ABSTRACT

Nursing leadership is crucial in shaping the healthcare landscape. As such, it is imperative to ensure that nurse leaders are equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge to navigate the complexities of the healthcare environment effectively. The American Organization for Nursing Leadership (AONL) has established a set of competencies that outline the essential skills and attributes required for nurse executives. While studies have evaluated nurse leadership succession models in healthcare settings, there is limited empirical evidence on the effectiveness of integrating these competencies into nursing education programs, particularly at the graduate level. This study will describe variables that may provide insights into this phenomenon, including how integrating the AONL Competencies in educational programs influences performance on nurse leadership skills assessment and certification exams. Other variables that will be examined include years of experience as a Registered Nurse, supervisory experience, leadership level, and student and mentor satisfaction with the program. The results from this study will show relationships between variables that may inform the design of a competency-aligned curriculum for nurse educators and critical factors that influence student attainment of competencies. 

Objectives:
Participants will identify the five core domains of the AONL Nurse Leader Core Competency Model

Participants will identify the three requirements to develop leadership competencies as outlined by AONL.