The Cone Health Nursing Strategic Plan aligns nursing 
contributions with Cone Health Strategic Vision 2030, 
demonstrating the vital role nurses play in advancing patient 
care, innovation, workforce excellence and community health. 
As health care evolves beyond traditional hospital settings, 
Cone Health nurses leverage leadership, research, technology 
and interdisciplinary partnerships to innovate care delivery 
and improve outcomes. Guided by Lean principles, nurses 
actively lead the development of new care models and 
organizational transformation.
The nursing mission is to create the future of health care 
through exceptional nursing care that produces positive 
outcomes. This work is driven by five strategic priorities:
•  Strengthening nurse recruitment and  retention to make 
    Cone Health the employer of choice
•  Investing in professional growth and  leadership development
•  Innovating interprofessional care delivery models
•  Ensuring nurses have a voice in strategic decision-making
•  Advancing nursing science through research and evidence-
    based practice
Together, these priorities position Cone Health Nursing to 
make a lasting impact on patients, team members and the 
communities we serve.
Nursing Strategic Priorities
At Cone Health, creating a positive and supportive work 
environment is essential to delivering exceptional patient care. 
The Stay Map™ process, built on the Cone Health Conceptual 
Framework for Nurse Retention™, serves as a powerful tool for 
engaging frontline nurses, strengthening retention efforts and 
improving the overall work experience.
Stay Map provides structured opportunities for nurses and 
leaders to come together and discuss what is working well, 
identify barriers to success and prioritize opportunities for 
improvement. By elevating the voices of those closest to 
patient care, teams gain valuable insights into the factors that 
influence engagement, satisfaction and retention. Leaders use 
the information gathered to proactively address challenges, 
remove obstacles and implement targeted strategies that 
support team well-being and operational excellence.
As an integral component of the Nursing Strategic Plan, Stay 
Map helps transform feedback into action. Teams celebrate 
successes, recognize strengths and create practical plans to 
enhance the work environment. The result is a stronger culture 
of engagement, improved retention, and a workforce that feels 
heard, valued and empowered. 
Mapping the Path to Engagement, Retention 
and Excellence
OUR IMPACT AND OUTCOMES
OUR IMPACT AND OUTCOMES
27
NURSING IMPACT REPORT 2025
At Cone Health, nurses are encouraged to expand their 
expertise, pursue scholarly endeavors and drive innovation to 
improve patient care. Robust structures and support systems 
are in place to promote professional growth.
Over the past decade, nursing workforce demographics have 
shown a slight upward trend in BSN-prepared nurse rates. In 
FY24, approximately 31% of nursing staff held an advanced 
degree, with doctoral-prepared nurses representing 5.2% of 
the nursing workforce. 
Our Nursing Demographics
Percentage of Nurses with 
Advanced Degrees FY 2024  
MSN
DNP
PhD
778
137
16
26.39%
4.64%
.54%
OUR IMPACT AND OUTCOMES

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