Leading in Prelicensure Nursing Education: National Study informs Considerations for the Future

The healthcare system has changed dramatically and new graduate registered nurses (NGRN) face considerable challenges when entering the workforce. The National Council for State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) reports over 600,000 registered nurses are expected to leave the profession by 2027. This session will highlight a study by the NCSBN providing impactful insights for pre-licensure nurse educators. Emphasis of the presentation will be shared from phase four, the qualitative portion of the study. A NGRN entering the workforce at this time meets a tremendous influx of challenges given the dynamic nature of the current healthcare system. How nurses were taught a decade ago does not match the professional expectations of practice on top of the challenges in nursing we have faced since the pandemic. This study assessed the impact on nursing students, faculty, and administrators during the pandemic to include the resulting outcomes. Based on the experiences, important lessons learned and how it impacts nursing education will be shared. The themes from this study captured the humanness of nursing education, fostering salience through turmoil, and new horizons for healthcare. In this insightful, interactive session, a deep dive into this research and implications for the future will be shared.