Abstract
Helping staff adapt to changing organizational and role demands is a key responsibility of nurse leaders. Using Benner's philosophy that identifies the importance of acknowledging one's accomplishments and being acknowledged by others, the authors present the design, implementation, and evaluation of a Professional Nurse Advancement Program (PNAP). The PNAP, offering a single job description that differentiates among three levels of horizontal advancement encompassing four domains of practice, is used in both the promotion and performance appraisal process.