Ascension, one of the nation’s largest non-profit Catholic health systems, has released its inaugural FY25 Annual Nursing Report.
This interactive report highlights how Ascension nurses reflect our alignment and commitment to achieving our mission and vision. Ascension is committed to investing in its nursing workforce, fulfilling the promise to heal without harm, transforming healthcare through research and evidence-based practice and ensuring stable and successful operations. It also outlines how Ascension is looking forward to building on its successes with innovative initiatives planned for FY26.
“This report is a representation of our nursing communities’ collective efforts driven by our Mission, rooted in the loving ministry of Jesus as healer,” said Maureen “Mo” Chadwick, Senior Vice President, Nursing and Chief Nursing Officer of Ascension. “It is a testament to the dedication of our entire nursing community.”
Ascension has implemented strategic efforts that have led to impressive nurse retention results, including:
- An increase of more than 1.5% in 90-day retention rates between April 2024 to March 2025 to 88.31%.
- An increase of more than 8% in one year retention rates between April 2024 to March 2025 to 65.56%.
- An 81.96% overall nursing retention over the last 5 years, up more than 4%.
The report outlines programs that reflect Ascension nurses’ commitment to heal without harm—advancing quality care through performance indicators and fostering a culture of safety.
- Achieving a 6.7% reduction in falls, outperforming the national benchmark by 26.6%.
- The annual Culture of Safety Survey resulted in statistically significant improvement in 68% of survey items, including measurements for staffing and working pace, hospital management support for patient safety, organizational learning, and supervisor/manager/leader support for patient safety.
Ascension nurses are driving demand through exemplary experiences—committed to delivering patient-centered care for older adults and using the power of patient feedback in real time.
- Led efforts to prioritize Medicare Annual Wellness Visits (AWVs) in older adults, resulting in a 23% increase, which led to an 11.7% increase in colorectal cancer screenings and a 14.8% increase in breast cancer screenings among those who completed their AWV.
- Responding to patient feedback asking for ways to acknowledge exceptional care more easily, Ascension entered into a pilot strategy with The DAISY Foundation and Qualtrics to collect nominations through the Qualtrics platform, as part of a real-time listening survey, resulting in over 1,000 nominations from patients. In 2024, 291 Ascension nurses were honored with Daisy Awards, including two lifetime achievement awards.
Ascension is investing in its nursing workforce though hiring sprints, development programs and investing in cutting-edge solutions to improve care.
- During a five month sprint hiring period targeted at accelerated hiring and onboarding for direct care RNs, Ascension successfully reduced reliance on contract labor. As compared to the five month period pre-sprint, the period of October 2024 to February 2025 saw an 18% increase in offers accepted and a 36% increase in internal offers accepted.
- In 2024, Ascension reinvigorated its nurse preceptor program, resulting in a 300% increase in trained nurse preceptors, who improved the onboarding experience for new nurses and enhanced the quality of patient care across the organization.
- There are 116 active research studies with nurses as investigators.
- $1,000,000 in grants are being implemented for Ascension Texas Student Nurse Intern Registered Apprenticeship Program.
- $20,000 funding in grants are being implemented for the STAGE (Skin Tone Assessment for Greater Equity) Telehealth.
“Our nursing community is at the heart of our Mission, and their unwavering dedication is truly inspiring,” said Sally Deitch, Executive Vice President, Nursing and Operations Infrastructure of Ascension. “We are grateful for our entire nursing community and proud to walk alongside each and every one of our nurses in this journey.” As we welcome our new Senior Vice President of Nursing and Chief Nursing Officer, Rob Rose, I am optimistic about his leadership in advancing our nursing practice into FY26 and beyond.”
“My strategic direction will focus on elevating our commitment to quality and safety while promoting continuous improvement,” said Rob Rose, DNP, MS, RN, NEA-BC. “I’m committed to supporting the growth and well-being of our nursing community, strengthening our retention efforts, and ensuring that our nursing teams are equipped and empowered to thrive. We will continue to drive excellence, embrace innovation, and deliver care that reflects the heart of our Mission.”
