As we move into 2022, we reflect on the impact that 2021 has had on the future of healthcare and nursing education. Academic Partnerships continues to monitor the healthcare landscape and the impacts of COVID-19 and nursing practice and education standards. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) endorsed the new Essentials in April and The National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF) proposed additional changes to nurse practitioner education. The National Academy of Medicine published The Future of Nursing 2020-2030: Charting a Path to Achieve Health Equity and the National Council of State Boards of Nursing’s 2021 Environmental Scan – Covid 19 and Its Impact on Nursing and Regulation provided a national summary on the pandemic’s effect on nursing workforce and education.
We recognize the multiple challenges that our healthcare and nursing education peers and our professional workforce colleagues are facing in both the classroom and healthcare delivery settings. We continue to monitor publications and available resources and attend various conferences including the AACN Transform 2021 Conference to ensure our awareness of potential changes and implications. Academic Partnership continues to partner with our university and program leadership to support our mission to expand access to top-quality, affordable, and workforce relevant education and support our partners within the scope of our services.