Nursing at Duke Health

The Clinical Ladder

The essence of nursing is the interaction between a nurse and a patient, and Duke nurses highly value excellence in service to each patient and family in our care. The Duke clinical ladder program encourages and recognizes the expertise of nurses who make a difference at the bedside and show leadership on the unit, departmental, institutional, regional, and/or national levels.

The clinical ladder program at Duke is completely self-selected. Participation is not mandatory, nor is there a limit on the number of nurses who can participate in the program. A variety of accomplishments and activities are considered in Duke's clinical ladder program, ranging from patient education to participation in community health programs to presentations at professional conferences. Anyone who has been an RN for two years and has been employed full time at Duke for one year may apply.

Handbook and applications for the Clinical Ladder Program*