Healthcare worker burnout and staff shortages have put immense pressure on healthcare organizations, intensifying nursing and physician turnover. In response, the National Academies of Medicine (NAM) launched the National Plan for Health Workforce Well-Being in 2022, urging healthcare leaders to take meaningful action. But the question remains: how do you measure the success of your well-being programs?

Well-Being Excellence offers a solution by providing evidence-based standards to evaluate and enhance your organization's well-being efforts. This credential builds upon ANCC's legacy of recognizing healthcare organizations that prioritize their workforce's well-being and foster a culture of safety and health.

By earning this credential, organizations demonstrate a firm commitment to creating a supportive work environment, attracting and retaining top talent, and improving overall employee satisfaction and engagement.

Benefits of Well-Being Excellence:

1. Strengthen recruitment and retention efforts
2. Boost workforce well-being and morale
3. Improve employee engagement and satisfaction
4. Enhance organizational resilience
5. Establish advanced practices in well-being programs
6. Position your organization as a market leader in healthcare well-being
7. Potential consideration for deemed elements with other ANCC credentialing programs

Discover proven approaches and actionable insights to help your organization foster a culture of well-being.

Download the white paper

The development of Well-Being Excellence is the culmination of extensive research and collaboration with expert panelists. By engaging in a pilot process across diverse healthcare organizations, ANCC has refined a credential that addresses real-world challenges of enhancing workforce well-being organization wide.

Application Phases:

1. Registration: Opens December 1, 2024
2. Application Components: Submit the Well-Being Excellence Document and have the opportunity to participate in an optional Well-Being Survey.
3. ANCC Commission Review: Final decisions will be made by the ANCC Commission.

Application Deadlines:

• March 1st Cycle: Register by July-March of the prior year
• July 1st Cycle: Register by November-July of the prior year
• December 1st Cycle: Register by April-December of the prior year

Step 1: Eligibility 

Prior to registering to apply for the Well-Being Excellence credential, all interested organizations must meet the eligibility requirements.

Eligibility requirements:

• Nurses must be employed in the settings applying for the well-being excellence credential. No minimum number of nurses.
• Types of settings: hospitals and other clinical care settings, universities, professional associations, technology, pharmaceutical, medical equipment companies, insurers, others
• Minimum number of employees: 10 across all participating sites
  • No limit on the number of sites
  • Applicant may choose to apply as a system or single entity
• Executive Owner
  • An executive level well-being sponsor is in place
  • A well-being champion is in place

Step 2: Review Fee Structure

Depending on availability, applicants requesting a Well-Being Excellence Standards Document extension may choose from the subsequent 2 submission cycles. Applicants requesting to extend beyond 2 submission cycles must reapply.

Extension Fee: $1,000.00: Due if/when an organization requests an extension prior to 30 days of the approved document submission date.
Appraisal Preparation Cancellation Fee: $2,000.00: Due if/when an organization requests an extension within 30 days of the approved document submission date.
Gold Tier Survey Translation Fee: $2,500.00: Due with Appraisal Process fee when translation of the Gold Tier Survey is required.
Nurse Survey Extension Fee: $2,000.00: Due if/when an organization requests an extension for the Gold Tier Survey.
International Organizations: Documents must be submitted in English. Organizations outside of the US needing translation of the gold tier survey must contact the Well-Being Excellence Program Office immediately to discuss additional fees.
Payment Terms: All fees must be paid by check or with credit card in the online application portal.

If paying by credit card, ACH or Wire Transfer, email the Well-Being Excellence Office for more information at wellbeingexcellence@ana.org.

Step 3: Complete Application Registration Form

After eligibility is determined, the organization must then complete Application Registration via the Registration for the Well-Being Excellence Credential Application Registration form. All Applicant Registration must be received 8 -12 months prior to the intended Well-Being Excellence Document submission cycle date.

• Completing the registration form.
• Uploading the Well-Being Executive Sponsor curriculum vitae.
• Payment of the non-refundable Applicant Registration fee ($1,000) at the time of application. NOTE: An invoice with payment instructions will be emailed within 14 business days of completing the registration form.

Applicant Registration

Register for the Well-Being Excellence Credential