Exploring the 2026 AACN Essentials: Aligning Nursing Education with the ACE Framework
Webinar Details
This webinar will provide an overview of the revised 2026 AACN Essentials and their alignment with the Access, Connection, and Engagement (ACE) Framework. Participants will explore the rationale for revising the Essentials, examine key updates and language changes, and discuss how the ACE Framework can be leveraged to support student success, workforce readiness, and stronger academic-practice partnerships. The session will conclude with a moderated question-and-answer discussion, offering participants the opportunity to deepen their understanding and consider practical applications within their own settings.
Learning Outcomes:
- Describe key updates to the 2026 edition of the Essentials, including refinements to concepts, domains, competencies, and sub-competencies.
- Explain the alignment between the 2026 edition of the Essentials and the ACE Framework.
- Identify opportunities to apply the 2026 edition of the Essentials and the ACE Framework in educational and practice settings.
Speakers
Wanda Thruston, DNP, APRN, RN
Director of Access and Engagement
American Association of Colleges of Nursing
Dr. Wanda Thruston, Director of Access and Engagement at AACN, is a national and international leader in academic nursing and advancing fair and just access to health and well-being for all, with expertise in institutional transformation, leadership development, and systems-level strategy. A Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholar Fellow, she brings decades of experience in clinical practice with under-resourced populations, health policy, and academic leadership.
At AACN, Dr. Thruston led the development and implementation of the Ecosystem of Excellence in Academic Nursing, a strategic framework designed to enhance institutional effectiveness and promote the success of students, staff, and faculty. She provides technical assistance, training, and consultation to HRSA-funded nursing schools and AACN member institutions—supporting strategies to expand access, strengthen student achievement, improve the institutional climate, and build academic environments where all individuals feel supported and prepared to succeed.
Previously, she served as Special Assistant to the Dean at Indiana University School of Nursing, where she led the development of the Diversity Strategic Plan and co-created a university-wide pathway for DEI faculty promotion. She also led a large-scale assessment of health and well-being for Indiana’s second-largest K-12 district to to inform fair and effective resource allocation that meets the needs of all students. Dr. Thruston is committed to advancing environments where students, staff, and faculty thrive.
Brigit Carter, PhD, RN, CCRN, FADLN, FAAN
Chief Access and Engagement Officer
American Association of Colleges of Nursing
Dr. Brigit Carter, Chief Access and Engagement Officer, joined AACN in February 2023. She is Professor Emerita at the Duke University School of Nursing, where she served as the Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion from 2018-2023. From 2015-2018, she served as the Director of the DUSON Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing program. Dr. Carter earned her BSN at North Carolina Central University in 1998, her Master of Science in Nursing Education from University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 2002, and her PhD in Nursing from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2009.
Her current educational research is focused on understanding experiences of students with microaggressions and development of strategies to mitigate the impact of microaggressions. She also has a focus on strategies to increase historically marginalized students in nursing and understand individual level social determinants that are barriers to achieving nursing education. Dr. Carter is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, an Atlantic Fellow for Health Equity, and a Duke Teaching for Equity fellow. Dr. Carter retired from the U.S. Navy as a Commander after 28 years of service in January 2018.
Susan Corbridge, PhD, APRN, FAANP, FNAP, FCCP, FAAN
Chief Academic and Innovation Officer,
American Association of Colleges of Nursing
Dr. Susan Corbridge is Chief Academic and Innovation Officer at AACN, where she provides leadership for AACN’s national academic and innovation portfolio, including competency-based education, academic–practice partnerships, faculty development, and emerging technologies. Dr. Corbridge earned her BSN from Northwestern University, an MS in Nursing as a Critical Care Clinical Nurse Specialist from Rush University, a post-master’s certificate as an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner from Rush University, and a PhD from the University of Illinois Chicago.
A nationally recognized leader in nursing education, educational policy, and advanced practice, Dr. Corbridge has more than 37 years of experience as a clinician, educator, researcher, and healthcare leader. She is Professor Emerita and former Executive Associate Dean at the University of Illinois Chicago and a Fellow of multiple national organizations, including the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, Institute of Medicine of Chicago, American College of Chest Physicians, National Academies of Practice, and American Academy of Nursing.
Pricing and CE Credit
This webinar is free to deans, faculty, staff and students from AACN member schools of nursing. All non-member audiences will be required to pay a $59 webinar fee.
Continuing Nursing Education
One nursing continuing professional development (NCPD) credit is associated with this webinar; attendees must be present for the entire webinar and complete the evaluation to receive a certificate of completion.
The American Association of Colleges of Nursing is accredited as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.