Leading the Way: Nurse Leadership Essentials
Ready to take the next step in your nursing career? Join Leading the Way: Nurse Leadership Essentials (formerly called The Emerging Nurse Leader Institute). In this two-day, interactive leadership development experience, you will explore actionable approaches to elevate your daily nursing practice and ability to lead. Through engaging activities, self-assessments, real-world scenarios and peer collaboration, you'll gain practical skills in communication, conflict management, team leadership, quality improvement, advocacy, leading change and more. Walk away with confidence, tools and strategies to positively influence your team, patients and organization.
Intended Audience
Direct care nurses practicing across the healthcare continuum and other nurses new to leadership roles without positional authority (including but not limited to staff nurses, charge nurses and clinical coordinators).
Program Impact
Transforming the Care Environment
Utilize leadership strategies and tools to improve outcomes and guide positive change
Leading the People
Communicate authentically, navigate conflict and influence teams
Calling the Circle
Create connection, share insights and empower others
Exploring Leadership Attributes
Leverage strengths, engage reflective practice and embrace your identity as a nurse leader
Program Schedule
Wed, Dec 2, 2026
10:00 a.m.–3:30 p.m. CT
Thurs, Dec. 3
10:00 a.m. –3:30 p.m. CT
SPECIAL ASSISTANCE
AONL complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act and strives to ensure that no individual with a disability is deprived of the opportunity to participate in the program solely by reason of that disability. Through its agents, AONL will provide reasonable accommodations for a candidate with a disability who requests accommodations. Requests can be made by sending a written request 21 days in advance of the program. Contact AONL Education for questions.
CANCELLATION
A refund minus 20% will be granted to written requests received 14 days or more prior to the start date of the program. Cancellations must be submitted in writing via email to aonleducation@aha.org. No refunds will be granted after that date. No refunds will be granted for no-shows. Registrants unable to attend may send a substitute. If the substitute is not an AONL member, the nonmember differential must be paid in advance or onsite. All fees are transferable to the substitute less a $25 transfer fee.
ACCREDITATION STATEMENT AND NURSING CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT CREDIT
The American Organization for Nursing Leadership (AONL) is accredited as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation. The program offers attendees 10.5 contact hours, with the opportunity to earn 1.0 additional contact hour after 90 days.
AONL is approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, provider number 15740.