Nurse Leaders Summit

This session dives deep into the forces propelling nursing to the forefront of healthcare innovation. We’ll explore how nurses are leveraging technology, leading research, and redefining patient care in ways that were once unimaginable. This transformation moves beyond simply using digital tools; it involves changing how care is delivered and experienced.

• Identify key trends driving nursing innovation
• Evaluate the role of nurses in shaping the future of healthcare
• How technology allows for efficiency and to gain deeper insights into patient health and streamline communication

In this panel, nurse leaders share their personal career paths, current organizational insights, and the realities of modern nursing leadership. This moderated session will dive into the pivotal “a-ha” moments and missteps that shaped their careers, offering practical, actionable advice for overcoming barriers. Participants will leave with a clear roadmap for their own professional growth and a deeper understanding of the future of nursing leadership.

• Analyze the career journeys and strategic, real-world experiences of executive nurse leaders to identify key success factors
• Evaluate current barriers in nursing leadership and apply action steps for overcoming challenges to drive professional growth
• Identify actionable strategies for career advancement and navigating the future landscape of the nursing profession

This session equips nurse leaders with practical, real-world strategies to integrate technology in ways that strengthen clinical decision-making, streamline workflows, and elevate patient experience. Participants will explore how tech-enabled solutions — from AI-supported documentation to virtual care models — can reduce burden, improve care coordination, and translate directly to better outcomes for patients and staff. Leaders will leave with actionable tools to assess readiness, improve adoption, and sustain impact.

• Identify key technology solutions that reduce administrative burden, enhance communication, and improve clinical workflow efficiency
• Evaluate organizational readiness for tech-enabled care and determine priority areas for implementation or improvement
• Apply practical strategies to ensure successful adoption, staff engagement, and sustained impact of new technologies within nursing teams

Workplace violence is a universal challenge in healthcare, but the pediatric environment faces distinct risks shaped by family dynamics, fear, and high-emotion moments. This fireside chat will focus on real-world tactics that help keep staff safer in order to achieve measurable success.

• How to build a standardized approach through a MAPS process
• Short term solutions to support the team on-the-floor
• What metrics matter in WPV reporting and monitoring success

This panel discussion will highlight the universal steps in the policy change process while exploring how unique institutional differences can shape the approach. Panelists will offer tangible guidance on navigating policy change efficiently and effectively. You’ll walk away with actionable strategies to implement meaningful policy reforms.

• Identify the common procedural steps and unique institutional variables inherent in the nurse leader policy change process
• Develop a strategic plan for navigating and implementing a proposed policy change within your own institutional framework
• Evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of current policy change approaches to advocate for successful future reforms

In this uplifting talk, Greta Rosler details the typical emotions and barriers that nurse leaders face when it comes to performance management. Though many nurse leaders struggle with holding their team to certain standards, Rosler details the common pitfalls that we face and what to do about them, as she tells the story of Nancy, a staff member who helped her realize what kind of nurse leader she was … and who she needed to become.

• Examine evidence about the current state of nursing and the urgency to adjust current leadership approaches to performance management
• Understand a strategy to categorize different types of performance conversations based on situational need 
• Identify THREE conversations from the Progressive Performance Conversation Continuum©that you need to have to succeed

There exists a crucial link between financial stability and mental health that is often overlooked in healthcare professional development. Financial stress is among the leading causes of anxiety, burnout, and reduced job performance. This session will explore the connection between personal financial wellness and professional resilience and provide a framework to alleviate financial burden.

• Understand the direct correlation between financial stress indicators (e.g., debt load, lack of emergency savings) and common mental health challenges among nurse leaders, such as burnout, anxiety, and compassion fatigue
• Identify and evaluate basic financial wellness education and resources into your institution’s existing mental health and employee assistance programs (EAPs)
• Develop a personalized action plan that addresses immediate financial well-being concerns

Burnout and turnover are no longer workforce challenges; they are strategic imperatives shaping the future of care delivery. This session reveals an evidence-based empathic leadership model born out of Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School and now used by healthcare leaders across the country. Attendees will learn practical, high-impact techniques that enhance staff well-being, strengthen retention, and foster a culture where clinicians feel valued, supported, and equipped to thrive.

• Clarify the nurse leader’s role in identifying intent to leave and driving meaningful improvements in team well-being and retention
• Explore proven strategies that elevate clinician wellness, strengthen patient experience, and reduce turnover
• Apply practical leadership behaviors that align culture, performance, and measurable clinical and financial outcomes

Despite exceptional qualifications, many nurse leaders struggle with self-doubt and imposter syndrome that keep them from translating clinical expertise into organizational influence — challenges that disproportionately affect women in healthcare leadership. This session addresses the hidden barriers — fraudulent feelings of inadequacy, confidence gaps, and strategic positioning challenges — that prevent talented nurses from securing their seat at the decision-making table. Discover how to dismantle self-limiting beliefs, build authentic leadership credibility, and strategically position yourself for influential roles where healthcare’s most critical decisions are made.

• Identify and interrupt imposter syndrome thought patterns that undermine leadership confidence and prevent access to organizational decision-making roles
• Apply evidence-based self-development strategies to build authentic leadership presence and influence within healthcare organizations
• Demonstrate practical techniques for positioning yourself strategically at the decision-making table and securing leadership opportunities

Healthcare professionals face relentless pressures that can lead to burnout, compassion fatigue, and tragically, increased risk of suicide. This session explores the latest research and evidence-based interventions to protect the mental health of nurses and healthcare workers. Participants will learn cutting-edge strategies to recognize warning signs, cultivate resilience, and implement systemic changes that create a culture of psychological safety. Nurse leaders will leave with actionable tools to reduce stigma, foster well-being, and support their teams before crises arise.

• Identify early warning signs of burnout and suicide risk in nurses and healthcare staff, incorporating both behavioral and organizational indicators
• Apply evidence-based interventions that promote mental health, resilience, and psychological safety at individual, team, and organizational levels
• Develop and implement a proactive wellness strategy tailored to their clinical environment, including innovative approaches for stigma reduction, peer support, and system-level prevention

Equitable nurse staffing is foundational to quality care, workforce sustainability, and patient safety, yet persistent gaps continue to undermine outcomes for nurses and those they serve. This session examines how staffing models, policies, and resource allocation can unintentionally create inequities across settings, roles, and populations. Participants will explore evidence-informed approaches to aligning staffing with patient acuity, community needs, and nurse well-being. Real-world examples will highlight how equitable staffing drives measurable improvements in quality, safety, and experience. Attendees will leave with actionable strategies to advocate for and implement staffing practices that support both high-quality outputs and equitable outcomes.

• Identify how inequitable nurse staffing models and resource allocation impact care quality, patient outcomes, and nurse well-being across diverse settings
• Analyze evidence-informed staffing approaches and policy-making that are effective for appropriate staffing
• Apply practical strategies to advocate for and implement equitable staffing practices that improve quality outputs and measurable outcomes

Explore how radical empathy can transform patient experience and strengthen team culture. Drawing from experience leading a fast-paced academic urgent care center, Casey Micheil shares practical strategies to build trust, reduce emotional harm, and create human-centered care that lasts. You will leave with actionable tools to model empathy under pressure and lead teams that deliver exceptional patient experiences.

• Define radical empathy as a strategic leadership tool and distinguish it from traditional notions of empathy as a personality trait or “soft skill”
• Identify key moments in the patient journey and team interactions where empathy drives trust, satisfaction, and engagement, including high-stress situations, difficult conversations, and transitions of care
• Recognize how emotionally intelligent leadership and communication reduce patient distress, support staff well-being, and prevent negative experience outcomes, even under operational pressures

In today’s connected world, social media is a powerful tool for nurse leaders to connect, educate, and influence beyond traditional settings. This session explores strategies to build a professional online presence, share credible information, and foster community engagement. Attendees will learn how to leverage digital platforms to amplify their leadership voice, advance nursing priorities, and drive positive change in healthcare.

• Identify key social media platforms and strategies that enhance professional visibility, credibility, and influence for nurse leaders.
• Describe best practices for engaging online while maintaining ethical standards, professionalism, and patient confidentiality.
• Develop actionable strategies to use social media for networking, professionally influencing, and advancing nursing leadership initiatives.

Artificial intelligence is reshaping healthcare delivery, yet successful adoption requires more than acquiring new tools. It demands a structured and intentional leadership approach that centers clinical workflows, safety standards, and the expertise of the nursing workforce. In this session, Dr. Sharrica Miller will guide nurse leaders through the essential steps needed to prepare their organizations for responsible and sustainable AI integration. Practical examples from diverse care settings will illustrate how leadership decisions influence implementation success, staff engagement, and patient outcomes. Participants will learn how to evaluate organizational readiness, identify risks, and design a phased implementation strategy that ensures AI is introduced ethically and with attention to bias. The focus is on empowering nurse leaders who shape AI adoption to advance equity, strengthen clinical decision making, and support safe and effective care.

• Analyze organizational readiness, clinical workflows, and safety considerations to determine the foundational requirements for ethical AI integration in acute care settings
• Explain the components of a structured implementation framework that supports responsible, clinically aligned, and ethical adoption of AI tools
• Describe how nurses can lead and influence AI implementation efforts to promote safety, efficiency, and patient-centered outcomes

This session will dive into the transformative potential of AI-powered scheduling tools in the nursing field. Rather than relying on static systems of record, these advanced solutions intelligently automate the distribution of labor, dynamically respond to real-time census and acuity changes, and align staffing levels with both patient acuity and individual nurse preferences. The discussion will highlight how predictive scheduling can significantly reduce administrative burden, promote workforce equity, and empower nurse leaders to operate with greater precision, agility, and impact.

• Understand Limitations of Traditional Systems: Identify the shortcomings of conventional scheduling platforms, including their negative effects on staff satisfaction, increased operational costs, and challenges with nurse retention
• Explore AI-Driven Scheduling Automation: How AI-enabled tools automate the management of complex labor rules, improve compliance, and facilitate real-time, data-driven decision-making processes
• Promote Fairness and Transparency in Workforce Scheduling: Explore how AI-powered platforms enhance visibility, enable self-service scheduling, and foster equitable shift distribution building trust and morale among nursing staff

As artificial intelligence becomes embedded across healthcare systems, nurses must be prepared not only to use AI tools safely, but to lead in their governance and oversight. This session introduces eight AI Competency Domains for Nurses aligned with ANA AI Principles, spanning foundational literacy, data stewardship, clinical integration, ethics, equity, systems thinking, communication, and leadership. Participants will explore how these competencies position nurses as essential stewards of safe, human-centered AI deployment.

• Describe the eight AI Competency Domains for Nurses and their alignment with ANA AI Principles
• Examine the integration of AI-supported insights with clinical judgment while maintaining human oversight and ethical responsibility
• Identify actionable strategies for advancing nursing leadership in AI governance, workflow evaluation, and equity-focused implementation

Nurse leaders are navigating an increasingly complex staffing landscape as workforce shortages, rising patient acuity, and operational pressures continue to intensify. At the same time, artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly emerging as a strategic tool that can transform how staffing, scheduling, hiring, and patient assignments are managed. However, the successful adoption of AI in nursing depends on more than technological capability — it requires trust, transparency, and a clear commitment to equity.

This session will equip nurse leaders with an understanding of how AI can support equitable staffing practices while strengthening trust among nursing teams. Participants will explore the principles of organizational justice, examine real-world examples of staffing inequities, and learn how AI-enabled tools can reduce bias, enhance transparency, and support fair workload distribution. The session also will introduce safeguards and governance frameworks designed to ensure that AI tools are implemented ethically, inclusively, and in alignment with nursing values.

• Analyze the principles of organizational justice and evaluate how they apply to equitable staffing practices within nursing workforce management
• Assess the potential of AI tools to enhance hiring, scheduling, and patient assignment processes while promoting fairness, transparency, and data-driven decision-making
• Apply safeguards and established AI governance frameworks, such as the BE FAIR model, to ensure ethical, equitable, and bias-mitigated implementation of AI-enabled staffing solutions in clinical settings

While doctors and nurses work side-by-side, they often operate in professional silos that compromise communication, performance, and patient outcomes, while promoting professional dissatisfaction, burnout, and even turnover. In this fireside chat, listen in as a physician and a nurse leader explore how multidisciplinary teams can master the art of teamwork by leveraging AI-powered simulations. By establishing a common language and psychological safety, this approach helps clinicians transition digital fluency into bedside confidence while fostering long-term resilience and patient safety.

• Analyze the impact of professional silos on patient outcomes and identify how a “common language” created through standardized AI coaching enhances team performance and clinician satisfaction
• Explore how asynchronous AI-powered simulations utilize Adult Learning Theory to build the cognitive muscle memory required for seamless, high-stakes clinical collaboration
• Discover why tech-first rehearsal environments are ideal for helping digitally fluent clinicians overcome interpersonal anxiety to build the confidence and resilience needed for bedside care

We’ll wrap up the Forum with shared and learned best practices from the Forum that can close the gap on practical AI applications and build a framework that you can implement immediately.