Program Agenda

Coffee & Connect

• Access, Connection, and Engagement Opportunities at AACN
  Engage with colleagues to expand access, strengthen connections, and deepen engagement through AACN’s ACE programs, networking opportunities, and resources.
   
• Shaping the Future of Emerging Technologies in Academic Nursing: A Facilitated Listening Session                                                                                               
  This interactive listening session will bring together deans and associate deans to share their perspectives on the opportunities, challenges, and institutional needs associated with the integration of emerging technologies across academic nursing. The conversation will explore the supports, resources, and leadership considerations needed to navigate rapid technological change. The session will provide an opportunity to hear directly from academic leaders about what they need to lead this transformation effectively and where AACN can provide the greatest value and support. Insights from the session will help inform the priorities and ongoing work of the Emerging Technologies in Nursing Task Force.

Solution Circles
Join industry experts to consider strategies for addressing current challenges in academic nursing. In a collaborative and educational format, vendors will engage in interactive discussions to foster peer-to-peer dialogue and share new and innovative solutions.

• AI in Action: Streamlining Item Generation and Student Remediation in Nursing Programs 
  Sponsored and presented by NurseAchieve
  This session explores how AI is transforming nursing education through streamlined assessment development and personalized remediation. Attendees will see live demonstrations of NurseAchieve's AI Item Writer and AI Remediation Tutor, showcasing how these tools support NCLEX alignment, reduce faculty workload, and enhance student outcomes.

Plenary
Innovations in Health Professions Education: Leading the Future Together

Join Dr. Kimberly Lomis, President of the Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation, to contemplate new ways that nursing leaders can thrive amid uncertainty in higher education and clinical settings. By applying systems thinking and recognizing the interdependence of education and care delivery, participants will explore how emerging technologies can drive innovation within and across professions. Together, these efforts can strengthen education across disciplines and ultimately improve care for patients and communities. The session will highlight practical strategies for fostering collaboration, adaptability, and shared accountability across health professions education and clinical practice.

Solution Circles
Join industry experts to consider strategies for addressing current challenges in academic nursing. In a collaborative and educational format, vendors will engage in interactive discussions to foster peer-to-peer dialogue and share new and innovative solutions.

• From Compliance Burden to Strategic Advantage: Modernizing Clinical Education
  Every accreditation cycle, nursing programs face the same scramble: pulling placement records from one system, competency data from another, and Essentials mapping from a third, then manually stitching it all together into a defensible evidence package. This session reframes that work as an opportunity to build lasting infrastructure. Attendees will see how CORE by PeopleGrove consolidates clinical placement management, accreditation reporting, and student/preceptor/faculty competency tracking into a single system of record. Attendees will leave with a practical framework for evaluating program readiness and a clear sense of what a modernized clinical education workflow looks like.

Emerging Solutions

• Advancing Excellence in A VUCA World
  In a healthcare environment defined by volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA), nurse leaders have a powerful opportunity to shape the future with resilience, vision, and purpose. Even amid complexity and workforce challenges, nursing continues to demonstrate extraordinary strength, adaptability, and commitment to patients and communities. Dr. Stephanie Brodtrick will highlight how change agility enables leaders to respond with focus, flexibility, and confidence in dynamic settings. Join your colleagues to explore strategies to advance excellence while reinforcing the mission, vision, and values that define high-quality healthcare.
   
• Effective Approaches to Strengthening Financial Decision-Making: Financial Strategies for Today's Academic Nursing Leaders 
  Explore winning approaches to enhance your leadership skills and thrive in today’s dynamic financial environment! Tailored to the needs of academic nursing leaders, this dynamic session will enrich your financial and economic expertise to drive effective decision-making. Discover practical strategies for establishing accountability, managing budget limitations, and diversifying resources to ensure long-term financial stability. This interactive discussion will also cover the essentials of crafting persuasive business proposals, helping you communicate your vision with impact. Don’t miss this opportunity to gain valuable insights and connect with peers facing similar challenges!
   
• Leading Academic Nursing in the AI Era: A Framework for Discernment and Action
  In this immersive leadership experience, Dr. Delaney La Rosa will bring the rapidly changing AI landscape to life while helping academic nursing leaders interpret what it means for their institutions. Participants will examine how emerging capabilities are reshaping learning, work, professional preparation, and the evidence used to judge competence. They will consider the interconnected implications for curriculum, workforce readiness, organizational capacity, equity, and governance, using an executive-level AI discernment lens to identify priorities and decision areas that support a responsible, context-appropriate institutional response.
  What we teach. Who is ready. How we govern.
   
• Who Defines Nursing? Reimagining Our Image, Influence, and Value
  Nursing’s image is more than a matter of public perception; it shapes who enters the profession, who remains, whose expertise is heard, and how nursing influences the future of healthcare. As healthcare is increasingly shaped by business imperatives, the Quintuple Aim, technology and artificial intelligence, and entrepreneurial innovation, nursing must more intentionally shape and communicate a contemporary professional archetype and image that reflects its scientific expertise, clinical impact, economic contribution, commitment to person-centered care, and broader societal value. Dr. Richard Ricciardi will examine how nursing is perceived both internally and externally, how those perceptions shape professional identity, and why academic nursing leaders must take a more intentional role in defining and communicating the importance of image on a profession’s perceived and defined value. Participants will consider the relationship between nursing’s image and critical workforce outcomes, including recruitment into and exit from the profession, turnover, workplace well-being, professional fulfillment, and nurses’ sense of meaning, purpose, and joy in their work.

• Associate and Assistant Dean Dialogue        
  Associate and Assistant Deans are invited to this informal dialogue to discuss current and relevant issues unique to the role. Come ask your questions, connect with peers, and embrace the unique opportunity to engage in thought-provoking in-person conversation.
   
• Experienced Dean Dialogue
  Experienced deans are invited to this informal dialogue to collect and discuss current and relevant issues informed by the experienced leader. Come connect with peers and embrace the unique opportunity to engage in thought-provoking in-person conversation.
   
• New Dean Dialogue    
  New deans are invited to this informal dialogue to hear about the AACN resources helping you boost your leadership journey. Come ask your questions, connect with peers, and embrace the unique opportunity to engage in thought-provoking in-person conversation.