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According to new data released today by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), the number of students in entry-level baccalaureate nursing programs decreased by 1.4% last year, ending a 20-year period of enrollment growth in programs designed to prepare new registered nurses (RNs). With declines also recorded in master’s and PhD programs, collective action must be taken to strengthen pathways into nursing to ensure the nation’s healthcare needs are met. Despite the decrease in enrolled students, nursing schools turned away thousands of qualified applicants last year due largely to a shortage of faculty and clinical training sites.

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To help schools find the answers to these questions, AACN is working to provide guidance, resources, and information needed to facilitate decision-making and help programs move forward at a comfortable pace.

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The Foundation for Academic Nursing, the philanthropic arm of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), is pleased to announce the 2023 recipients of the Deborah E. Trautman Future Nurse Leader Scholarship. With funding provided by Liaison International, AACN’s partner in NursingCAS, this year's award winners are Nkemdilim "Kelly" Diaz, a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) student at Winona State University, and Rika Win Kemp, a DNP student at the Medical University of South Carolina.

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For more than two decades, schools of nursing nationwide have experienced an unrelenting shortage of faculty, which has frustrated efforts to meet nursing workforce needs. AACN has led the effort to document the impact of the shortage and help legislators see the direct connection between faculty supply and having enough nurses to keep patients safe.

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AACN is pleased to announce the results of its 2023 election to fill seats on the AACN Board of Directors and Nominating Committee. With votes cast by member deans from the nation’s nursing schools with baccalaureate and higher degree programs, those selected to serve as AACN’s top leaders include Judith Karshmer (Treasurer) from Arizona State University; Deborah Jones from the University of Texas Medical Branch; Robin Newhouse from Indiana University; Demetrius Porche from Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center New Orleans; Julie Swann from Emory Saint Joseph’s Hospital; and Lin Zhan from the University of California, Los Angeles. New members of AACN’s Nominating Committee include Mary Anne Krogh from South Dakota State University, Mayola Rowser from Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College, and Tanya Sudia from Augusta University.

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When AACN membership endorsed the latest iteration of the Essentials in April 2021, we knew the transition to this new model and framework for nursing education would take time and ingenuity. AACN’s task force and Board leaders projected that it would likely take 3 or more years for schools to adapt their entry- and advanced-level nursing programs using a competency-based approach to education. Now, 2 years into the transition process, it’s clear that schools have made great progress in evolving their programs to prepare more practice-ready nurses.

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Jonas Philanthropies, one of the nation’s leading sources of support for doctoral nursing education and other critical healthcare priorities, is pleased to announce the establishment of a new home base for its nursing programs at the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) in Washington, DC. This strategic move will position Jonas Philanthropies to amplify its work to address inequities in health care and support nursing, including the development of a diverse cadre of nurse faculty, advanced practice registered nurses, and nurse leaders.

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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.

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AACN is pleased to announce that 10 schools of nursing have been selected to participate in a national initiative designed to transform nursing education and practice. With funding through the American Nurses Foundation’s Reimagining Nursing Initiative, AACN launched a three-year initiative earlier this year, titled Competency-Based Education for Practice-Ready Nurse Graduates, to accelerate the move to competency-based education and the rapid adoption of The Essentials: Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education.

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AACN recognizes that advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is critical to developing a nursing workforce prepared to provide high-quality, equitable, and culturally appropriate health care. Our member schools share a commitment to preparing a community of scholars, clinicians, educators, and leaders who fully value the importance of DEI in eradicating health inequities and disparities in the nation and around the world.

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Since its launch a decade ago, the GNSA has been an integral part of AACN. Membership is fast approaching 10,000 students with representatives from more than 85% of nursing schools offering graduate degree programs.

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As the work to transition to the 2021 AACN Essentials moves ahead at schools nationwide, we encourage academic nursing leaders to use this opportunity to make new and stronger connections with their partners in practice. AACN was intentional about involving practice leaders in the development of the new competency standards to ensure that nursing education remains in sync with the current and future needs of the healthcare system. Partnerships are forming to rethink clinical learning experiences, identify skills assessment measures, enhance the practice readiness of new graduates, and meet many other shared goals.

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On July 23, the academic nursing community was saddened by the news of the passing of Donald Jonas at the age of 92. As the co-founder of Jonas Philanthropies along with his wife Barbara, Mr. Jonas was a leading champion for nursing education who truly understood the strong connection between higher education and quality health care. The impact of his philanthropic work on reshaping nursing practice, education, and research will be felt for generations to come.

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Strengthening doctoral nursing education is a top priority for AACN. Throughout the association’s history, we have remained committed to enhancing the health of all people through the discovery, dissemination, and application of nursing knowledge. We recognize that initiatives underway to transform health care, advance sound policy, and achieve health equity will not be possible without a robust cadre of nurses prepared in PhD and Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) programs.

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Responding to COVID-19 has had a transformative impact on what we teach, how we teach, and how we practice. Nursing programs moved quickly to adapt curriculum to ensure that graduating nurses at all levels are better prepared to respond to current and future public health emergencies.

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Dr. Cynthia McCurren, Chair of the Board of Directors of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), appeared before the House Appropriation Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies to discuss the importance of elevated funding for Title VIII Nursing Workforce Development Programs and the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR). Her testimony is part of the Subcommittee’s public witness hearing, where members of Congress hear from leaders throughout the nation on the importance of funding various federal programs. Specifically, Dr. McCurren requested at least $530 million for the Title VIII Nursing Workforce Development Programs and at least $210 million for NINR in Fiscal Year (FY) 2023.

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Moving to implement the new Essentials requires intentional action and active engagement among all stakeholders, including faculty, deans, and practice partners. AACN is working on several fronts to identify resources, offer training, and share exemplars to help facilitate the work underway at member schools to adapt learning and assessment strategies.

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The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) was awarded $1.5 million in funding through the American Nurses Foundation’s Reimagining Nursing Initiative to launch a three-year project titled Competency-Based Education for Practice-Ready Nurse Graduates. This project is designed to accelerate transformation in nursing education by supporting innovative approaches to competency development and skills assessment for new nurses.

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The joy connected with hosting an in-person AACN Deans Annual Meeting last month was tempered by the news of the criminal conviction of former nurse RaDonda Vaught for making a fatal medication error. Despite numerous system failures contributing to this tragic accident, the individual nurse was held responsible for this terrible outcome, even though she was forthcoming about the unintentional errors made.

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AACN and its more than 850 member schools of nursing have endorsed a new position statement, titled The Research-Focused Doctoral Program in Nursing: Pathways to Excellence, which promotes quality and innovation in nursing PhD programs (and similar programs focused on nursing science). With online ballots cast March 28-April 11, 2022, deans of the nation’s nursing schools affiliated with AACN voted to endorse this new statement developed to champion excellence in nursing education, stimulate strong interest among students in the PhD, and elevate nursing research.