CNOs Offer 5 Tips to Energize Your Education Efforts

As a nurse leader, building a culture of learning is essential, but educating nursing teams comes with plenty of hurdles. A lack of educators, limited budgets, diverse staff skill levels and generational learning differences make staff education challenging. To address these challenges, the American Organization for Nursing Leadership (AONL) brought together a panel of eight hospital and health system chief nursing officers to address the complexities of nurse education and share their successes and strategies. Joining them was Medline Senior Director of Market Solutions Angela Newman, MBA-HM, BSN, RN, CCRN, VA-BC. Together, they uncovered five key takeaways for nurse education.

1. Try new ways to onboard and train

With nursing shortages continuing to affect many facilities, leaders are rethinking traditional approaches to nurse onboarding.

Boost the number of educators

“The lack of preceptors and educators is the biggest opportunity and challenge we’re experiencing right now,” says Shelly Delfin, DPN, RN, CNO at Memorial Regional Healthcare South, Fort Lauderdale, Florida. “Much of our education is focused on orientation and new nurse training,” Delfin comments. In 2024, her team launched a multi-year initiative to increase educators to one per unit while onboarding 600 new nurses to stabilize staffing. She says because of that, a lot of education is focused on orientation.

Similarly, Los Angeles General Medical Center aimed to close staffing gaps by investing in education. “We’re hoping to triple the size [of our education department], but it still won’t be enough to onboard the 600 new grads we’re hiring,” says CNO Nancy Blake, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, FAONL. “We’re essentially pulling clinical staff away from the bedside to meet needs.”

Other leaders are fast-tracking younger nurses to onboarding roles. “Some of our grads from last year will likely serve as preceptors for the new class,” says Sharon Stemm, MSN, RN, NE-BC, associate CNO at South Shore Health, Weymouth, Mass. “We’re working hard to give them the tools they need.”

Sometimes looking beyond the facility walls can help provide necessary education. “Bedside nurses who are also practice experts are being pulled in many directions, so we’re partnering with others to address education needs,” says Carolyn Yoder, DNP, RN, CENP, CNO at the University of St. Francis, Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Build tiered skill acquisition models

Several leaders use a tiered acquisition approach, allowing new nurses to master one skill at a time under a preceptor’s guidance. Instead of assigning recent grads med-surg patients of their own, preceptors
allow them to focus on one procedure for multiple patients.

“We may start them with vital signs and then move on to medications,” says CNO Helene Burns, AtlantiCare in Egg Harbor, N.J. “The preceptor assesses performance before letting them move on to another skill. We’ve just started this process, but it has a lot of positives,” Burns adds.

“Experienced nurses help new nurses gain a feel for nursing, something that orientations focused on procedural skills and documentation requirements can overlook,” Newman says. “I’m impressed with what everyone is doing here. It’s giving me hope for our new nurses.”

2. Offer multi-faceted approaches for different types of learners

Not all nurses learn the same way. Generational and other differences mean some prefer traditional, lecture-based methods, while others thrive with hands- on or technology-driven education. Leaders say retention improves when they tailor education to meet diverse needs. Many are tapping into evidence-based educational resources, learning guides and other tools.

Stemm is fostering interdisciplinary collaboration by involving other clinicians, like respiratory therapists, in nursing education. “This gives our new nurses the opportunity to meet members of the care team outside nursing and become familiar with the resources available to them.”

For Shanon Fucik at the University of Missouri Health Care, developing leadership skills in frontline nurse managers enhances patient outcomes and workforce engagement. “We must empower them and make sure they have the tools they need to lead.”

3. Nurture robust mentorship programs

Leaders agree that mentorship is key to attracting, training and retaining nurses. Nurses who lack support are more likely to leave, and mentorship opportunities offer motivation and incentive to stay.

Guide newer nurses

In Fucik’s preceptor program, nurse leaders and experienced nurses volunteer to mentor new grads. The focus is less on skill- building and more on guiding new nurses along their professional journeys.

The emeritus nurse program at Memorial Regional Hospital South allows older, experienced nurses to take on per diem preceptor roles. Veteran nurses feel valued and might reconsider retirement. “It’s allowed us to place new grads in ICUs because we have an experienced preceptor to help them,” Delfin says.

AtlantiCare is engaging nurses early with an extern program. Burns hires rising junior and senior nursing students and pairs them with clinical nurses for eight-week summer programs. “It’s been very positive for both the students and experienced nurses,” she says.

Support the educators

Mentors and preceptors serve as valuable resources, but without support, their enthusiasm may fade. That’s why Texas Health Plano offers ongoing development sessions to guide its preceptors and address problems.

“We hold quarterly preceptor calls and work together on solutions to any challenges they’re experiencing,” says CNO Laura Massey, DNP, BSN, RN, CPN.

Leaders also say they appreciate having champions for pressure injury and infection prevention. They’ll often bring in coordinators from other areas, such as trauma and stroke, to add to the champion training.

4. Help facilitate career advancement

Making it easy for nurses to further their careers and expand their education can help fill knowledge gaps that can help ultimately improve job satisfaction and patient outcomes.

Promote clinical ladder programs

Clinical ladder programs give nurses a structured way to earn certifications and complete courses. The five-year clinical ladder program at University of Missouri Health Care awards nurses points for certifications, CE courses, projects and other achievements after their first year.

Advocate for financial assistance

Financial support for tuition, conferences and workshops is a value-added investment in your nursing teams. Understanding that supporting nurse education financially can positively impact retention, South Shore Hospital nearly doubled tuition reimbursement in 2024. It also offers emerging leadership workshops and master classes in partnership with an outside organization.

Recognize and reward engagement

At Texas Health Plano, Massey notes the importance of recognizing nurse successes in meaningful ways. She sends personalized notes and publicizes the achievements in hospital-wide communications.

“That helps with visibility for the [reimbursement] program, as well as acknowledging nurses for their accomplishments,” Massey says.

Celebrating newer nurses in particular can help them feel respected. “We have regional programs (for emerging leaders) like ‘40 under 40’ to honor accomplishments and leadership potential,” Yoder says.

Helping nurses find their passion also boosts retention. One of Massey’s programs simplifies transitions to a new department say, from obstetrics to critical care. “We provide an abbreviated orientation because they’re already a nurse.”

5. Measure impact to track improvements

How do you know your education programs are working? Leaders recommend monitoring employee satisfaction, patient satisfaction, nurse retention and quality measures. Delfin uses metrics and nurse-sensitive indicators as part of her strategic plan, while Fucik incorporates mental health and well-being surveys to inform goal-setting and better understand her team’s needs. “It gives us a good understanding of what’s going on with our nursing staff,” she says.

Educating nurses—both new and experienced—is a top priority for nursing leaders. Innovative strategies, such as creative onboarding methods, mentorship programs, tailored learning formats and solid recognition initiatives, are helping organizations address educator shortages, varied skill levels and budget limitations. Measuring program impact completes the cycle, ensuring long-term success in cultivating a strong learning culture.