AACN Selects 10 Nursing Schools to Pilot Learning Strategies to Build Leadership and Resilience Skills in New Nurses

WASHINGTON, DC, December 15, 2022 – The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) is pleased to announce that 10 schools of nursing have been selected to participate in a national initiative designed to prepare the next generation of nurses with strong skills in the areas of leadership, resilience, self-care, and well-being.

With funding provided by Johnson & Johnson, AACN announced a new initiative in March 2022 titled A Competency-Based Approach to Leadership Development and Resilience for Student Nurses. To advance this work, AACN worked to identify a diverse set of nursing schools able to integrate new learning strategies into curriculum that meet expectations outlined in The Essentials: Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education.

AACN issued a call for pilot schools in September 2022, which netted 122 applications from nursing schools nationwide. AACN’s Leadership, Resilience, and Well-Being Advisory Group identified the pilot schools using a blind review process. Schools selected to participate in this groundbreaking effort include:

• Adelphi University (NY)
• California State University-Chico
• Fayetteville State University (NC)
• Georgia State University
• Mount Carmel College of Nursing (OH)
• Nevada State College
• Rutgers University – Camden (NJ)
• Samuel Merritt University (CA)
• University of Minnesota
• University of Texas Health Science Center-San Antonio

“Preparing nurses with the skills needed to foster wellness, self-care, and resilience in themselves and others is imminently important in today’s healthcare system,” said Dr. Deborah Trautman, AACN President and Chief Executive Officer. “AACN is proud to be working with these 10 schools of nursing and their practice partners to advance innovative curriculum and clinical experiences that will prepare nurses entering professional practice with the skills needed to thrive across care settings.”

AACN launched this initiative to infuse new content into baccalaureate nursing programs, which will help graduates develop the skills needed to foster personal health, resilience, and well-being, as well as strong leadership skills. Learning resources created through this project will be incorporated into the AACN Essentials Implementation Tool Kit and disseminated to all schools of nursing. Faculty development also will be offered to facilitate the integration of new content into nursing curricula. For more information on this initiative, contact AACN’s Academic Nursing Coordinator, Bridget Bingle at bbingle@aacnnursing.org.