Challenges in sustaining excellence over time.

A culture of excellence is not synonymous with a culture of perfection. Perfection is not attainable but excellence is when an infrastructure is developed that can rapidly and effectively adapt to change. Saint Joseph's Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, is often asked about the challenges faced in developing, and sustaining, a culture of nursing excellence over time. Topics such as organizational hardiness, the emergence of a professional practice model, the development of a clinical nurse advancement program, and the implementation of the Forces of Magnetism and the Essentials of Magnetism will be discussed in relation to sustaining a culture of excellence.