2026
Colleagues, the NLN remains the leader in nursing education.
Member engagement continues to be our strength and north star. Thank you to the thousands of nurse educators who stay so involved with the NLN. You are vital to bringing cutting edge resources and education to all of our members who teach in programs across the academic spectrum.
The NLN Centers for Nursing Education have been extraordinarily busy. First, the long-time partnership between the NLN and Chamberlain continues with the NLN / Chamberlain University College of Nursing Center for the Advancement of the Science of Nursing Education.
The 4th edition of the Scope of Practice for Nurse Educators Practicing in Various Academic Nurse Educator Roles was published in February. This latest edition included the newly identified role and competencies of the practical/vocational educator role.
Just last month, we published The Future of Nursing Education: An International Utstein Report. This publication provides recommendations from 60 expert nurse educators and leaders from clinical practice, associations, and regulations across 13 countries focused on competency-based education, artificial intelligence, planetary health, nurse and faculty well-being, and the global faculty shortage.
The 2026 Summit special issue of NLN’s research journal, Nursing Education Perspectives, also published by our partner Wolters Kluwer, focuses on Creating a Healthy Work Environment in Nursing Education. Drs. Mark Hand and Steven Palazzo are the guest editors.
A call for manuscripts for the 2027 special issue remains open until January 2027. The topic is Artificial Intelligence in Nursing Education with guest editors Drs. Jenny O’Rourke and Matthew Byrne.
Applications for the 2027 yearlong NLN Leadership Institute, which includes LEAD and the Leadership Development Program for Simulation Educators, are due October 5.
This is the 5th year of the partnership with the NLN and Laerdal Medical to help advance transformation of the standard of resuscitation care for cardiac arrest. Resuscitation Quality Improvement’s RQI innovative, evidence-based digital approach helps learners achieve sustained mastery of high-quality CPR skills and verified competence through short, quarterly practice and review sessions.
The NLN Institute for Social Determinants of Health and Social Change cultivates leaders who can address issues of social determinants of health and equity in a variety of settings. The yearlong Leadership Academy is now accepting applications for 2027.
We are excited to announce a new focus of our partnership with the Walden University College of Nursing. Starting in 2027, the NLN / Walden University College of Nursing Institute for Artificial Intelligence will prepare leaders to address the use of AI across clinical practice and academic settings. The yearlong Leadership AI Academy is now accepting applications for 2027. Thank you to Walden for this partnership.
The NLN and the International Council of Nurses, or ICN, formed a strategic partnership to prioritize the education of nurses worldwide through the ICN Education Experts Advisory Committee, or ICNEE. The aim of the ICNEE is to promote the education of nurses around the world and ensure the nursing workforce of the future is prepared to meet whatever challenges lie ahead. Dr. Sandra Davis, NLN’s deputy chief director, serves as ICNEE's chair.
This year, the NLN is proud to celebrate a 23-year partnership with Laerdal Medical, a collaboration we deeply value. Over the years, we have co-developed several significant products that have advanced nursing education, including vSim, Scenario Cloud, and immersive virtual reality solutions.
In collaboration with Wolters Kluwer and Laerdal, we created new virtual reality programs aimed at preparing students for real-world nursing practice through evolving, multi-patient clinical experiences.
Next, we are thrilled to announce the receipt of a grant from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. This grant serves as a collaborative partnership with the Colorado Center for Nursing Excellence. With this grant, we aim to place 3,000 new LPNs and RNs into nursing homes after graduation. Nurses will be eligible to receive up to $50,000 in incentives.
Next, the Certified Nurse Educator Program began in 2005, over 20 years ago. The NLN Certification Division now has four certifications available for nurse educators: Certified Nurse Educator or CNE; Certified Clinical Nurse Educator or CNEcl; Certified Novice Nurse Educator or CNEn; and our newest certification, the CNEpv for academic practical / vocational nurse educators.
Since 2005, over 20,000 academic nurse educators have earned one of the three Certified Nurse Educator credentials. During the past 12 months, more than 1,000 nurse educators have achieved certification as an academic nurse educator
In recognition of the thousands of academic nurse educators who practice as a clinical educator only, or adjunct or preceptor, or one of the other titles referring to the same role of teaching students during clinical experiences, a second academic nurse educator certification exam was created seven years ago. The number of those who obtained certification as clinical nurse educators now is over 1,200.
The implementation of the CNE Novice program has gone well. The target group for this certification is nurse educators within the first three years of practice as a nurse educator, and there are now over 500 certified novice nurse educators.
The practical / vocational nurse educator certification was piloted late in 2025. This new certification program became fully operational in 2026 and we already have about 125 certified practical / vocational nurse educators so far.
Assessment-based certificate programs were initiated by the Credentialing Department during 2025. These certificate programs allow the learner to participate in online learning modules about a specific topic, followed by an assessment to verify learning.
Some of the current courses include the New Nurse Educator Faculty Role; PN / VN Faculty Development; Preparing to Transition from Clinical Practice to Academia; Teaching Online; Executive Leadership in Nursing; and a shared course with the Nurses on Board Coalition called, “Communication and Language in the Boardroom.” Watch for more courses to be added in the future.
The NLN Assessment Services Division offers a comprehensive range of assessments to support nursing programs, students, employers, and practicing nurses. These assessments can help guide admission decisions, evaluate subject matter proficiency, advance student placement by assessing their prior learning, testing NCLEX readiness, and assessing practice knowledge.
As NCLEX preparation also remains a priority for programs and students, Assessment Services offers NCLEX reviews – onsite and virtually – at the request of LPN and RN programs.
Next for communications, this has been another successful and award-winning year for the team. We continue to contribute articles and work with the media around stories that highlight the importance and expertise of nurse educators and the NLN.
We have also been pleased to see higher levels of engagement with the NLN through our websites, which last year surpassed 1 million unique visitors for the first time ever, and on social media, where we have over 90,000 followers. If you are not following the NLN, you can find us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter – slash – X, Instagram, YouTube, and Blue Sky from links on our website, NLN.org.
You also may have heard something about a new NLN app. More people than ever before find content on their phones and mobile devices through apps rather than on websites. So, on May 1 of this year, at the start of National Nurses Month, the NLN officially launched the NLN Nursing Ed app for nurse educators. We are pleased to report that the app has seen between 80 to 100 downloads each week, with more than 1,500 users to date. You can download the new app by visiting our website, NLN.org, and clicking on the app web page. It’s available in both the App Store and Google Play.
Also, once again, the Communications team has earned national recognition. The NLN Summit website won a platinum award, the top honor, in the Hermes Creative Awards along with gold awards for the NLN Accelerator newsletter and an infographic about NLN Assessment Services.
The APEX Awards also recognized the NLN Summit website and Assessment Services infographic with awards of excellence. Congratulations to our communications team, led by Mike Keaton along with India West and Ann Marie Watson, for these achievements.
And congratulations to Assessment Services Director Dr. Dodie Serafini and Manager Karen Drake for their work on the infographic.
I would also like to congratulate Jenny Chicca, deputy director, and Teresa Shellenbarger, executive director of the CNEA, for earning a Hermes gold award for CNEA Online Training, an interactive continuing education program.
Thank you to NLN Chair Dr. Yolanda
VanRiel, the Board of Governors, partners, and staff who have all contributed
to making this an outstanding year for the NLN.
