AACN and AONL Publish a New Guide to Building Effective Academic-Practice Partnerships

WASHINGTON, DC – The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) and the American Organization for Nursing Leadership (AONL) have just released a new guide for developing successful academic-practice partnerships. The AACN/AONL Academic Practice Partnership Playbook: From Shared Vision to Action provides expert advice and real-world examples of winning collaborations that address critical needs in nursing, which include expanding nursing school capacity, improving the practice-readiness of nurse graduates, elevating nursing science, and building a sustainable nursing workforce.

“Academic-Practice partnerships are an important mechanism for improving health and healthcare while strengthening alignment between nurses in education and clinical practice,” said Dr. Deborah Trautman, President and Chief Executive Officer of AACN.  “These intentional, formalized relationships are most effective when they are based on mutual goals, respect, shared knowledge, and a commitment to excellence.”

"The AACN/AONL Playbook is more than a guide, it is a blueprint and call to action. By uniting academic and practice leaders under a shared vision, we create pathways that expand nursing school capacity, accelerate practice-readiness, and sustain a workforce prepared to meet the evolving needs of patients and communities. This resource demonstrates that when education and practice move forward together, we not only strengthen nursing, we strengthen healthcare itself."

Developed by the AACN/AONL Academic-Practice Advisory Committee, the Playbook is centered on AACN and AONL’s Shared Vision for Integrating Nursing Education—a unified framework encapsulating five domains: transforming healthcare through human-centered care; moving to competency-based nursing education; sustaining the supply of highly educated nurses; leading innovation; and advancing nursing science. This practical resource covers all stages of forming a productive relationship—from identifying shared goals and expectations to drafting formal agreements and tracking outcomes. The Playbook includes case studies, sample memoranda of understanding, financial pro formas, role descriptions and other resources that are downloadable on the AONL website.
 

Alongside the launch of the Playbook, AACN and AONL hosted a free webinar discussing the foundation of effective academic-practice partnerships, implementation exemplars, and other insider perspectives. The webinar is available to watch on-demand now.

AACN and AONL remain committed to advancing collaboration between academic and practice organizations, strengthening nurse leadership, educating the nursing workforce, and improving the quality of healthcare for all. More information about academic-practice partnerships and additional resources and opportunities is available online.

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About the American Association of Colleges of Nursing
The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) is the voice of academic nursing representing more than 875 member schools of nursing at public and private institutions nationwide. AACN works to establish quality standards for nursing education; assists schools in implementing those standards; influences the nursing profession to improve health care; and promotes public support for professional nursing education, research, and practice.

Contact: Robert Rosseter | 202-463-6930 | rrosseter@aacnnursing.org

About the American Organization for Nursing Leadership
As the national professional organization of more than 12,000 nurse leaders, the American Organization for Nursing Leadership (AONL) is the voice of nursing leadership. Our membership encompasses nurse leaders working in hospitals, health systems, academia and other care settings across the care continuum. Since 1967, the organization has led the field of nursing leadership through professional development, advocacy and research that advances nursing leadership practice and patient care. AONL is an affiliate of the American Hospital Association. For more information, visit AONL.org.