to bring senior students into an entry level direct patient care position.

P atient Care Technician (PCT) Residency Program Targets underserved communities in Delaware

N urse Job Shadow Career exploration for students 18 years or older. Supported 285 student experiences.

Student Nurse Extern (SNE) Program Hired 123 year-round SNEs and 27 summer-only SNEs

I nternship Cecil College

Cecil College Nursing Scholarship Up to five scholarships annually

hristianaCare Career C Pathway Scholarship Tuition support to eligible caregivers enrolled for Associate Degree Nursing Program at CTCC or Cecil College.

1,012

undergraduate nursing students in clinical rotations (Spring 2026)

iddle School Program M Brandywine School District Lifesavers Program, 35 participants

J unior Board Scholarship Junior Boardsponsored

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT SUPPORT

C hristianaCare Nursing Advancement Scholarship Program for Our Caregivers Prelicensure BSN RNBSN RNMSN 111 documented preceptorships for our graduate-level nursing students

PCT and LPN students supported in clinical rotations, including participants from the PCT Residency Program

GRADUATE STUDENT SUPPORT

114

graduate students supported

students were ChristianaCare employees

32,000

Clinical hours supported

Graduate Student Support ChristianaCare supports graduate-level nursing students through our Nursing Advancement Scholarship Program and preceptorships. In FY 26, this support included Doctor of Nursing Practice students, Neonatal Nurse Practitioners, Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioners, Master’s in Education or Leadership, Clinical Nurse Specialists, Certified Nurse Midwifery and RN First Assistant students. And we expanded graduate program offerings by adding two new university partnerships — Capella University and Frontier University — broadening online options for caregivers pursuing advanced degrees. ChristianaCare Nursing Report 2026 | 25

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Nurses on Boards Briana Abernathy, BSN, RN, CEN, DNP representative, University of Delaware School of Nursing Graduate External Committee and Graduate Education Committee V. Sheryl Amore, MSN, MSM, RN, chair, nominating committee and bylaws committee, Chi Eta Phi Sorority, Inc. (Tau Eta Chapter); incorporated co-chair, risk management, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Brittany Anderson, MSN, APRN, AGCNS-BC, CCRN, founder, WolfPups on Wheels, Inc. Lauren Barone, MSN, RN, OCN, LNCC, secretary, Delaware Diamond Chapter, Oncology Nursing Society Andrea Boyle, MSN, RN, APRN, FNP-C, secretary, Prevent Child Abuse Delaware Karen Brady, MSN, RN, CNOR, NPD-BC, board member, Wilmington Chapter, Association of periOperative Registered Nurses Maria Brown, MSN, RN, PCCN, CNL, NEA-BC, president and immediate past president, Delaware Organization for Nursing Leadership William Bryant, DNP, RN, CNOR, NE-BC, board member, Choir School of Delaware; Glasgow Ambulatory Surgery Center Kathryn Burke, MSN, RN, VA-BC, secretary, Sigma Theta Tau - Beta Xi Chapter and Whitehall Community Garden Association (501(c)3 non-profit) Michelle Collins, DNP, APRN, CNS, ACNS-BC, NPD-BC, NEA-BC, LSSBB, FAAN, member, National Nurse Wellbeing Consortium; member, American Nurses Association Health System Nurse Innovation Leaders Loretta Consiglio-Ward, MSN, RN, CPHQ, board member-at-large, New Castle County, Delaware Association for Healthcare Quality Ric Cuming, EdD, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, board member, DAISY Foundation

Elizabeth Dauphin, MSN, RN, OCN, NPD-BC, president, Delaware Diamond Chapter, Oncology Nursing Society Kathleen Dealy, MSN, APRN, ACCNS-AG, CC RN, secretary-elect, Diamond State Chapter, American Association of Critical Care Nurses Donna DeFilippis, BSN, RN, ACM-RN, member-at-large and co-chair membership committee, Maryland Chapter, American Case Management Association Cynthia Griffin, MS, BSN, RN, CPHQ, CCM, NEA-BC, Editorial Board for Nursing2026 Nursing Journal; chair, CNO Council for the American Medical Group Association; member, Leadership Council for the American Academy of Ambulatory Care Nursing Danny Hamm, MSN, RN, advisory board member, Cecil College School of Nursing Patti Hollenback, BSN, RN, OCN, ONN-CG, president, Penns Wood Chapter, Oncology Nursing Society Meghan Hormanski, MSN, RN, OCN, treasurer, Oncology Nursing Society Mary Jones-Gant, DNP, APRN, FNP-C, CNS-BC, CCM-BC, RRT, executive board member and chair special events committee, Special Olympics Delaware Allison Juhl, MSN, RN-BC, CNOR, board of directors, Wilmington Chapter, Association of periOperative Registered Nurses Denise Lottero, MSN, MSM, RN, NE-BC, CNOR, president-elect, Delaware Organization for Nurse Leaders Denise Lyons, DNP, APRN, AGCNS-BC, CPHQ, LSSBB, member, DNP Advisory Board, Wilmington University Susan Mascioli, MS, BSN, RN, NEA-BC, CPHQ, LSSBB, CPPS, secretary, Delaware Association for Healthcare Quality

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Alicia McCann, MJ, BSN, RN, CBCN, membership committee, Oncology Nursing Society Julie McCulloh Nair, PhD, RN, PHNA-BC, CCRE, board member, National Institute of Rural and Minority Health; government affairs chair, Pennsylvania State Nurses Association; research chair, Sigma - Xi Delta Chapter Randall McLennan, BSN, RN, NRP, 1st District Representative, Cecil County EMS Advisory Board Steven McPherson, MSN, RN, NI-BC, editorial board, Nursing Management Journal Paige Merring, DNP, RN, CCRN, NEA-BC, secretary, Delaware Organization for Nursing Leadership Michelle Messer, MSN, RN, OCN, nominating chair, Delaware Diamond Oncology Nursing Society

Pamela Ramagano, MSN, RN, CNOR, co-chair and secretary, Association of periOperative Registered Nurses, Wilmington Chapter; co-president, Association of periOperative Registered Nurses Jordan Rynier, BSN, RN, parent member, Newark Methodist Preschool Seidatu Salis, MSN, APRN, COHN-S, FNP-C, secretary, Delaware Coalition of Nurse Practitioners Justin Scaricaciottoli, MSN, RN, CPN, membership chair, Pennsylvania Association for Healthcare Quality Allison Steuber, MSN, RN, NE-BC, immediate past president, Diamond State Chapter, American Association of Critical Care Nurses; president, WolfPups on Wheels, Inc.

Emmanuella Olaiya, DNP, APRN-CNP, WHNP-BC, president, Delaware Coalition of Nurse Practitioners

Amy Stier, BSN, RN, CEN, SANE-A, healthcare provider member, Fatal Incident Review Team; commissioner, Commission on Forensic Sciences; healthcare provider member, Child Abuse and Neglect Best Practices Workgroup; healthcare provider member, medical committee domestic violence, Domestic Violence Coordinating Council

Ashley Oncay, MSN, RN, CNOR, NPD-BC, co-president, Wilmington Chapter, American Association of perioperative Nursing

Michael Szeliga, MSN, APRN, AGCNS-BC, CMSRN, CPHQ, FCNS, secretary, Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses

Greg O’Neill, MSN, APRN, AGCNS-BC, NPDBC, NEA-BC, chair, board of directors, Literacy Delaware; founder, co-chair, Health Literacy Council of Delaware; founding board member, United States Health Literacy Association

Trina Turner, DNP, RN, PCCN, LNC, CNE, immediate past secretary, Delaware Prostate Cancer Coalition

Megan Money, DNP, MBA, RN, PCCN, NE-BC, treasurer, Diamond State Chapter-American Association of Critical Care Nurses

Jennifer Papi, MSN, RN, CCRN, president-elect, Diamond State Chapter, American Association of Critical-Care Nurses Patricia Pawlow, PhD, ACNP-BC, member, Editorial Board, Journal of Hospice and Palliative Nursing

Kelley VanHorn, BSN, RN, CNOR, treasurer, Wilmington Chapter, Association of periOperative Registered Nurses, Wilmington Chapter Danielle Weber, DNP, MSM, RN-BC, NEA-BC, council member, University of Delaware School of Nursing Advisory Board

Ann Principe, DNP, MBA, RN, CPHQ, LSSBB, president-elect, Delaware Association for Healthcare Quality

ChristianaCare Nursing Report 2026 | 27

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Nursing Awards & Recognitions Two exceptional nurse leaders — (right to left) Leasha Roy, MSN, MHA, APRN, ACCNS-AG, PCCN, CCRN, and Michael Szeliga, MSN, APRN, AGCNS-BC, CMSRN, CPHQ — were inducted as fellows of the Clinical Nurse Specialist Institute (CNSI). Awarded through the CNSI — a branch of the National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists — the fellowship recognizes clinical excellence, education, research, and system-level leadership that have shaped practice environments and influenced outcomes on a broad scale.

Excelling in Pain Research Award Rosemary Polomano, PhD, RN, FAAN, a nationally recognized leader in pain science and a nurse scientist in our Department of Research and Evidence-Based Practice, received the 2025 Excellence in Pain Research Award from the American Society for Pain Management Nursing (ASPMN). It’s the organization's highest scientific distinction. Polomano played a key role in the development and testing of patient-reported outcome measures and has helped author more than a dozen national evidence-based practice guidelines, including ASPMN guidance on monitoring for opioid-induced sedation and respiratory depression.

Recognizing Excellence in Oncology Nursing Caregivers at the Helen F. Graham Cancer Center and Research Institute recognized leadership and advancement in clinical trials at an awards ceremony celebrating excellence in oncology research. Among the honorees was Tammy Layer, MSN, RN, who received the Michael J. Guarino Award, which honors caregivers who demonstrate integrity and passion in advancing high-quality clinical research with meaningful impact on patients and caregivers. Tammy Layer, MSN, RN, with Lauren Barone, MSN, RN, OCN, LNCC, (left) and Christine Omwenga, MSN, MBA, RN, ONC (right).

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Beacon Awards Recognizing ChristianaCare for top-tier complex care, the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses has again awarded the Beacon Award for Excellence to seven units. Congratulations to our exemplary teams! GOLD AWARDS

S I LV E R AWA R D S

Medical ICU, with the most consecutive Beacon awards in Delaware

3C Intermediate Medical Stepdown

Wilmington Hospital ICU (pictured with Silver winners 6 South Transitional Care Unit)

Surgical Critical Care Complex

Transitional Surgical Unit

Transitional Medical Unit

ChristianaCare now has 10 Beacon units in total, including the Cardiovascular Critical Care Complex (Gold), the Neurocritical Care Unit (Silver), and 4E Cardiovascular Stepdown (Silver).

ChristianaCare Nursing Report 2026 | 29

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DAISY Awards DAISY EXTRAORDINARY NURSE AWARDS (pictured at right) APRIL 2025-APRIL 2026 Casi Chandler, BSN, RN, 4W, Wilmington Campus Alexi Cornelius, BSN, RN, RNC-OB, Labor and Delivery, Newark Campus Rebecca Dolan, RN, BSN, PCCN, Clinical Decision Unit, Cecil County Campus Latakia Fowler, BSN, RN, 5N, Wilmington Campus Jacqueline Hamm, BSN, RN, 3B, Newark Campus Danielle Herold, BSN, RN, Labor and Delivery, Newark Campus

Adrienne Krass, BSN, RN, GERO-BC, MSU, Cecil County Campus Natalie Leszczynski, BSN, RN, Neuro Critical Care Unit, Newark Campus Teresa Mack, RN, 6E, Newark Campus Madison Marciniak, BSN, RN, Emergency Department, Newark Campus Darius Mordus, RN, ICU, Cecil County Campus Mojisola Ogunwande, MSN, RN, Medical Surgical Unit, Wilmington Campus

Gage Orndorff, BSN, RN, CCRN, Cardiovascular Critical Care Complex, Newark Campus Dipesha Patel, BSN, RN, 6W Rehab, Wilmington Campus

Misty Tallman, BSN, RN, Family Birth Center, Cecil County Campus Victoria “Vicki” Torello, RN, CNOR, Endocrinology, Cecil County Campus

Meagan Prime, MSN, APRN, FNP-BC, Primary Care Springside

Caitlyn Toulson, BSN, RN, SCRN, Neuro Critical Care Unit, Newark Campus

Hillary Robinson, BSN, RN, HomeHealth

Shanell Tucker, RN, PACU, Wilmington Campus

Lee Schiavoni, BSN, RN, CEN, Emergency Department, Middletown

Stevi Turner, BSN, RN, PCU, Cecil County Campus

Jalisa Simpson, BSN, RN, Postpartum, Newark Campus

Ashley Vogt, BSN, RN, CCRN, Endoscopy, Newark Campus

2026 DAISY TEAM AWARDS

Psychiatric Emergency Services Wilmington Campus

Same Day Surgery and Endoscopy Cecil Campus

Cardiovascular Critical Care Complex Newark Campus

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DAISY NURSE LEADER AWARDS

Bonnie Osgood, MSN, RN-BC, NE-BC, 4N/5W, Wilmington Campus

DAISY AWARD HONOREES

Bridget Roche, MSN, RN, CCRN, Newark Campus

Clare Shumate, BSN, RN, Kidney Transplant Program

ChristianaCare Nursing Report 2026 | 31

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ChristianaCare Way Awards The annual ChristianaCare Way Awards recognize multidisciplinary teams of caregivers as innovators in their specialties or areas of interest. Of the 36 winning projects this year, 33 were nurse-led, co-led or included nurse collaboration.

President’s Award (Pictured above) Sustainability Meets Safety: A Data-Inspired Model for Ambulatory Care Value Award Meds to Beds: A Healthy Handoff

Healthy at Home Award Advancing Advance Care Planning Across the Continuum Operational Improvement Gold Award Enhancing Medication History Accuracy at Wilmington

Transformation Award Risk Avert: Violence Alert!

Strengthen the Core: Patient Experience Award Every Pill Has a Story: Know Yours! Increasing Medication Side Effect Education

Strengthen the Core: Safety Gold Award Disrupt the Central Venous Catheter Life Cycle

Strengthen the Core: Flow Award High-Sensitivity Troponin: A Paradigm Shift in Care

Strengthen the Core: Safety Silver Award Bundle Up! Reducing Colorectal Surgical Site Infections

End Disparities Award Decreasing Hospital Acquired Pressure Injury in Patients with Darker Skin Tones

Strengthen the Core: Safety Bronze Award Don't Let the Bed Bugs Bite

Enable Every Caregiver to Thrive Gold Award ACTion: Putting Improvement in Our Caregivers’ Hands

Magnet Transformational Leadership Gold Award From Reporting to Learning: Building a Continuous Feedback Culture

Enable Every Caregiver to Thrive Silver Award It’s Okay Not to Be Okay: Reducing Caregivers’ Barriers to Seeking Mental Health care

Magnet Transformational Leadership Silver Award Conversation is Critical: Teaching a Framework for Peer Feedback

Strengthen the Core: Quality Gold Award Project OWL— Oxygen Within Limits to Stop ROP Strengthen the Core: Quality Silver Award Working on Wellness Plan

Strengthen the Core: Quality Bronze Award Braden + AI: Combining Pressure Injury Prediction with Intelligent Risk Integration

Enable Every Caregiver to Thrive Bronze Award HUSH! For the Love of Health

Operational Improvement Silver Award Why Don’t You Just Meet Me in the Middle? Reducing Outlier Drug Utilization Operational Improvement Honorable Mention Award Ensuring Every Heartbeat Counts: Improving the Ambulatory ECG Process

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Magnet Transformational Leadership Bronze Award Dialysis Without Distress: Redesigning Access and Urgency for Nurse Satisfaction Magnet Structural Empowerment Gold Award Leading with Love: Enhancing Healthy Work Environments via Meaningful Recognition Magnet Structural Empowerment Silver Award Defying Gravity: Standardizing Falls Best Practices in Ambulatory Magnet Structural Empowerment Bronze Award Empower & Elevate: Charge Nurse Leadership Retreat Magnet Exemplary Professional Practice Gold Award Back to Basics: Decreasing Hospital-Acquired Pressure Injuries (HAPI) on 5E

Magnet Exemplary Professional Practice Silver Award Pressing Matters: A Collaborative Initiative to Decrease HAPI Magnet Exemplary Professional Practice Bronze Award PCU/ICU: The Mission of 2 Units for Pressure Injury Elimination, Cecil County Campus

Accelerate Growth Doing More of What We Do Well: Recalibrating Rehab People’s Choice Award High-Sensitivity Troponin: A Paradigm Shift in the Diagnosis and Management of ACS Zero Hero Award Liz Nappi, assistant nurse manager, Wilmington 4N

Magnet New Knowledge, Innovations & Improvements Award Improving Mobility in Critically Ill Heart Failure Patients Accelerate Growth: Environmental Sustainability Award Partners in Repurposing: Reducing Waste, Strengthening Communities

Delaware Today Top Nurses ChristianaCare nurses are all over Delaware Today’s 2026 list of Top Nurses, with 207 honors in total, including three caregivers who received the top honors in their categories: Laura Dechant, DNP, APRN, CCNS, CCRN, RN-BC, WTA-C, FCNS, Clinical Nurse Specialist (Advanced Practice Registered Nurse); Steven McPherson, MSN, RN, NI-BC, Senior Clinical Informatics Specialist (Informatics and Technology), and Danielle Coyne, MSN, RN-BC, NPD-BC, Nursing Professional Development Specialist (Nursing Professional Development).

207

ChristianaCare nurses were named in Delaware Today's list of Top Nurses

Scan or click the QR code to view the full list of awardees.

ChristianaCare Nursing Report 2026 | 33

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Recognition of Results ChristianaCare earned the 2025 Workday Healthcare Industry Innovation Award for Powering Innovation for a collaboration between Nursing and our Human Resources Technical team to strengthen nursing professional development. (Left) Maria Brown, MSN, RN, PCCN, CNL, NEA-BC, lead Nursing Professional Excellence manager, and (right) Tamekia Chisholm, MSN, APRN, ACNS-BC, PCCN, NPD-BC, director of Nursing Professional Development, partnered with colleagues to create a digital portfolio platform that allows clinical nurses to submit, store and review advancement materials in one streamlined, accessible space.

Driven by clearer advancement pathways and access to digital profiles, from FY 23 to FY 24, we saw:

28%

36%

Increase RN III promotions

Increase RN IV promotions

Blue Bell Award The Blue Bell Award recognizes caregivers who display civil courage through consistency, humility, kindness, and gratitude. Awardees are nominated by their peers for outstanding work in each of four categories: nurse, licensed caregiver, unlicensed caregiver and physician or advanced practice clinician. Congratulations to the FY 26 winners: Alex Colin, RN, Joann Bruch, licensed caregiver, Nakia Bright, unlicensed caregiver, and Pulak Ray, M.D.

Honoring deep compassion and evidence-based care The Emergency Nurses Association (ENA) honored Shon’tiana Butcher, BSN, RN, CEN, a forensic nurse examiner at our Newark Campus, as an ENA Connection 20 Under 40. The recognition celebrates emergency room nurses for exceptional service to their communities, patients and fellow nurses.

Teamwork Saves a Life Sara Wise, RN, earned an award for Outstanding Performance and Lifesaving Actions at a ChristianaCare Public Safety recognition ceremony this fall. Wise was part of a multidisciplinary team whose swift, coordinated response helped save the life of an unresponsive patient outside our Newark Campus Emergency Department.

Dot Fowler Award ChristianaCare's Dot Fowler Award celebrates nurses who go above and beyond. This year, that honor belongs to Brenda Hollingsworth, MSN, RN, CCRN. A cardiovascular nurse of extraordinary range, Hollingsworth advances patient safety through quality improvement projects and expert-level clinical practice. As chair of the Education, Development and Advancement Council, she supports her peers through mentorship and professional development initiatives that have expanded competency unitwide. A gifted preceptor, mentor and role model, Hollingsworth also serves as a Spanish-language interpreter — ensuring every patient receives care in their preferred language, an essential component of safety, equity and trust.

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Not One, but Two ChristianaCare Magnet Nurses of the Year Congratulations to ChristianaCare’s 2026 Magnet Nurses of the Year — (top to bottom) Ibelise Smith, BSN, RN-BC, and Samantha Stafford, MSN, RN-BC, clinical nurses on 4N/5W on our Wilmington Campus, Smith and Stafford exemplify the Magnet pillar of Exemplary Professional Practice. As inaugural Evidence-Based Practice Fellows (see page 39), they identified a critical gap in pressure injury assessment: the under-recognition of early-stage pressure injuries in patients with darker skin tones. In response, they implemented an enhanced skin assessment protocol incorporating the Monk Skin Tone Scale, improving consistency, accuracy and equity in evaluation. Their work led to a full year without hospital-acquired pressure injuries on their unit and is now being scaled across the organization, advancing safer, more equitable care. This commitment to equity is also reflected in the national recognition Smith earned in FY 26. She received Honorable Mention for the 2026 American Nurses Foundation Health Equity Award, underscoring the impact of their work.

ChristianaCare Nurses Shine on Magnet Stage In 2025, ChristianaCare achieved its fourth consecutive Magnet designation for Christiana Hospital, Wilmington Hospital, ChristianaCare HomeHealth and Community Care Services, solidifying its place as Delaware’s only four-time Magnet-designated health care organization. In October 2025, nurses representing our full team walked the stage with visible joy at the ANCC Magnet & Pathway Conference™ in Atlanta, proudly representing their home campuses before thousands of colleagues from around the world.

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New Knowledge Innovations and Improvements From Pilot to Blueprint — Lessons Learned From our Cobot Initiative In 2022, ChristianaCare launched a three-year collaborative robot (cobot) pilot, funded by the American Nurses Foundation Reimagining Nursing Initiative. Nursing wanted to explore how cobots protect nurses’ time for patient care and evaluate the potential of robotics to enhance care delivery. The initiative ended in late 2025, culminating with the publication of Charting Nurseled Innovation: ChristianaCare’s Blueprint for Integrating Collaborative Robots into a Hospital Setting. The report offers real-world evidence and practical guidance for others interested in what it takes to bring cobots into complex clinical settings as a meaningful, data-informed strategy for supporting care. ChristianaCare’s cobots logged thousands of hours, deliveries and miles, achieving several national firsts, including integration with our electronic medical records and elevator systems. The experience generated several lessons, including: •

Start with a clear purpose. Define use cases early and align them with clinical priorities to drive adoption and impact.

•

Know your workflows. Cobots require standardized processes to succeed.

•

Infrastructure is make-or-break. Elements as simple as door sensors and elevator access can affect reliability and speed.

•

Adoption requires both wonder and utility. Curiosity and emotional connection made staff more likely to engage with the technology.

•

Return on investment (ROI) is multidimensional. ROI was seen through a lens of cost savings, consistency, caregiver satisfaction and operational learning.

Scan or click the QR code to read full report.

ChristianaCare Nursing Report 2026 | 37

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Innovation & Robotics Fellowship ChristianaCare’s second cohort of the Nursing Research Fellowship in Robotics and Innovation graduated in June. Launched in 2024 with a grant from the American Nurses Foundation’s Reimagining Nursing Initiative and now fully funded by ChristianaCare, the fellowship equips clinical nurses with the knowledge and skills to lead research at the intersection of nursing and robotics. Through weekly didactic sessions, mentorship with Susan Smith, PhD, RN, and Denise Taylor, MS, RD, and hands-on learning in qualitative and quantitative methods, fellows translate innovation into practice. Additionally, writing workshops, national conference participation and exposure to leaders in academia, industry and health care prepare them to disseminate findings and shape the future of care. This year’s fellows — (left to right) Samantha Clark, BSN, RN; Alexi Cornelius, BSN, RN, RNC-OB; Guadalupe Ramirez Espinosa, BSN, RN-BC and Jordan Wyatt, BSN, RN — represent a range of specialties, from ICU and Labor and Delivery to stepdown and NICU. Each brings deep clinical expertise and a commitment to advancing nursing practice.

Nursing Project Showcase In May, ChristianaCare nurses participated in Nursing’s first Nursing Project Showcase, a systemwide in-person platform for caregivers to showcase their quality improvement, evidencebased practice and research work. Nurses created and presented posters, developing a core skill for sharing research findings and disseminating other information.

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Evidence-Based Practice Fellowship ChristianaCare’s Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) Fellowship is strengthening nursing expertise where it matters most — at the point of care. Through the 12 to 18-month program, nurses strengthen their ability to question, analyze and apply evidence in ways that directly shape patient outcomes. With structured monthly workshops, mentored project work and individualized guidance, fellows move from learning to action, translating evidence into practicechange initiatives that improve care in real time. Just as important, they help cultivate a culture of inquiry across the health system. Meet our FY 26 fellows and their mentors: With mentor Kathleen Luckner, MSN, APRN, ACCNS-AG, CCRN, fellows Rashmi Regmi, MHA, BSN, RN, CCRN, CSC, CMC (CVCC), and Stacy Noel, MSN, FNP-BC, AHN-BC, HWNC-BC (Integrative Care), focused on a patient handwashing protocol to decrease hospital-acquired infections. With mentor Leasha Roy, MSN/MHA, APRN, ACCNS-AG, PCCN, CCRN, fellow Brianna Jansen, BSN, RN, CCRN (NCCU), focused on de-implementing gastric residual volume in patients receiving enteral nutrition. With mentors Kathleen Mack, DNP, CRNP, FNP-BC, and Paige Merring, DNP, RN, CCRN, NEA-BC, fellow Kristi Burris, BSN, RN, GERO-BC (Outpatient Pulmonary Associates), focused on individualized asthma action plans to improve asthma control and reduce health care utilization. With mentor Coleen Dever, DNP, AGACNP, AGCNS, fellows Jennifer Curtis, BSN, RN, CEN; Ashley Gillespie, BSN, RN, TCRN, all in our Newark Campus ED, focused on implementing an alternative pathway for elderly ground-level fall trauma patients.

(Left to right) Nikki Moody, PhD, RNC-NIC, ACCNS-P, Kellie Patterson, BSN, RN, CCRP, Kristi Burris, BSN, RN, GERO-BC, Kaci Rainey, MSN, RN, CEN, Brianna Jansen, BSN, RN, CCRN, CNRN, Christina Salemo, DNP, RN, AGCNS-BC, Jennifer Curtis, BSN, RN, CEN, Stacy Noel, MSN, FNP-BC, HWNC-BC, HTCP/I, and Reiki Master, Ashley Gillespie, BSN, RN, TCRN.

ChristianaCare Nursing Report 2026 | 39

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Center for Nursing Innovation At ChristianaCare, innovation is an everyday part of nursing. Our Center for Nursing Innovation (CNI) creates pathways for nurses to think creatively, solve problems and take their ideas from concept to reality. Guided by Nursing's definition of innovation, an interdisciplinary steer and an annual roadmap, in FY 26, the center led quarterly innovation sessions, hack-a-thon planning, evaluation and a governance redesign.

Nursing Innovation at ChristianaCare: ChristianaCare empowers all nursing caregivers in the exploration, development, implementation and evolution of innovation. The contributions of every nursing caregiver in creating and introducing new ideas, methods and solutions are celebrated, to promote a culture of innovation.

Center for Nursing Innovation Steer with special guests, left to right Kelsey Kosinski; Jennifer Moberg, DNP, MPA, RN, CPPS, NEA-BC; Jennifer Painter, DNP, APRN, AOCNS, NEA-BC, NPD-BC, OCN, LSSBB; Yesenia Sudler, MSN, RN, MEDSURG-BC, CCRN; Meghan Blomquist, MSN, RN, CEN; Maria Brown, MSN, RN, PCCN, CNL, NEA-BC; Michelle Collins, DNP, APRN, CNS, ACNS-BC, NPD-BC, NEA-BC, LSSBB, FAAN; Dannette Mitchell, MSN, APRN, ACNS-BC, CCRN, FCNS; Paige Merring, DNP, RN, CCRN, NEA-BC; and Bridget Remel, MSN, APRN, NEA-BC, AGCNS-BC, NPD-BC, CCRN.

GROW WITH PURPOSE

Hacking Problems, Prototyping Solutions New this year, the CNI hosted its first nurse Hackathon, a rapid-fire event designed by and for caregivers. The event was a collaborative — and fun! — opportunity for caregivers to drive solutions to challenges they face every day. In total, more than 50 nurses and patient care technicians from across the health system participated, forming eight teams that tackled four priority challenges identified through an organization-wide vote on “What are the greatest problems you are having in nursing?” The teams moved through a full human-centered design process in a single day, defining the problem, ideating and refining concepts and building quick-turn prototype solutions. They then delivered seven-minute pitches that explained why the problem matters, how their solution works, what it will look like in practice and how it can improve care for patients and families. The pitches were scored using a rubric (first-, second-, and third-place awardees pictured below).

ChristianaCare Nursing Report 2026 | 41

SERVE WITH LOVE

withLove

Serve

ChristianaCare Nursing and HomeHealth caregivers serve with love — and excellence — every day, showing up for patients and each other with a commitment to care. Rooted in the Magnet component of exemplary professional practice and structural empowerment and the Pathway to Excellence standards of wellbeing, safety and shared decision-making, nurses cultivate environments where patients feel seen and supported, and caregivers are empowered to thrive.

SERVE WITH LOVE

A pact to serve with love beyond our walls Recently, a patient was discharged late on a Friday from a ChristianaCare hospital. Once home, she had questions that couldn’t wait until Monday, and she made a single phone call to a ChristianaCare number. The nurse who answered reviewed her chart, walked through wound care step by step, confirmed the supply list and listened as the patient explained everything back in her own words. Both caregiver and patient went into the weekend feeling confident and supported — all from one phone call. The moment reflects ChristianaCare Nursing’s commitment to serving our neighbors with love and excellence, even after patients leave our campuses. It’s the direct result of Patient Alignment and Care Transformation (PACT), an initiative launched in July 2025 with a phased implementation across our three campuses. PACT supports safe, coordinated transitions from hospital to home for all patients, regardless of primary care attribution or insurance coverage. It works through four coordinated touchpoints — clear, easy-to-use discharge materials, a nurse-staffed post-discharge hotline and “Welcome Home” text sent the day after discharge and proactive outreach for high-risk patients. The initiative was created after rising readmission rates and ED returns signaled a recurring issue: Patients often left the hospital without a clear lifeline for immediate questions and concerns. Nurses helped identify the problems and co-designed the solution — and they now manage the touchpoints. In less than a year since its rollout, PACT is benefiting patients and also caregivers alike. Bedside nurses can focus fully on the patients in front of them, knowing support is just a phone call away for patients who have gone home. Early data from our Wilmington Campus, where PACT has been in place the longest, show the program beginning to slow the rising trend in readmissions and ED visits, offering a promising signal that the interventions are having the intended effect. And we’re seeing the largest reductions in readmissions among patients living in Wilmington’s most under-resourced neighborhoods.

1,239 Total post-discharge calls initiated to medicalsurgical patients 1,101 Patients reached and meaningfully engaged 792 Unique patients served by the program

88.9% Contact success rate (outreach to successful response) 71.9% Conversion rate (successful response to unique patient) 63.9% Unique patient reach (unique patients as a proportion of total outreach attempts)

1.39 Average touches per patient, reflecting multiple follow-up contacts for higher-acuity discharges *Metrics as of March 2026

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SERVE WITH LOVE

When Love Leads to a Healthier Community for All When her teenage daughter developed anxiety about climate change, Deanna Benner, MSN, APRN, WHNP-BC, promised to take meaningful action. Her response sparked a grassroots environmental sustainability effort at ChristianaCare that has diverted, over the past four years, more than $1.2 million in medical supplies to underserved communities, redirected 28,500 pounds of furniture and equipment to local nonprofits and kept 48,122 pounds of goods out of local landfills. In FY 26, Benner was appointed ChristianaCare's first Environmental Health & Sustainability Program Manager, a role that reflects both the scope of her impact and the health system’s commitment to sustainability as a core value. In 2025, for her leadership and impact over several years, Benner was named the national Magnet Nurse of the Year® for Structural Empowerment.

Benner accepted the national Magnet Nurse of the Year Award at the ANCC Magnet & Pathway Conference™ in October 2025.

Nurses Week ChristianaCare proudly celebrated Nurses Week 2026 and the incredible power of our nurses! From Caring Cart rounds and Healing Touch sessions to chair massages, sports nights out, Paws for People visits and our Excellence in Nursing Awards, we honored the compassion and dedication our nurses bring to patient care every day in countless ways.

ChristianaCare Nursing Report 2026 | 45

SERVE WITH LOVE

Excellence in Nursing Awards In May, as part of Nurses Week, ChristianaCare celebrated the power of nurses at our Excellence in Nursing Awards hosted by the Professional Nurse Council. More than 200 nurses across clinical care, education, innovation and leadership were nominated by their peers for serving with love and excellence.

Scan or click QR code to see full list and photos.

SERVE WITH LOVE

Nurses Who Help With Heart Our annual The Way We Care Awards celebrate caregivers who have been commended by patients for providing an exceptional experience, exhibiting the ChristianaCare values of love and excellence through their actions, communication and teamwork across inpatient, outpatient, virtual and home health settings. This year, of the 59 awardees, 24 were nurses, including honorees in the specific Nurse Communication Award category, and six were HomeHealth caregivers.

"Kind." "Outstanding." "Knowledgeable." "Amazing." These are just some of the words patients used to describe ChristianaCare caregivers.

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P R E S E N TAT I O N S A N D P U B L I C AT I O N S

Presentations and Publications Publications

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Ellen Alvarez. (2025). “The Lifesaving Bond: Nursing Action and Impact.” Nursing 2025, 55(11), 33-34. doi: 10.1097/NSG.0000000000000292

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Ellen Alvarez, Amber Capone, Jennifer Papi and Kathleen Luckner. (2025). “Conversation is Critical: Teaching Critical Care Nurses a Framework for Peer Feedback.” Critical Care Nurse, 45(5), 88-91. https://doi.org/10.4037/ccn2025624

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Regina Beardsley. (2025). “Restoring the Rhythm of a Healthy Heart.” Reflections. Restoring the Rhythm of a Healthy Heart – Reflections UPCI

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Shon’tiana Butcher. (2026). “An Introduction to Forensic Nursing.” Nursing 2026, 56(5), 44-48. doi: 10.1097/NSG.0000000000000377

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Tina Mammone, Kimberly Hunter, and Michelle Collins. (2026). “Advancing Virtual Care: The Journey from Readiness to Results.” The Journal of Nursing Administration 56(4): 173-175. http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/ NNA.0000000000001704

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Alexi Cornelius, Patricia Pawlow, and Morgan Tallo. (2026). “Interprofessional Collaboration in the Obstetrical Emergency Department: Enhances Nursing Job Satisfaction While Improving Care of the Laboring Patient.” Delaware Journal of Public Health, 12(2) 58-59. doi: 10.32481/djph.2026.05.13

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Elizabeth Dauphin, Danielle Coyne, and Amanda Joie. (2025). “A Council of Our Own: Addressing NPD Job Satisfaction Through Shared Governance.” The Association of Nursing Professional Development Nursing Professional Development in Motion. A Council of Our Own: Addressing NPD Job Satisfaction Through Shared Governance

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Kristen Foulk, Amanda Latina, and Lindsay Sanderson. (2025). “A Retrospective Review of Fall Prevention Practices: Evolving Strategies and Sustaining Change.” Nursing 2026, 55(8), 43-49. doi: 10.1097/NSG.0000000000000241

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Guadalupe Ramirez Espinosa and Julie McCulloh Nair. (2026). “Virtual NurseLed Patient Education: A Public Health Opportunity.” Delaware Journal of Public Health, 12(2) 62-64. doi: 10.32481/djph.2026.05.15

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Danielle Kennedy, Melissa Neri, and Patricia Pawlow. (2025). “Use of Midline Catheters for Blood Specimen Collection in Difficult Intravenous Access Patients: A Quality Improvement Project.” Journal of Infusion Nursing, 48(4), 256260. doi: 10.1097/NAN.0000000000000598

P R E S E N TAT I O N S A N D P U B L I C AT I O N S

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Denise Lyons, Daniel Young, Kevin McLaughlin, Alison Turnbull, Christopher Thomas, Kate Minick, Shweta Gore, Kyle Ridgeway, Michael Friedman, Sapna Kudchadkar, and Erik Hoyer. (2026). “Implementation of a Systematic Patient Mobility Program across Five Hospitals.” The Journal of the Post Acute and Long-Term Care Medical Association, 27(6). https://doi: 10.1016/j. jamda.2026.106205

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Paige Merring, Susan Smith, and Amanda Spence. (2026). Reimagining Nursing Professional Development Through a Robotics Research Program. American Nurse Journal Perspectives. https://www.myamericannurse.com/ reimagining-nursing-professional-development-through-a-robotics-researchprogram/

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Elizabeth Mitchell and Julie McCulloh Nair. (2025). “Stop the Bleed: How a Standardized Policy and Reporting May Assist Healthcare Organizations with Tackling the Workplace Violence Crisis.” Delaware Journal for Public Health, 11(3), 98-99. doi: 10.32481/djph.2025.09.19

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Stacy Noel. (2025). “Small Daily Doses of Self-Care for Rejuvenation and Renewal.” Nursing 2026, 55(10), 35-39. doi: 10.1097/NSG.0000000000000267; (2025). “The Healing Power of Touch Honoring Janet Mentgen’s Legacy Through Healing Touch.” Energy Magazine.

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Stacy Noel, Jana Dean, Kathyrn Godfrey, and Jessica Belmar. (2026). “Advancing Nurse Wellbeing Through Innovation: Inside ChristianaCare’s New Wellbeing Steer and Council.” Delaware Nurses Association Reporter. https:// www.myamericannurse.com/advancing-nurse-wellbeing-through-innovationinside-christianacares-new-wellbeing-steer-and-council

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Sophie Caplan and Patricia Pawlow. (2025). "The Impact of Early Palliative Care Consultation on Length of Stay for Critically Ill Adults in the Intensive Care Unit." The American Journal of Hospice & Palliative Care. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/10499091251388625

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Sarah Godfrey, Patricia Pawlow, Sarah Chuzi, John Doherty, Jadry Gruen, Richard Josephson, Nicholas Lorusso, John Mulrow, Jill M. Steiner, and Caroline Doherty. (2026). "Identifying Palliative Care Competencies for Cardiology Fellowship Training: A National Delphi Consensus Study." JACC Advances, 5(2), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacadv.2025.102514

continued on next page Bolded names are ChristianaCare nurses.

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P R E S E N TAT I O N S A N D P U B L I C AT I O N S

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Rosemary Polomano, Kari Mastro, Nicholas Giordano, Beth Smith, Karyn Book, James Ballinghoff, and Colleen Mattioni. (2026). “A Comparison of Transition Experiences and Practice Readiness of Newly Licensed Nurses with In-Person and Virtual Residency Training: A National Observational Study.” Nurse Education in Practice, 91, 104721. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nepr.2026.104721

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Rosemary Polomano, Yoonjae Lee, Heah Schmidt, Jungwon Min, and Peggy Compton. (2025). “Patient-Related Risk Factors for New Persistent Opioid Use After Surgery Among Opioid-naïve Individuals in the United States: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” Pain Medicine, pnarf182. https://doi.org/10.1093/ pm/pnaf182

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Rosemary Polomano, Caitlin Russell, Emily Balog, and Anne Teitelman. (2025). “A Qualitative Analysis of the Lived Experiences of Active-Duty Servicewomen Receiving Prenatal Care Within the Military Health System.” Women’s Health Issues, 35(5), 368-375. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.whi.2025.07.001

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Hannah Rackie and Patricia Pawlow. (2025). "Reimagining Nursing Through Innovation and Design Thinking." Delaware Journal of Public Health, 11(3), 92–94. https://doi.org/10.32481/djph.2025.09.17

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Samantha Clark, Briana Abernathy, and Susan Smith. (2026). “From the Bedside to the Books: How Creating Innovative Educational Research Pathways Helps to Retain Clinical Nurses.” Delaware Journal of Public Health, 12(2) 60-61. doi: 10.32481/djph.2026.05.14

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Susan Smith and Morgan Tallo. (2025). “Bedside Brain Breaks: How Stepping Back into Education Can Step Healthcare Forward.” Delaware Journal of Public Health, 11(3), 96-97. doi: 10.32481/djph.2025.09.18

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Susan Smith, Steven McPherson, Patricia Mascaro, and Bruna Anderson. (2025). “Charting Nurse-Led Innovation: ChristianaCare’s Blueprint for Integrating Collaborative Robots into a Hospital Setting.” https://christianacare.org/us/en/ for-health-professionals/nursing/nurse-led-innovation

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Susan Smith, Kathryn Shady, Brianna Abernathy, and Morgan Tallo. (2026). “Pioneering the Nation's First Nursing Research Fellowship in Robotics and Innovation.” Delaware Journal of Public Health, 12(1), 6- 9. https://doi: 10.32481/ djph.2026.03.03

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Susan Smith and Danielle Weber. (2026). “When Collaborative Robots Meet the Bedside: Nursing Informing Emerging Artificial Intelligence Technology.” Delaware Journal of Public Health, 12(1), 10-11. https://doi:10.32481/ djph.2026.03.04

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Jordan Wyatt, Hannah Rackie, and Paige Merring. (2026) “AI for Good: Utilizing Machine Learning Tools to Navigate Late Onset Neonatal Sepsis.” Delaware Journal of Public Health, 12(2) 56-57. doi: 10.32481/djph.2026.05.12

P R E S E N TAT I O N S A N D P U B L I C AT I O N S

Presentations •

Briana Abernathy, Hannah Rackie, Kathryn Shady, Morgan Tallo, Elizabeth Mitchell, and Susan Smith. (2025, November). Class in session: Leveraging hospital-based fellowships as a bedside to PhD Pipeline. Navigating the future: Healthcare professionals’ perspectives on cobot integration into hospitals. Poster presentation at the 48th Biennial Sigma Convention 2025 in Indianapolis, IN.

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Ellen Alvarez and Patricia Pawlow. (2025, November). Hospital-Acquired Skin Injuries Associated with the End of Life. Poster presentation at the 20th Annual Nursing Research Conference, virtual.

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Andrea Boyle and Annie Hardy. (2026, June). Laying the Foundation for Healthy Futures: A “Start-to-Finish” Collaborative Model. Podium presentation at the National School Based Healthcare Conference in Washington, D.C.

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Jody Bradley. (2025, July). From Innovation to Impact: The Acute Hospital Care at Home Initiative. Lecture at the CMS Quality Conference in Baltimore, MD.

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Maria Brown and Tamekia Chisholm. (2026, February). Innovative Clinical Ladder Process Improves Engagement and Retention. Poster presentation at the Creative Health Care Management: Elevating Professional Practice in Healthcare Conference, virtual.

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Maria Brown, Elizabeth Dauphin, and Bridget Remel. (2026, February). Escaping the Typical: Creating and Implementing a Magnet Escape Room for Site Visit. Podium presentation at the Creative Health Care Management: Elevating Professional Practice in Healthcare Conference, virtual.

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Michelle Collins. (2026, April). ChristianaCare’s Center for Nursing Innovation. Delaware Organization for Nursing Leadership, virtual; (2026, January). ChristianaCare’s Center for Nursing Innovation. American Nurses Association Health System Nursing Innovation Leadership, virtual; (2025, November); Virtual Care Nursing: From Readiness to Results. American Organization for Nursing Leadership, virtual; (2025 September). American Academy of Nursing Policy Dialogue. Shifting the Future: Policy and Research Updates on Suicide in Nursing, virtual.

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Elizabeth Dauphin, Danielle Coyne, and Amanda Joie. (2025, September). A Council of Our Own: Addressing Nursing Professional Development Job Satisfaction Through Shared Governance. Poster presentation at the 10th Annual Delaware Organization for Nursing Leadership Conference in Dover, DE.

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Brittany Anderson, Laura Dechant, Hayley Sweetser, and Michael Szeliga. (2026, March). Optimizing Outcomes through a CNS Led Standardized Determination Process for Home Oxygenation. Poster presentation at the 2026 NACNS Annual Conference in San Diego, CA.

continued on next page Bolded names are ChristianaCare nurses.

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P R E S E N TAT I O N S A N D P U B L I C AT I O N S

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Barbara Feeny. (2026, June). From Student Nurse Extern to Nurse Resident: Enhancing Conversation Through Mentorship and Role Modeling. Poster presentation at the 2026 National Teaching Institute & Critical Care Exposition Conference in San Diego, CA.

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Helen Gehr. (2025, September). Every Pill Has a Story: Know Yours! Increasing Medication Side Effect Education. Poster presentation at the 10th Annual Delaware Organization for Nursing Leadership Conference in Dover, DE.

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Dayonna Gunter, Josh Winowieki, Kathrine Coleman, Jennifer Bierbaum, and Benjamin Lindsay. (2026, March). Ethical Imperatives in Action. Podium presentation at the 2026 NACNS Annual Conference in San Diego, CA.

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Dayonna Gunter. (2026, March). Stronger Together: Collaboration, DEIB, and the Impact of CNS Leadership. Podium presentation at the 2026 NACNS Annual Conference in San Diego, CA.

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Kristen Hover. (2026, April). Critical Care Nursing. Lecture at Kingsway Career Day at Kingsway Regional High School in Kingsway, NJ.

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Jill Kane. (2026, June). The Nurse Effect: Cutting Device Days to Reduce CLABSI Risk. Poster presentation at the 2026 National Teaching Institute & Critical Care Exposition Conference in San Diego, CA.

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Jessica Johnson and Bridget Bieber. (2026, May). Creation of Preceptor Workshop Class (PWC) in the Surgical-Trauma ICU and Stepdown Unit to Streamline the Onboarding Process of New-Hires. Poster presentation at the 2026 National Teaching Institute & Critical Care Exposition Conference in San Diego, CA.

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Denise Lyons. (2026, March). Enhancing Delirium Management & Reducing Workplace Violence Events. Podium presentation at the 2026 Metropolitan NICHE Conference in New York, NY; (2026, March). Transforming Mobility: Evidence-Based Practices Across 3 Hospitals. Poster presentation at the 2026 Metropolitan NICHE Conference in New York, NY.

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Susan Mascioli. (2025. November). It Shouldn’t Hurt to Go to Work: Creating Safety Circles of Care. Podium presentation at the Southeast Council of Perioperative Nurses in St. Augustine, FL.

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Paige Merring. (2025, November). Supporting Healthy Work Environments. Panelist at the at the 20th Annual Nursing Research Conference, virtual; (2025, September). Spreading Joy, Sustaining Culture: A Meaningful Recognition Program for Every Practice Setting. Podium presentation at the 10th Annual Delaware Organization for Nursing Leadership Conference in Dover, DE.

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Paige Merring. (2026, March). Meaningful Recognition in Action: A Scalable Model to Strengthen Nursing Work Environments. Podium presentation at the Creative Health Care Management: Elevating Professional Practice in Healthcare Conference, virtual; (2026, May). Keeping the Heart in Nursing: Meaningful Recognition to Strengthen, Support, and Sustain. Podium presentation at the 2026 National Teaching Institute & Critical Care Exposition Conference in San Diego, CA.

P R E S E N TAT I O N S A N D P U B L I C AT I O N S

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Paige Merring and Michelle Collins. (2026, March). Igniting Innovation: Building a Center for Nursing Innovation that Empowers Nurse-Led Change. Poster presentation at the Creative Health Care Management: Elevating Professional Practice in Healthcare Conference, virtual.

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Paige Merring and Susan Smith. (2026, May). Teaming up with Technology: How Staff Perceive Robots in Acute Care. Podium presentation at the 2026 National Teaching Institute & Critical Care Exposition Conference in San Diego, CA.

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Elizabeth Mitchell, Hannah Rackie, Morgan Tallo, Briana Abernathy, Kathryn Shady, and Susan Smith. (2025, November). Lifting the weight: Bridging research and clinical practice in nursing through nurse-led research fellowship. Podium presentation at the Annual Nursing Research Conference, virtual.

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Lauren Murphy. (2025, November). Preoperative Nurse Expediter Pilot. Poster presentation at the 20th Annual Nursing Research Conference, virtual; (2026, March). Line by Line: Optimizing Central Line Utilization in the Cardiovascular Critical Care Complex. Poster presentation at the 2026 NACNS Annual Conference in San Diego, CA.

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Stacy Noel. (2026, May). Nurse Stress Relief: A Pilot Study on Healing Touch & Chakra Techniques. Podium presentation at the 28th Energy Psychology Conference in Reston, VA; (2026, May). Nurse Stress Relief: A Pilot Study on Healing Touch & Chakra Techniques. Podium presentation at the 28th Energy Psychology Conference in Reston, VA (2026, March). Cultivating Peace Through Self-Care. Lecture for the 7th Biennial Perinatal Palliative Care Symposium in Newark, DE; (2026, January). Improving Wellbeing Through the Use of Qigong. Lecture for the ChristianaCare Parkinson’s Support Group in Newark, DE; (2025, October). Wellness on the Go: Pocket-Sized Practices for Busy Professionals. Lecture for the Wellness-Within: Nursing Healthcare Professionals Conference in Philadelphia, PA; (2025, September). Energize and Elevate: Integrative Wellbeing Breaks to Boost Resilience, Focus, and Connection. Podium presentation at the 10th Annual Delaware Organization for Nursing Leadership Conference in Dover, DE.

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Patricia Griffith and Patricia Pawlow. (2025). "Learning Outcomes From Health Professions Students Who Generate Multiple-Choice Questions: A Scoping Review." Nurse Educator. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1097/ NNE.0000000000001926

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Susan Smith. (2025, October). Being the first in the First State: Emerging nurse leaders elevating nursing research at the state level. Podium presentation at the 2025 ANCC National Magnet Research Pre-Conference. Atlanta, GA.

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Susan Smith, Paige Merring, and Amanda Spence, Wendy Bassett, & Stephanie Roth. (2025, October). Robots at the bedside: A new frontier for nursing. Podium presentation at the 2025 ANCC National Magnet Conference. Atlanta, GA.

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P R E S E N TAT I O N S A N D P U B L I C AT I O N S

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Susan Smith, Briana Abernathy, Hannah Rackie, Morgan Tallo, and Elizabeth Mitchell. (2026, March). Hospital-Based Robotics Fellowship Empowers Clinical Nurses, Boosts Innovation, and Reduces Burnout. Podium presentation at the Sigma Creating Healthy Work Environments Conference in Washington, DC.

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Susan Smith, Guadalupe Ramirez Espinosa, Alexi Cornelius, Samantha Clark, Jordan Wyatt, and Denise Taylor. (2026, April). Let the Robots Roll: Transforming Hospital Workflows. Poster presentation at the First Annual Delaware Statewide Research Conference in Newark, DE.

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Susan Smith, Alexi Cornelius, Briana Abernathy, Morgan Tallo, Samantha Clark, Guadalupe Ramirez Espinosa, Jordan Wyatt, Kati Patel, and Denise Taylor. (2026, April). First in the First State: Robotics + Research Fellowship = Retention. Poster presentation at the American Nurses Organization of Leadership Conference in Chicago, IL.

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Amanda Spence, Paige Merring, Wendy Bassett, Stephanie Roth, Kellie Patterson, Stephanie Rogers, Briana Abernathy, Elizabeth Mitchell, Hannah Rackie, Morgan Tallo, and Susan Smith. (2025, November). Navigating the future: Healthcare professionals’ perspectives on cobot integration into hospitals. Poster presentation at the 48th Biennial Sigma Convention 2025, Indianapolis.

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Samantha Stafford. (2026, February). Bridging the Gap: Evidence-Based HAPI Prevention for All Skin Tones. Poster presentation at the National Pressure Injury Advisory Panel Annual Conference in St. Louis, MO; (2025, November). Decreasing Hospital-Acquired Pressure Injury (HAPI) in Patients with Darker Skin Tones. Podium presentation at the 20th Annual Nursing Research Conference, virtual; (2025, August). Nursing-led Strategies to Improve Care for the Whole Population. Panelist at the Q2 Nursing Catalyst Forum Huddle, virtual.

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Michael Szeliga. (2025, September). Nurses on Boards. Panelist at the 10th Annual Delaware Organization for Nursing Leadership Conference in Dover, DE.

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Michael Szeliga, Lori Magestro, Melanie O’Neill, and Ericka Vega. (2025, September). Defining Medical-Surgical Excellence: Redesigning AMSN’s PRISM Award. Poster presentation at the 2025 Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses Convention in Austin, TX.

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Michael Szeliga, Kathleen Luckner, and Hayley Sweetser. (2025, September). Advancing Patient Outcomes through a Targeted Tracheostomy Rounding Team. Poster presentation at the 2025 Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses Convention in Austin, TX.

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Michael Szeliga and Hayley Sweetser. (2025, September). Innovating Tracheostomy Care through Team Rounding: An Interdisciplinary Approach. Poster presentation at the 10th Annual Delaware Organization for Nursing Leadership Conference in Dover, DE.

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Michael Szeliga, Brittany Anderson, Tamekia Chisholm, Laura Dechant, Dannette Mitchell, Leasha Roy, and Hayley Sweetser. (2026, March). Grow Your Own: Structured Development of a CNS Internship across Multiple Service Line Platforms. Poster presentation at the 2026 NACNS Annual Conference in San Diego, CA.

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Michael Szeliga, Normajean Colby, Kathleen Sheikh & Julia Walsh. (2026, March). Academic Alignment: Cross-Walking CNS Curricula with Best Practices. Poster presentation at the 2026 NACNS Annual Conference in San Diego, CA.

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Morgan Tallo, Briana Abernathy, Hannah Rackie, Kathryn Shady, Elizabeth Mitchell, and Susan Smith. (2025, July). Combating bedside burnout with research for retention: An innovative fellowship model. Poster presentation at the Sigma Theta Tau International Conference. Seattle, WA.

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Morgan Tallo, Briana Abernathy, Hannah Rackie, Kathryn Shady, Elizabeth Mitchell, and Susan Smith. (2025, November). Implementing advanced robotic technology: Perspectives from nursing and hospital staff. Poster presentation at the Annual Nursing Research Conference, virtual.

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Kristi Wert. (2025, October). Building Bridges and Breaking Down Barriers: Improving Communication Between School-Based Nurse Practitioners, Families, and Primary Care Providers. Podium presentation at the PA/DE Valley Chapter of the NAP Annual Fall Conference in Drexel Hill, PA.

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Rochelle Williams, Dana Moses, and Kimberly Vega. (2026, February). Office of Women’s Advocacy and Advancement Fireside Chat. Moderator at the event in Newark, DE.

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Kerri Zippe and Loretta McAleer. (2025, November). What is Ejection Fraction? Lecture at the Women Heart Support Group, virtual.

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The ChristianaCare Way We serve our neighbors as respectful, expert, caring partners in their health. We do this by creating innovative, effective, affordable and equitable systems of care that our neighbors value.

We Serve Together Guided by Our Values of Excellence & Love Love

Excellence

We anticipate the needs of others and help with compassion and generosity.

We commit to being exceptional today and even better tomorrow.

We embrace diversity and show respect to everyone.

We seek new knowledge, ask for feedback and are open to change.

We listen actively, seek to understand and assume good intentions.

We use resources wisely and effectively.

We tell the truth with courage and empathy.

We are curious and continuously look for ways to innovate.

We accept responsibility for our attitudes and actions.

ChristianaCare PO Box 1668 Wilmington, DE 19899 800-693-CARE careers.christianacare.org/nursing

We are true to our word and follow through on our commitments.