In this episode of NLN Nursing EDge Unscripted, hosts Drs. Kellie Bryant and Raquel Bertiz are joined by Dr. Rose Rossi and Dr. Stephanie Jeffers to explore leadership and innovation in nursing education. The conversation centers on competency-based education (CBE) as a framework for rethinking and redesigning clinical education in undergraduate nursing programs. Drs. Rossi and Jeffers discuss how clinical competencies are defined, assessed, and aligned with program outcomes to better support student readiness for practice. They highlight the role of academic leadership, faculty collaboration, and data-informed decision-making in advancing competency-based approaches. Together, the discussion offers practical insights for nurse educators seeking to modernize clinical education while maintaining quality, consistency, and meaningful outcomes.

For additional insights on Widener University’s approach to competency-based clinical education, visit Dr. Stephanie Jeffers’ faculty page on the Widener University website, where her contact information is available: https://www.widener.edu/about/faculty-directory/stephanie-jeffers.

Dedicated to excellence in nursing, the National League for Nursing is the leading organization for nurse faculty and leaders in nursing education. Find past episodes of the NLN Nursing EDge podcast online. Get instant updates by following the NLN on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, and YouTube. For more information, visit NLN.org.

This episode of Nursing EDge Unscripted explores how nursing education can better prepare students to care for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Dr. Suzanne Smeltzer and Ms. Colleen Meakim discuss the significant gaps in nursing curricula and emphasize the importance of integrating IDD content throughout undergraduate and graduate programs. They highlight practical tools such as the IDD Toolkit and ACE scenarios, which offer faculty guidance and simulation resources to enhance student learning. The conversation also addresses ableism in healthcare and the need for person-centered care that respects the lived experiences of individuals with IDD. Finally, the guests advocate for universal design and inclusive practices to support both patients and nursing students with disabilities.

Additional Resources

Advancing Care Excellence for Persons with Disabilities

Intellectual and Developmental Disability: A Toolkit to Enhance Education of Health Care Professionals to Provide Quality Health Care to Persons with IDD

Inclusion of Disability in Nursing Education: Rationale and Guidelines

ACE.D Unfolding Cases: Mary Lou & Rob Brady and Patrick and Gloria Lake

ACE.D Teaching Strategies on Communication and Care Management for People with Intellectual and/or Developmental Disability: Sandy Case Study and Jason Case Study

Smeltzer, S. C., Dolen, M. A., Robinson-Smith, G., & Zimmerman, V. (2005). Integration of disability-related content in nursing curricula. Nursing education perspectives, 26(4), 210–216.

Dedicated to excellence in nursing, the National League for Nursing is the leading organization for nurse faculty and leaders in nursing education. Find past episodes of the NLN Nursing EDge podcast online. Get instant updates by following the NLN on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, and YouTube. For more information, visit NLN.org.

In this milestone 150th episode of Nursing EDge Unscripted, hosts Dr. Kellie Bryant and Dr. Raquel Bertiz welcome internationally recognized simulation pioneer Dr. Suzie Kardong-Edgren. Dr. Kardong-Edgren reflects on the early days of nursing simulation, from unpacking the first manikins to shaping standards and research that transformed nursing education. She shares lessons learned from early challenges and emphasizes the importance of mentorship, innovation, and perseverance in advancing simulation practice. The conversation explores her vision for competency-based, learner-centered education and the need to retain nursing’s humanistic focus on caring and spirituality. Listeners gain insight into Dr. Kardong-Edgren’s enduring impact as a trailblazer who continues to inspire educators to challenge convention and lead with purpose.

Dedicated to excellence in nursing, the National League for Nursing is the leading organization for nurse faculty and leaders in nursing education. Find past episodes of the NLN Nursing EDge podcast online. Get instant updates by following the NLN on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, and YouTube. For more information, visit NLN.org.

In this episode of Nursing EDge Unscripted, host Dr. Steven Palazzo interviews Dr. LisaMarie Wands about her research on integrating cognitive rehearsal training into nursing education to counteract incivility. Dr. Wands explains how incivility, from dismissive behaviors to overt hostility, harms nursing students and new nurses and contributes to burnout and attrition. Her study, funded by the NLN, used simulation to teach students strategies like pausing and scripted responses when encountering uncivil behavior. Findings revealed that students often struggled to act on these strategies because of their low power in clinical settings, but some reported applying the training once in professional practice. The conversation emphasizes the need for nursing programs to introduce even small-scale training or role-play to prepare students for the realities of incivility in the workplace.

Wands, L., McDermott, C., Bernard, N., Wolf, R., & Kimble, L. P. (2025). Implementing Cognitive Rehearsal Training With Nursing Students to Counter Incivility in the Clinical Setting as Students and New Nurses: A Sequential Mixed-Methods Study. Nursing education perspectives, 46(4), 243–245. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.NEP.0000000000001325

Dedicated to excellence in nursing, the National League for Nursing is the leading organization for nurse faculty and leaders in nursing education. Find past episodes of the NLN Nursing EDge podcast online. Get instant updates by following the NLN on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, and YouTube. For more information, visit NLN.org.

In this episode of Nursing EDge Unscripted, hosts Dr. Kellie Bryant and Dr. Raquel Bertiz talk with Dr. Deborah Himes and Dr. Cindy Snyder about the critical role of genomics in nursing education and practice. The guests emphasize that genomics is not a specialty but an essential part of everyday nursing, influencing risk assessment, treatment decisions, and patient outcomes. They share practical strategies for integrating genomics into curricula, such as using family history tools, case studies, and analogies to make complex concepts understandable for patients and students. The conversation highlights updated nursing competencies, available resources, and the importance of preparing nurses to meet national expectations for genomic literacy. The episode concludes by stressing that genomics, epigenetics, and pharmacogenomics shape how diseases are understood and treated, making it vital that all nurses are prepared to apply these concepts in practice.

Learn more about genomics:

International Society of Nurses in Genetics (ISONG) Genomics Education Resources Repository: https://www.isong.org/ed-resources-repository
This repository provides an extensive list of education and professional organizations for nurses/educators needing "self-guided learning" or resources in genomics.

ISCC-PEG FAQ series: https://www.genome.gov/For-Health-Professionals/Provider-Genomics-Education-Resources/nursing-genomics-faq

American Nurses Association & International Society of Nurses in Genetics (2025). Genomics Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice, 3rd Edition. https://www.nursingworld.org/nurses-books/ana-books/ebook-genomics-nursing-scope-and-standards-of-practice-3rd-edition

Nursing Genomics FAQs. The Nursing Genomics Project Group of the Inter-Society Coordinating Committee for Practitioner Education in Genomics (ISCC-PEG) created a Nursing Genomics FAQ to address how to integrate genomics into education and practice. www.genome.gov/For-Health-Professionals/Provider-Genomics-Education-Resources/nursing-genomics-faq

LInking Nursing Knowledge And GEnomics (LINKAGE) is an online source with educational content about foundational genomic concepts in the context of nursing practice.
Free content faculty can assign to students and faculty-only resources. https://linkage.trubox.ca/

Calzone, K. A., Stokes, L., Peterson, C., & Badzek, L. (2024). Update to the essential genomic nursing competencies and outcome indicators. Journal of nursing scholarship : an official publication of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing, 56(5), 729–741. https://doi.org/10.1111/jnu.12993

Dedicated to excellence in nursing, the National League for Nursing is the leading organization for nurse faculty and leaders in nursing education. Find past episodes of the NLN Nursing EDge podcast online. Get instant updates by following the NLN on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, and YouTube. For more information, visit NLN.org.

In this episode of the NLN podcast Nursing EDge Unscripted, host Dr. Raquel Bertiz speaks with guests Dr. Rachel Onello and Dr. Nicole Smith about the transformative impact of the NLN Faculty Intensives Course for nurse educators. The course equips both novice and seasoned faculty with evidence-based strategies in instructional design, curriculum mapping, and the science of teaching and learning. Drs. Onello and Smith emphasize the importance of shifting from clinical expertise to intentional educational practice, helping educators build confidence and improve student engagement. Participants often report personal and institutional growth, with some receiving teaching awards and others reconsidering their career paths in academia. The episode underscores that investing in faculty development not only enhances individual teaching excellence but also drives broader change across nursing programs.

Learn more about NLN Faculty Intensives: https://ondemand.nln.org/product?catalog=NFI2021

Dedicated to excellence in nursing, the National League for Nursing is the leading organization for nurse faculty and leaders in nursing education. Find past episodes of the NLN Nursing EDge podcast online. Get instant updates by following the NLN on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, and YouTube. For more information, visit NLN.org.

In this episode of Nursing EDge Unscripted, Dr. Steven Palazzo interviews Dr. Dawna Rutherford about her research on bullying behaviors in clinical settings and their impact on nursing students. The discussion centers on a simulation study that examined how bullying and distractions affect medication administration performance. Interestingly, students exposed to bullying completed tasks faster, possibly due to anxiety-driven responses, though this raised concerns about safety and decision-making under pressure. The conversation also explores how to design effective simulations and integrate education on bullying into nursing curricula. Dr. Rutherford emphasizes the importance of preparing students with strategies to handle real-world clinical challenges, including interpersonal dynamics.

Rutherford, D., Gillespie, G. L., Bresler, S., Johnson, K., & Smith, C. R. (2025). Bullying Behaviors in Clinical Settings: Potentially Harmful Distractions. Nursing education perspectives, 46(4), 246–248. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.NEP.0000000000001380

Dedicated to excellence in nursing, the National League for Nursing is the leading organization for nurse faculty and leaders in nursing education. Find past episodes of the NLN Nursing EDge podcast online. Get instant updates by following the NLN on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, and YouTube. For more information, visit NLN.org.

In this episode of Nursing EDge Unscripted, Dr. Steven Palazzo hosts a discussion with Dr. Ashley York and Mrs. Laura Wynn about their article on fostering clinical judgment in nursing students through active learning. The conversation centers on a “7 Station Simulation” strategy designed to bridge the gap between classroom theory and clinical practice for first-semester nursing students. This simulation includes hands-on experiences, realistic scenarios, and guided reflection to help students develop critical thinking and holistic care skills. Feedback from students highlighted increased confidence and a better understanding of the importance of documentation and patient-centered care. The educators plan to continue refining the simulation and measuring its impact on students’ transition into clinical settings.

York, Ashley; Wynn, Laura. Fostering Clinical Judgment and Promoting Transition Into First Clinical Rotation Through Active Learning. Nursing Education Perspectives 46(4):p 260-261, 7/8 2025. | DOI: 10.1097/01.NEP.0000000000001293

Dedicated to excellence in nursing, the National League for Nursing is the leading organization for nurse faculty and leaders in nursing education. Find past episodes of the NLN Nursing EDge podcast online. Get instant updates by following the NLN on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, and YouTube. For more information, visit NLN.org.