Back to News Inside Syllabus: September–October 2026 Issue Thursday, September 17, 2026 | Newsletter, Syllabus Inside this Syllabus Edition: Q&A: FLN Chair Dr. April Howell Empathy Heals: Using Storytelling to Shape the Next Generation of Nurses 2026–2027 AACN Conference Season Plus previews of ANLC and Transform 2026 Call for Nominations: AACN 2027 BoD and AACN-Gold Award Apply for the Deborah E. Trautman Future Nurse Leader Scholarship ...and more! Read the Latest Issue Meet the Interviewee AACN’s Faculty Leadership Network (FLN) provides a national forum for nursing faculty to connect, exchange ideas, and explore real-world issues related to teaching, curriculum, and professional nursing education. Through webinars, conference sessions, online networking, and other professional development opportunities, FLN supports faculty in advancing teaching and learning across baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs. April Howell, DNP, RN, brings a unique perspective to her role as a clinical assistant professor at Boise State University’s School of Nursing. A Boise State alumna herself, Howell began her nursing journey as a licensed practical nurse before earning her associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees. She joined the Boise State faculty in 2021, returning to the school she credits with providing a supportive, student-centered educational experience. Today, Howell serves as DNP Scholarly Project Track Lead and brings extensive nursing leadership and ambulatory clinical experience to her work with students. She is passionate about mentorship, creative problem-solving, nursing leadership, and helping students connect classroom learning with real-world experiences. Her own nontraditional path into nursing education gives her a particularly personal appreciation for supporting students as they navigate their own journeys. Howell serves as chair of AACN’s Faculty Leadership Network (FLN), where she helps faculty share ideas, explore challenges in nursing education, and advance teaching and learning. Q&A with Dr. April Howell What inspired you to pursue a career in nursing education? My path to nursing education began while working at a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) affiliated with a Family Medicine Residency. As part of a teaching health center, I had the opportunity to mentor students across multiple disciplines. It was during those interprofessional interactions that I discovered my true passion for clinical teaching and guiding nursing students. What issues keep faculty up at night? Several complex issues keep faculty awake. First is the growing shortage of clinical rotation sites and preceptors, which makes securing placements that align with course objectives increasingly competitive. Second is the transition to competency-based education (CBE) –specifically, finding effective methods to document and verify true student competency. Finally, the rise of AI presents a double-edged sword: faculty are working hard to guide students in using AI as a supportive learning resource rather than a shortcut, ensuring they master foundational skills and maintain academic integrity. How did you hear about the FLN and why did you join? I first learned about the FLN when I served as an abstract reviewer for the AACN Transform. Reading the abstracts inspired me to attend the conference in person, especially as I had just transitioned into full-time university faculty and was eager to learn. A colleague invited me to the FLN Pre-Conference, and I was hooked on day one. Being surrounded by both novice and seasoned educators who openly shared their challenges, successes, and insights was incredibly empowering. I joined that very day, and by the following year, I stepped up to serve as secretary. What are the top benefits of your affiliation with the FLN? Without a doubt, the top benefits are networking and true camaraderie. FLN provides a safe, collaborative space where faculty across all stages can ask tough questions, address real-world challenges, and exchange innovative teaching tools and curriculum ideas. What do you hope to achieve as FLN chair? As FLN chair, my primary goal is to curate an engaging, forward-thinking pre-conference program that energizes faculty to bring actionable insights back to their home institutions. This year’s theme, Advancing Excellence in Nursing Education: Innovation, Leadership, and Well-Being, builds directly on previous momentum. We are featuring two exceptional speakers: one focusing on responsible AI integration in the classroom, and another presenting a faculty development model for teaching empathy alongside technology. Beyond the conference itself, I hope to foster sustained, year-round faculty engagement across our network. In your conversations with FLN members, what issues are getting the most attention? What makes the FLN community unique is that our membership spans undergraduate, RN-to-BSN, and graduate programs. Although our day-to-day environments differ, we share common core challenges. Implementing and documenting CBE remains a constant topic of conversation, along with strategies for improving student retention and maintaining high NCLEX pass rates across across evolving curricula. How can we inspire graduate students to pursue teaching roles? We inspire the next generation of nurse educators by modeling the joy and fulfillment of teaching. When we meet with graduate students, we should actively share how teaching challenges us to stay current, sharp, and deeply connected to the profession. Many DNP students I’ve mentored already possess a passion for education; by explicitly sharing our own journeys and the personal impact of academia, we can demonstrate the faculty role and encourage them to step into it. What opportunities do you see on the horizon for nursing education? The persistent demand for nurses presents a vital opportunity to rethink how and where we educate students. "Educating in place" – allowing students in rural or underserved areas to stay in their local communities while participating in hybrid learning – is particularly promising. For example, our school of nursing is exploring a mobile simulation lab that would bring high-fidelity simulation directly to rural students, bridging geographical gaps without sacrificing educational quality. What moment in your career made you realize that teaching the next generation of nurses was where you could make the biggest impact? I experienced a defining moment early in my academic career while teaching an undergraduate community health nursing course. During a discussion on vulnerable populations, I watched students ignite with passion and recognize the profound need for advocacy in these communities. Seeing their energy and enthusiasm made me realize that as faculty, our reach isn’t limited to one patient at a time. By empowering dozens of passionate students, our positive impact resonates across entire communities locally and nationally.