An Introduction to AACN’s Mission-Aligned Admissions Process (MAAP)
September 24, 2026
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM (ET)
Webinar Details
A well-designed admissions process is essential to enrolling students whose preparation, experiences, and potential align with a school’s mission and who are positioned to succeed in nursing education. As part of its commitment to advancing excellence in academic nursing, AACN supports schools in developing admissions processes that are mission-driven, evidence-informed, transparent, and aligned with institutional values and program goals.
This webinar introduces AACN’s Mission-Aligned Admissions Process (MAAP), a structured approach for examining alignment across access, policy, criteria, process, and outcomes. Participants will explore how academic metrics, applicant experiences, and personal attributes can contribute to a balanced review when criteria are clearly defined and applied through transparent and consistent practices.
The session will also introduce AACN’s MAAP Services, which help schools understand the process, assess their current admissions system, and develop and implement a mission-aligned approach. Whether a program is beginning to examine its admissions practices or looking to strengthen an established process, this webinar provides a practical foundation for continuous improvement.
Outcomes:
- Describe the foundational principles and components of AACN’s Mission-Aligned Admissions Process (MAAP).
- Explain how access, policy, criteria, process, and outcomes align with institutional mission, values, and program goals.
- Differentiate among academic metrics, applicant experiences, and personal attributes and explain how each contributes to a balanced admissions review.
- Identify opportunities to strengthen transparency, consistency, and alignment within current admissions practices.
- Describe AACN 3-tier MAAP Services which help schools learn the process, assess their current admissions system, and develop and implement a mission-aligned approach.
Speakers
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 American Association of Colleges of Nursing (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 (ABSN) program. Dr. Carter earned her BSN at North Carolina Central University (NCCU) 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.
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Aligning Program Outcomes, Course Outcomes, and Student Learning Activities for Competence
October 17, 2023
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM (ET)
Webinar Details
In this webinar, Dr. Gerry Altmiller will provide a deeper understanding of how to scaffold competency-based education and assessment across the curriculum to support learners in meeting the Essentials. Additionally, participants will learn the process to take next steps for greater integration of the Essentials into their nursing education programs.
Objectives:
- Review effective strategies for integrating competency-based education across the curriculum.
- Examine processes for developing curriculum that connects end-of-program outcomes with course outcomes and student learning activities.
- Demonstrate examples of how the Essentials and competency-based education can be layered to support student learning and practice-readiness.
For more information and resources on the AACN Essentials, go to www.aacnnursing.org/essentials.
Speakers
Speakers
Gerry Altmiller, EdD, APRN, ACNS-BC, ANEF, FAAN
Professor
Director, Quality and Safety Innovation Center
School of Nursing, Health, and Exercise Science
The College of New Jersey
Gerry Altmiller is a professor of nursing, a clinical nurse specialist consultant for Jefferson Einstein Healthcare Network in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and director of the Quality and Safety Innovation Center at The College of New Jersey. She served on the QSEN Advisory board for over a decade and for 7 years led the QSEN Academic Task Force, creating opportunities for its 120 faculty members to network, share ideas, and conduct academic focused research.
Dr. Altmiller authored the Teamwork and Communication Module of the National Council of State Boards of Nursing’s Transition to Practice program and in 2014 she received a Lindback Award for distinguished teaching. Her work on constructive feedback led to the development, testing, and dissemination of support tools for nurse educators and learning tools for students to view feedback as an opportunity. Dr. Altmiller serves on the editorial board for Nurse Educator Journal. She is a member of the AACN workgroups that developed the toolkits to support adoption of the 2021 AACN Essentials and serves as an AACN Coach for implementation of the Essentials. Her research focuses on clinical evaluation, quality and safety integration, and creating a just culture in academia.
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Public Health Insight into the COVID-19 Pandemic
April 13, 2020
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM (ET)
Webinar Details & Objectives
As we continue to address the Coronavirus Pandemic, join AACN’s President and CEO, Dr. Deborah Trautman, for an insightful conversation with Dr. Georges C. Benjamin, Executive Director for American Public Health Association - For Science. For Action. For Health.
NOTE: Please view the webinar through the button below.
Webinar Resources
Register for the upcoming COVID-19 related webinars, listed below:
- Creating Calm and Civility during Uncertain Times
Friday, April 17 at 12:00 pm (ET) - Interprofessional Teaching and Collaborative Practice During COVID-19: A Community Conversation
Monday, April 23 at 2:00 pm (ET)
View the On-Demand COVID-19 related webinars, listed below:
- Making Informed Decisions in Response to COVID-19
- F.A.S.T: Academic Nurse Educators Respond to COVID-19
- Bridging the Gap- Implementing Technology to Deliver Courses Online
- A Call to Leadership: Navigating Uncharted Waters
- Aligning Simulation within COVID-19 Contingency Plans
- COVID-19: Update from Nursing Leadership on the Front Lines
- Teaching Nursing Students How to Manage Crisis During COVID-19
- COVID-19: Breaking Through Denial to Action
- COVID-19 Series: Techniques to Teach Assessment Online NOW!
- Public Health: Nursing Education and the COVID-19 Pandemic
- Considering Pass or No Pass education in response to the COVID-19 Pandemic
These webinars are free and open to the public. Recordings of the webinars will be available soon after the webinars air.
Speakers
Panelists
Georges Benjamin, MD, MACP, FACEP(E), FNAPA, Hon FRSPH, Hon FFPHExecutive Director
American Public Health Association
Dr. Benjamin is known as one of the nation’s most influential physician leaders because he speaks passionately and eloquently about the health issues having the most impact on our nation today. From his firsthand experience as a physician, he knows what happens when preventive care is not available and when the healthy choice is not the easy choice. As executive director of APHA since 2002, he is leading the Association’s push to make America the healthiest nation in one generation.
At APHA, Benjamin also serves as publisher of the nonprofit's monthly publication, The Nation's Health, the association's official newspaper, and the American Journal of Public Health, the profession’s premier scientific publication. He is the author of more than 100 scientific articles and book chapters. His recent book The Quest for Health Reform: A Satirical History is an exposé of the nearly 100-year quest to ensure quality affordable health coverage for all through the use of political cartoons. Benjamin is a member of the National Academy of Medicine (Formally the Institute of Medicine) of the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine and also serves on the boards for many organizations including Research!America and the Reagan-Udall Foundation. In 2008, 2014 and 2016 he was named one of the top 25 minority executives in health care by Modern Healthcare Magazine, in addition to being voted among the 100 most influential people in health care from 2007-2017.
Deborah Trautman, PhD, RN, FAANPresident and Chief Executive Officer
American Association of Colleges of Nursing
Dr. Deborah Trautman assumed the role of AACN’s President and C hief Executive Officer in June 2014. Formerly the Executive Director of the Center for Health Policy and Healthcare Transformation at Johns Hopkins Hospital, Dr. Trautman has held clinical and administrative leadership positions at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions. She also served as the Vice President of Patient Care Services for Howard County General Hospital and as Director of Nursing for Emergency Medicine at the Johns Hopkins Hospital.
Since her appointment at AACN, Deb has been asked to join a number of high-profile boards and advisory groups. The Secretary of U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' Special Medical Advisory Group (SMAG), which advises the VA Secretary on matters related to healthcare delivery, research, education, training of healthcare staff and planning on shared care issues facing VA and the Department of Defense. In addition, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) named her program director of the New Careers in Nursing project, and her colleagues with the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) elected her to serve as Chair as of 2019. She also serves on the Joint Commission’s Chief Nurse Executive Council.
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COVID-19 Series: Techniques to Teach Assessment Online NOW!
April 03, 2020
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM (ET)
Webinar Details & Objectives
This webinar will dive into strategies on how to move physical assessment courses online classes. The webinar will include a conversation around promoting student engagement while ensuring student competency, and touch on a variety of assessments that transition to the virtual space. An online model for conducting objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs) will also be shared.
Objectives
- Provide faculty with approaches and strategies for moving their physical assessment courses online.
- Describe how to promote student engagement and ensure student competency.
- Describe online model for conducting objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs).
NOTE: Please view the webinar through the button below.
Webinar Resources
Register for the other COVID-19 related webinars, listed below:
- Making Informed Decisions in Response to COVID-19
Recording Available - F.A.S.T: Academic Nurse Educators Respond to COVID-19
Recording Available - Bridging the Gap- Implementing Technology to Deliver Courses Online
Recording Available - A Call to Leadership: Navigating Uncharted Waters
Recording Available - Aligning Simulation within COVID-19 Contingency Plans
Recording Available - COVID-19: Update from Nursing Leadership on the Front Lines
Recording Available - Teaching Nursing Students How to Manage Crisis During COVID-19
Watch March 30, 2:00 p.m. (ET)
These webinars are free and open to the public. Recordings of the webinars will be available soon after the webinars air.
Speakers
Panelists
Kate Sustersic Gawlik, DNP, APRN-CNP, FAANPAssistant Professor of Clinical Nursing
The Ohio State University
Project Manager, Million Hearts
Kate Gawlik is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Nursing, Director of the Health and Wellness Innovation in Healthcare program, and Project Manager for the Million Hearts® initiative at The Ohio State University. She is board certified as a Family Nurse Practitioner. Her clinical interests are cardiovascular population health, preventive medicine, clinician well-being, evidence-based physical assessment, and online nursing education. She has taught advanced assessment for over 10 years and has been teaching it all online for five of those years. She was awarded the 2018 American Association of Nurse Practitioner State Award for Excellence for Ohio. She was inducted as a Fellow into the American Association of Nurse Practitioners in June 2018.
Alice M. Teall, DNP, APRN-CNP, FAANPAssistant Professor of Clinical Nursing
The Ohio State University
Alice M. Teall is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Nursing, Director of Telehealth Services, and Director of Academic Wellness Programming at the Ohio State University College of Nursing. While serving as director of the online Family Nurse Practitioner program, she was honored with the Ohio State University Provost Award for Distinguished Teaching. An experienced educator, Alice Teall has taught assessment online and on campus for students across nursing programs including traditional undergraduate, RN-BSN completion, accelerated graduate entry, graduate, and doctoral programs. Dr. Teall is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners; her contributions to advanced practice education include innovative use of synchronous web-conferencing, incorporation of well ness coaching techniques in clinical practice, and use of telehealth as an evaluation strategy for distance students.