AACN Essentials

The Essentials

Essentials Implementation Steering Committee & Contributors

Committee Charge:

  • Finalize the plan for the Implementation Roadmap of the 2021 Essentials
  • Provide broad-based oversight for the implementation process
  • Make ongoing recommendations for actions and activities related to the Roadmap
  • Oversee the work and progress of the Essentials Working Groups
  • Monitor for issues that impact significant sections of the AACN membership or present major challenges for the implementation process
  • Provide ongoing evaluation of the implementation processes and phases
  • Julie Zerwic


    Julie Zerwic, PhD, Co-Chair
    University of Iowa
    Dean

  • Dale Beatty


    Dale Beatty, DNP, Co-Chair
    Stanford Health Care
    Chief Nurse Executive

  • Brian Ahn


    Hyochol Brian Ahn, PhD
    University of Arizona
    Dean

  • Bimbola Akintade


    Bimbola Akintade, PhD
    East Carolina University
    Dean

  • Kristine L’Ecuyer


    Kristine L’Ecuyer, PhD
    Saint Louis University
    Associate Dean

  • Susan Ruppert


    Susan Ruppert, PhD
    University of Texas Health Science Center-Houston
    Associate Dean and Chair of Graduate Studies

  • Julie Sanford


    Julie Sanford, DNS, Board Liaison
    The University of Alabama
    Dean

  • Jennifer Zipp


    Jennifer Stephenson Zipp, DNP
    Maryland Organization of Nurse Leaders, Inc./Maryland Nurse Residency Collaborative
    Executive Director

  • Susan Corbridge, PhD, Staff Liaison
    Chief Nursing Education Innovation Officer
    scorbridge@aacnnursing.org
  • Joan Stanley, PhD, Staff Liaison
    Chief Academic Officer
    jstanley@aacnnursing.org

Contributors

Working Group Charge:

The Essentials: Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education provides a framework for preparing nurses using a competency-based approach to education. Methods to best measure competency in nursing education need further exploration and a design that will challenge students and prepare them for practice. A working group comprised of multidisciplinary competency-based education (CBE) assessment experts has been created to guide this work. The working group will help to identify the role AACN should take in addressing competency assessment as well as possible strategies for competency assessment. The group understands that while educational approaches may vary, outcomes should not. Additionally, the working group will provide guidance regarding AACN’s role in faculty development in the area of assessment and evaluation.

  • Bimbola Akintade


    Bimbola Akintade, PhD, Chair
    East Carolina University
    Dean

  • Jonathan Amiel


    Jonathan Amiel, MD
    Columbia University
    Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons
    Senior Associate Dean for Innovation in Health Professions Education

  • Phil Dickison


    Phil Dickison, PhD
    National Council of State Boards of Nursing
    Chief Executive Officer

  • Carol Fowler Durham


    Carol Fowler Durham, EdD
    The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
    Professor and Director, Education-Innovation-Simulation Learning Environment

  • Robert Englander


    Robert Englander, MD
    University of Minnesota
    Associate Dean for Undergraduate Medical Education

  • Kara Hedvig Evans


    Kara Hedvig Evans, MSN
    Atrium Health
    Director of Nursing Professional Development

  • Cynthia O'Neal


    Cynthia O'Neal, PhD
    UT Health San Antonio
    Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies

  • Margaret Rauschenberger


    Margaret Rauschenberger, MSN
    Alverno College
    Dean Emerita

  • Janelle Sokolowich


    Janelle Sokolowich, PhD
    Chamberlain University
    Associate Provost, Social Mission

  • Susan Corbridge, PhD, Staff Liaison
    Chief Education Innovation Officer
    scorbridge@aacnnursing.org

  • Susan Ward


    Susan Ward, PhD, Chair
    Nebraska Methodist College
    Accreditation Specialist

  • Debra Barksdale


    Debra Barksdale, PhD
    University of North Carolina Greensboro
    Dean

  • Greg Eagerton


    Greg Eagerton, DNP
    University of Alabama at Birmingham
    Associate Professor

  • Denise Neill


    Denise Neill, PhD
    Texas A&M University - Commerce
    Associate Professor

  • Kristen Ostrem-Niemcewicz


    Kristen Ostrem-Niemcewicz, DNP
    Oregon Health and Sciences University
    Associate Dean of Graduate Programs
    Associate Clinical Professor

  • Tricia Templet


    Tricia Templet, DNP
    University of Louisiana at Lafayette
    Director of BSN Program

  • Susan Corbridge, PhD, Staff Liaison
    Chief Education Innovation Officer
    scorbridge@aacnnursing.org

Working Group Charge:

  • Develop recommendations regarding the use of technology within academic nursing, including for the association, accreditation, nursing education programs, and students.
  • Develop recommendations regarding existing or needed technology/digital tools to support the implementation of the new Essentials, such as for curriculum mapping, data collection and reporting, and competency attainment/tracking.
    • Tools that support the needs of AACN, member schools, accreditors, and students.
    • Tools/products should be accessible to all member schools.
    • Recommendations should be prioritized and include potential costs (fiscal and human resources).
    • Recommendations should include appropriate standards for the technology, tools, and products to allow access and sharing.
  • Consult with others who have applicable expertise, as needed.
  • Provide input/oversight for the development/selection of technologies to support nursing education.

View the report: Vision for Sharing Data and Information Across Nursing Education, Practice, and Regulation

  • David Bowersox


    David Bowersox, MBA
    Duke University
    Vice Dean, Finance and Administration

  • Mary Joy Garcia Dia


    Mary Joy Garcia Dia, DNP
    New York Presbyterian Hospital
    Director, Nursing Informatics

  • Tao Le


    Tao Le, MD
    University of Louisville
    Professor of Medicine

  • Janelle Sokolowich


    Janelle Sokolowich, PhD
    Chamberlain University
    Associate Provost, Social Mission

  • Melissa Stec


    Melissa Stec, DNP
    Emory University
    Professor

  • Dan Weberg


    Dan Weberg, PhD
    The Ohio State University
    Assistant Professor of Clinical Practice

  • Alison Whelan


    Alison Whelan, MD
    Association of American Medical Colleges
    Chief Academic Officer

  • Joan Stanley, PhD, Staff Liaison
    Chief Academic Officer
    jstanley@aacnnursing.org

Become an Essentials Champion

Become an Essentials Champion

AACN is looking for each member school to identify one lead faculty member to serve as an Essentials Champion. These individuals will be your school’s resident contact and communication liaison who will have access to a new network of leaders engaged in Essentials implementation. Champions will be encouraged to bring forward issues, ask questions, and share ideas during virtual Q & A sessions held each quarter with AACN staff leaders.

How to Sign Up

Deans are encouraged to identify their school’s champion by completing a short online form.

Complete the Form

Contact AACN

For questions about Essentials programs, implementation efforts, resources, and more, please contact essentials@aacnnursing.org or the following AACN staff member for assistance.

Susan Corbridge, PhD
Chief Nursing Education Innovation Officer
scorbridge@aacnnursing.org