The AACN Essentials provides a competency-based approach to nursing education that defines what nurses must know and be able to do across all levels of professional practice. This framework encompases 10 domains and 45 competencies that apply to preparing learners in both entry-level (Level 1) and advanced-level (Level 2) programs.

Levels 1 and 2 are differentiated by the sub-competencies, which outline the behaviors learners at both levels should be expected to exhibit. However, these behaviors were not all clearly defined. In order to assist nursing schools with establishing well-defined expectations for their graduates, AACN's Assessment Expert Working Group established the Progression Indicator Sub-Group to develop a national consensus process for the creation of a set of observable behaviors for each competency—the Progression Indicators (PIs).

For more detailed information about the PIs and how to implement them into your curricula, please review the guides and videos below.

Implementation Guides