Vanderbilt University School of Nursing and Vanderbilt University Medical Center have united their two highly successful leadership programs into one major, impactful week of nurse leadership development with two distinct learning pathways.
The new Academy for Cultural Pioneering Nurse Leaders is designed to be an immersive professional development program led by experienced leaders from cross-cultural interdisciplinary backgrounds who are committed to empowering aspiring and emerging nurse leaders.
“Health care systems must recruit and retain strong nurse leaders to positively affect the health outcomes of the varied patients they serve. Nursing schools need to recruit faculty and students to shape the education of the future nursing workforce,” said Mamie Williams, PhD, senior director for nursing Vanderbilt University Medical Center. “The Academy for Cultural Pioneering Nurse Leaders offers a path to support new leaders and prepare them to succeed.”
The aspiring nurse leader track will help participants focus their career trajectory to become effective nurse leaders. The aspiring path offers four days of sessions for nurses with three years of nursing experience who are not yet in a leadership role.
The emerging nurse leader track is designed to empower trailblazing early-career nurse leaders and equip them with a toolkit for leadership success. The emerging track provides five days of in-person sessions for nurses with at least three years of experience in leadership.
Participants of both tracks will hear from national nursing and business leaders, attend joint sessions, collaborate formally and informally, and develop toolkits for their success.
“One thing we heard from participants of past academies was that they valued the opportunities provided for building relationships, mentorship and learning from other participants. They felt that they had gained a community they could rely on and consult for years to come,” said Rolanda Johnson, PhD’98, FAAN, Associate Dean for Culture and Connectedness. “We believe that combining the academies will provide more opportunities for participants to expand their communities and enable our emerging nurse leaders to serve as role models and mentors for the aspiring leaders.”
Vanderbilt’s highly acclaimed nurse leadership program was formed in 2021 when leaders at VUSN and VUMC identified the need for a development program for nurses with a commitment to populations underrepresented in nursing leadership. A cross-cultural group of nurses and educators drew from their own experiences and knowledge to identify specific education and opportunities to encourage and develop nurse leaders in the early stages of their careers and equip them for success.
The Emerging Nurse Leaders sessions will be held July 21-25, while the Aspiring Nurse Leaders programming will be held July 21-24. A 15% early applicant discount will be applied to applications received by April 30.
For more information on the academies and to register, please click here.