The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) serves as the national voice for academic nursing education, representing over 850 member schools of nursing at public and private institutions. As the catalyst for excellence and innovation in nursing education, AACN establishes quality standards for nursing education, influences the nursing profession to improve healthcare, and promotes public support for professional nursing education, research, and practice. This article examines the intersection of two crucial frameworks in nursing education:
This article examines the intersection of two crucial frameworks in nursing education:
- The CCNE (Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education) Standards for Accreditation of Baccalaureate Programs
- The AACN 2021 Essentials: Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education
These frameworks work together to ensure that nursing education programs maintain high standards while adapting to the evolving healthcare landscape. The CCNE, as AACN’s autonomous accrediting arm, uses these standards to evaluate and accredit nursing programs, while the AACN Essentials provide the foundational competencies necessary for professional nursing practice. The AACN 2021 states, “All learners in entry-level professional nursing education programs (pre-licensure and post-licensure [degree-completion] programs) will engage in direct patient care learning activities in all four spheres of care and across the life span and provide clear evidence of student (Level 1) competency achievement.” Didactic, simulated, laboratory, and clinical learning experiences prepare nurses to practice in these diverse settings.
These four spheres include:
Disease Prevention & Health Promotion
What it means:
Chronic Disease Care
What it means:
Regenerative or Restorative Care
What it means:
Hospice, Palliative, & Supportive Care
What it means:
The content specifically focuses on Standard III, which addresses Program Quality: Curriculum & Teaching-Learning Practices, and how it aligns with the AACN 2021 Essentials. This alignment is particularly relevant for RN to BSN programs, which must demonstrate how they incorporate these standards while providing meaningful practice experiences across all four spheres of care.
Baccalaureate curricula are developed, implemented, and revised to reflect relevant professional nursing standards and guidelines, which are clearly evident within the curriculum and within the expected student outcomes (individual and aggregate).
Elaboration: The baccalaureate degree program incorporates professional nursing standards and guidelines (or components thereof) relevant to that program and each track offered. The program clearly demonstrates where and how content, knowledge, and skills derived from professional nursing standards and guidelines are incorporated into the curriculum.
The baccalaureate degree program incorporates the following components of The Essentials: Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education (Essentials) (AACN, 2021):
Key Curriculum Requirements
- Integration of professional nursing standards
- Incorporation of AACN’s 10 Domains for Nursing
- Implementation of 8 Concepts for Nursing Practice
- Achievement of 45 core competencies
The curriculum includes planned clinical experiences that enable students to integrate new knowledge and demonstrate attainment of program outcomes and are evaluated by faculty.
Clinical practice experiences are provided for students in all programs, including those with distance education offerings. Clinical practice experiences align with student and program outcomes. These experiences are planned, implemented, and evaluated.
Programs that have a direct care focus (including, but not limited to, post-licensure baccalaureate and nurse educator tracks) provide direct care experiences (i.e., care provided to individuals, families, groups, and/or communities) designed to advance the knowledge and expertise of students in a clinical area of practice.
Clinical Practice Experiences Programs must provide:
- Planned clinical experiences that integrate new knowledge
- Faculty evaluation of clinical experiences
- Direct care opportunities for advanced knowledge
- Experiences with diverse populations and settings
The curriculum includes planned experiences that prepare students to provide care to diverse individuals and populations.
Elaboration: The program provides planned didactic, simulation, and/or clinical practice experiences that prepare students to provide care to diverse individuals and populations. Such experiences are in a variety of settings appropriate to the role for which students are being prepared. These experiences enable students to provide care to individuals and populations with diverse life experiences, perspectives, and backgrounds.
Supporting Documentation for Standard III
- Evidence of direct care clinical experiences for all programs/tracks preparing students for a direct care role (including, but not limited to, post-licensure baccalaureate and nurse educator tracks).
- Examples of didactic, simulation, and/or clinical practice experiences that prepare students to provide care to individuals and populations with diverse life experiences, perspectives, and backgrounds.
- Examples of didactic, simulation, and/or clinical practice experiences that prepare students to engage in interprofessional collaborative practice
The number of practice hours required for students in entry-level post-licensure nursing programs is not explicitly defined, and not every course in the curriculum needs to include practice experiences. However, programs are responsible for creating meaningful practice opportunities and evaluating students’ achievement of expected competencies and outcomes.
The AACN (2021) uses the following definitions:
Patient
Nursing Practice
Direct Care
Indirect Care
Understanding Care Definitions
Direct Care:
- Professional encounters between nurse and patient
- Can be face-to-face or virtual
- Focused on achieving specific health outcomes
- Applicable across various healthcare settings
Indirect Care:
- Nursing decisions and interventions provided through or on behalf of patients
- Creates conditions for optimal nursing care or self-care
- Supports overall patient care goals
Practical Applications
Examples of direct care experiences include:
- Quality improvement initiatives involving patient engagement
- Implementation of evidence-based practices
- Interprofessional collaboration for patient care
- Development of coordinated care plans
Looking Forward
As healthcare continues to evolve, these standards and essentials ensure that RN to BSN programs prepare nurses who can:
- Provide competent care across all spheres
- Adapt to diverse healthcare settings
- Engage in both direct and indirect care
- Collaborate effectively with healthcare teams
Understanding and implementing these standards helps create robust educational programs that prepare nurses for the future of healthcare delivery.
References
American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2021). The Essentials: Core competencies for professional nursing education. Accessible online at https://www.aacnnursing.org/Portals/0/PDFs/Publications/Essentials-2021.pdf
Standards for Accreditation of Baccalaureate and Graduate Nursing Programs https://www.aacnnursing.org/Portals/0/PDFs/CCNE/CCNE-Education-Standards-2024.pdf
