Essentials Revision Task Force

AACN has a long history of leadership in the establishment of the educational benchmarks and expected outcomes of baccalaureate and graduate nursing education programs. In keeping with this tradition, this task force is charged with the development of three separate but aligned documents that delineate the expected competencies of graduates of baccalaureate, master’s, and DNP programs as well as the essential curricular elements that are to be present in these programs. With the task force divided into three workgroups by degree type, the task force as a whole will:

1. Using the AACN Vision for Nursing Education Position Statement as a basis, identify how healthcare trends and expectations will influence nursing’s roles and practice within healthcare delivery for the next decade.

2. Assess the practice community’s expectations for nursing graduates.

3. Make recommendations on the Essential areas to be addressed; consider the use of the interprofessional domains of practice used by the APRN Common Doctoral Competencies work group.

4. Review and agree on common definitions for competence, competency, and competency framework.

5. Reach agreement among the task force members on format, process to reach consensus, and expectations for transition to competency-based education.

6. Align the competencies for baccalaureate, master’s and DNP education, ensuring that they are appropriately leveled and advance nursing practice across the healthcare system and continuum of care.

7. Develop recommendations and strategies for AACN and the full contingent of academic programs to disseminate and implement the new Essentials.

Essentials Revision Leadership Team Members

Baccalaureate Essentials:

AACN Staff Liaisons:

Jean Giddens, PhD, RN, Chair
Dean, Virginia Commonwealth University
1100 East Leigh Street, Room 4009J
PO Box 980567
Richmond, VA 23298-0567
(804) 828-5174
jgiddens@vcu.edu

Linda Caldwell DNSc, ANP-BC, Consultant
lindacaldwell19@gmail.com

Master’s Essentials:

Cynthia McCurren, PhD, RN, Chair
Dean, Grand Valley State University
Cook Devos Center for Health Sciences
301 Michigan St., NE
Room: 300 CHS
Grand Rapids, Michigan 49503
(616) 331-3558
mccurrec@gvsu.edu

Nancy DeBasio, PhD, RN, Consultant
nodebasio@gmail.com

DNP Essentials:

John McFadden, PhD, CRNA, Chair
Dean, Barry University
Barry College of Nursing and Health Sciences
421 N 21st Ave,
Hollywood, FL 33020
(305) 899-3208
jmcfadden@barry.edu

Jean Bartels, PhD, RN, Consultant
jbartels@georgiasouthern.edu

Joan Stanley, PhD, CRNP
Chief Academic Officer
(202) 463-6930 ext. 254
jstanley@aacnnursing.org

Rick García, PhD, RN
Director of Nursing Education
(202) 463-6930 ext. 251
rgarcia@aacnnursing.org

Kathy McGuinn, MSN, RN
Director of Interprofessional Education and Practice Partnerships
(202) 463-6930 ext. 262
kmcguinn@aacnnursing.org

Jabari Cooper
Nursing Education Assistant
(202) 463-6930 ext. 250
jcooper@aacnnursing.org

Shirin Samimi-Farr
Project Coordinator
202-463-6930 ext. 229
ssamimifarr@aacnnursing.org

AACN Board Liaison:

Christie Shelton, PhD, RN,
Dean, School of Health Professions & Wellness
Jacksonville State University
700 Pelham Rd. North
Jacksonville, AL 36265
256-782-5428
cshelton@jsu.edu

Charge to Workgroups and Timeline

Baccalaureate Essentials

Master’s Essentials

DNP Essentials

Projected Timeline

Charge to the Workgroup on The Essentials of Baccalaureate Education for Entry Level Professional Nursing Practice

1. Using the AACN Vision for Nursing Education Position Statement as a basis, identify how healthcare trends and expectations will influence nursing’s roles and practice of the baccalaureate nursing graduate within healthcare delivery for the next decade.

2. Assess the practice community’s expectations for baccalaureate nursing graduates and how these may change over the next ten years.

3. Considering AACN’s Vision for Nursing Education create a framework for baccalaureate nursing education and curriculum.

4. Develop recommendations for a finite set of competencies within each identified domain/Essential area of practice for all baccalaureate nursing graduates, including BSN, RN-BSN, and accelerated BSN; competencies must be measurable.

5. Describe a set of observable behaviors for each competency.

6. Develop recommendations for the practice learning experiences necessary to assure that baccalaureate nursing graduates are prepared for safe and high-quality nursing practice, including the placement within the curriculum, types, and length.

7. Address the use of simulation in the curriculum for the preparation of baccalaureate nursing graduates.

Baccalaureate Essentials Revision Workgroup Members:

Jean Giddens, PhD, RN, Chair Dean, Virginia Commonwealth University 1100 East Leigh Street, Room 4009J Richmond, VA 23298-0567 (804) 828-5174 jgiddens@vcu.edu Lori Escallier, PhD, RN Dean, SUNY Downstate Medical Center College of Nursing 450 Clarkson Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11203 (718) 270-7632 lori.escallier@downstate.edu Jacqueline Hill, PhD, RN Dean, Southern University and A&M College 801 Harding Blvd, Baton Rouge, LA 70807 (225) 771-3266 jacqueline_hill@subr.edu Kristin Lee, MSN, RN Clinical Assistant Professor, University of Missouri-Kansas City UMKC School of Nursing and Health Studies 2464 Charlotte St, Kansas City, MO 64108 (816) 235-5312 leekri@umkc.edu Kim Litwack, PhD, RN Dean & Professor, University of WI – Milwaukee, College of Nursing Milwaukee, WI 53201-0413 (414) 229-4189 litwack@uwm.edu Mary M. Morin, MSN, RN Vice President, Sentara Medical Group/Sentara Occupational Health Services Sentara Medical Group 600 Gresham Dr, Norfolk, VA 23507 (757) 252-3067 MMMORIN1@sentara.com		Marcella Rutherford, PhD, RN Dean, Nova Southeastern University 3301 College Avenue Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33314-7796 (954) 262-1963 rmarcell@nova.edu Martha Scheckel, PhD, RN Dean and Professor, College of Nursing, Viterbo University Viterbo University School of Nursing 900 Viterbo Drive La Crosse, WI 54601 (608) 796-3670 mmscheckel@viterbo.edu Casey Shillam, PhD, RN-BC Interim Dean, University of Portland University of Portland School of Nursing 5000 N Willamette Blvd, Portland, OR 97203 (503) 943-8143 shillamc@up.edu Marge Wiggins, DNP, RN VP Patient Care, Maine Medical Center 22 Bramhall Street Portland, ME 04102 (207) 662-2751 wiggim@mmc.org Danuta Wojnar, PhD, RN Associate Dean for UG Education, Seattle University College of Nursing 901 12th Avenue Seattle, WA 98122 (206) 296-2544 wojnard@seattleu.edu Linda Caldwell, DNSc, ANP-BC, Consultant Phone: (617) 692-0222 lindacaldwell19@gmail.com

Charge to the Workgroup on The Essentials of Master’s Education for Professional Nursing Practice

1. Using the AACN Vision for Nursing Education Position Statement as a basis, identify how healthcare trends and expectations will influence nursing’s roles and practice of the master’s nursing graduate within healthcare delivery for the next decade.

2. Assess the practice community’s expectations for master’s nursing graduates and how these may change over the next ten years.

3. Considering AACN’s Vision for Nursing Education and recommendations for master’s entry into nursing programs, identify the competencies that differentiate the second-degree master’s graduate from the baccalaureate graduate.

4. Develop recommendations for a finite set of competencies within each identified domain/Essential area of practice for all master’s nursing graduates; competencies must be measurable. This should include all entry-level (second-degree) master’s nursing graduates as well as all post-baccalaureate master’s graduates.

5. Describe a set of observable behaviors for each competency.

6. Develop recommendations for the practice learning experiences necessary to assure that master’s nursing graduates are prepared for safe and high-quality nursing practice, including the placement within the curriculum, types, and length.

7. Address the use of simulation in the curriculum for the preparation of master’s nursing graduates.

Master's Essentials Revision Workgroup Members:

Cynthia McCurren, PhD, RN Chair Dean, Grand Valley State University Cook Devos Center for Health Sciences 301 Michigan St., NE Room: 300 CHS Grand Rapids, Michigan 49503 (616) 331-3558 mccurrec@gvsu.edu		Vincent Hall, PhD, RN Program Director, Master’s in Nursing Programs, Walden University 100 S Washington Ave 900 Minneapolis, MN 55401 (828) 275-9871 vincent.hall@mail.waldenu.edu

Angela Amar, PhD, RN Dean, University of Las Vegas, School of Community Health Science 4505 S Maryland Pkwy Las Vegas, NV 89154 (702) 895-3011 angela.amar@unlv.edu		Connie Miller, DNP, RNC-OB Chair, General Nursing and Health Education Division, University of Arizona College of Nursing 1305 N Martin Ave, Room 319 Tucson, AZ 85721-0203 (520) 626-1787 cmiller2@email.arizona.edu

Erica Hooper Arana, DNP, RN Assistant Professor, University of San Francisco School of Nursing and Health Professions 2130 Fulton St San Francisco, CA 94117 (415) 994-3904 edrana@usfca.edu		Jenny Schuessler, PhD, RN Dean & Professor, University of West Georgia Tanner Health System School of Nursing 1601 Maple St, Carrollton, GA 30118 (678) 839-5624 jschuess@westga.edu

Carol Buck-Rolland, EdD, APRN Clinical Professor, Vice Chair, Graduate Nursing Program, University of Vermont College of Nursing and Health Sciences 230 Rowell Building Burlington, VT 05405-0068 (802) 656-3381 Carol.Buck-Rolland@med.uvm.edu		Mary Stachowiak DNP, RN, CNL Assistant Professor, Director Clinical Leadership Track Rutgers School of Nursing 65 Bergen Street, Room 1120-A Newark, NJ 07101 stachome@sn.rutgers.edu

Jill Case-Wirth, MSN, MHA CNO, WellStar Health System Atlanta, GA (470) 644-0009 jill.casewirth@wellstar.org		Rachel Start, MSN, RN Director of Ambulatory Nursing Practice Department of Patient Care Services Rush Oak Park Hospital 520 S. Maple Avenue Oak Park, Illinois, 60304 (708) 660-6837 rachel_start@rush.edu

Beverly Havens Foster, PhD, RN Clinical Professor, Chair of Honors Program, University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill School of Nursing Carrington Hall, S Columbia St, Chapel Hill, NC 27599 (919) 966-4995 Bev_Foster@unc.edu		Nancy DeBasio, PhD, RN Consultant nodebasio@gmail.com

Charge to the Workgroup on The Essentials of Doctor of Nursing Practice Education for Advanced Nursing Practice

1. Using the AACN Vision for Nursing Education Position Statement as a basis, identify how healthcare trends and expectations will influence nursing’s roles and practice of the DNP nursing graduate within healthcare delivery for the next decade.

2. Assess the practice community’s expectations for DNP nursing graduates and how these may change over the next ten years.

3. Considering the APRN Common Doctoral Level Competencies as foundational work, develop recommendations for a finite set of competencies within each identified domain/Essential area of practice for all DNP graduates; competencies must be measurable.

4. Describe a set of observable behaviors for each competency that would be expected of each graduate.

5. Recommend the content and/or courses to be included in a doctoral nursing core that would be expected of all doctoral nursing students (practice and research-focused).

6. Develop recommendations for curricular expectations including final product and practice learning experiences necessary to assure that DNP nursing graduates are prepared for safe, high-quality nursing practice. Recommendations should be relevant to all areas of practice or program tracks.

7. Address the use of simulation in the curriculum for the preparation of DNP graduates.

DNP Essentials Revision Workgroup Members:

John McFadden, PhD, CRNA, Chair Dean, Barry University Barry College of Nursing and Health Sciences 421 N 21st Ave Hollywood, FL 33020 (305) 899-3208 jmcfadden@barry.edu		Susan Swider, PhD, RN Associate Professor, Rush University Rush University College of Nursing 600 S Paulina St 1080 Chicago, IL 60612 (312) 942-8826 susan_m_swider@rush.edu

Jacklyn Barber, EdD, RN Dean and Professor, Morningside College School of Nursing 1501 Morningside Ave. Sioux City, IA 51106 (712) 274-5156 barber@morningside.edu		Anne Thomas, PhD, ANP-BC Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Michigan State University College of Nursing Life Science Building 1355 Bogue St, Rm #A220 East Lansing, MI 48824 (517) 432-1172 thom1530@msu.edu

Eileen Fry-Bowers, PhD, RN Associate Professor, University of San Diego Hahn School of Nursing and Health Science 5998 Alcala Park San Diego, CA 92110 (619) 260-4550 efrybowers@sandiego.edu		Tracy Williams, DNP, RN Senior Vice President and System CNO, University of Kentucky 315 College of Nursing Building 751 Rose Street Lexington, KY 40536-0232 (859) 323-5108 tracy.williams@nortonhealthcare.org

Susan E. Mullaney, MPPA/MPH, RN VP, Center of Clinician Advancement United Health Group susan_e_mullaney@uhg.com		Marisa Wilson, DNSc, RN Associate Professor, Specialty Track Coordinator, MSN Nursing Informatics School of Nursing/Family, Community, and Health Systems UAB School of Nursing, The University of Alabama-Birmingham 1720 2nd Avenue South Birmingham, AL 35294 (205) 934-5360 mwilsoa@uab.edu

Susan Ruppert, PhD, FNP-C Professor/Associate Dean, Cizik School of Nursing University of Texas HSC 7000 Fannin St #1200 Houston, TX 77030 (713) 500-2164 Susan.D.Ruppert@uth.tmc.edu		Geraldine Young, DNP, FNP-BC Director for Graduate Nursing Programs and Associate Professor of Nursing, Kentucky State University Betty White-400 Main Street Frankfort, KY 40601 (502) 597-6961 Geraldine.young@kysu.edu

Allison Squires, PhD, RN New York University Rory Meyers College of Nursing 433 First Avenue, Room 656 New York, NY 10010 (212) 992-7074 aps6@nyui.edu		Jean Bartels, PhD, RN, Consultant jbartels@georgiasouthern.edu

Projected Timeline

Essentials-Timeline

In This Section

Essentials Revision Task Force

Charge to Workgroups and Timeline