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AACN recently announced that a 2026 edition of The Essentials: Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education had been posted online. The refinements made to the document are intended to support schools of nursing as they evaluate program requirements, student experiences, and learning environments in keeping with federal standards and other programmatic expectations. The updates align with AACN’s Access, Connection, and Engagement (ACE) framework that was introduced to the membership in July 2025. The new language reinforces our commitment to ACE, emphasizing support for student success, workforce preparation, and academic-practice partnerships.
The most substantive changes were made in the Concepts for Nursing Practice section of the Essentials (pages 12-13) with the inclusion of Access, Connection, and Engagement as the fourth Concept. Updates were also were made to the descriptors for Domain 3 (Population Health) and Domain 7 (Systems-Based Practice), as well as to the Glossary and References. The updated competencies and sub-competencies have been outlined below.
Have questions about implementing the Essentials? Reach out to AACN's Essentials team at essentials@aacnnursing.org.