© 2021 American Association of Colleges of Nursing. All rights reserved.

All advanced education practicum experiences must have faculty oversight and be verified and
documented as a component of a formal course or plan of study. Programs provide practice
placements that are safe, supportive, and conducive for learning. The nursing program faculty
determine and assess practice sites to ensure that the site supports student learning with
the intended population or scope of practice. Faculty, students, and preceptors must be well
informed about the specific competencies that are integrated in the didactic, laboratory, and
practice experiences and the method(s) to assess the achievement of the competencies.
Competency Attainment and Practice Experiences
All learners in advanced nursing education programs engage in practice learning activities (both
direct and indirect care experiences). Graduates of all advanced nursing education programs
need sufficient clinical/practice experiences to demonstrate end-of-program student outcomes,
Level 2 sub-competencies, and competencies required by applicable national, specialty
organizations and/or for national advanced nursing practice specialty or advanced nursing
practice role certification. Programs document clear evidence of competency achievement.
Advanced Education Clinical/Practice Hours
The application of competency-based education to prepare advanced nursing professionals
inherently calls to question the role of more traditional time-based requirements. In this
Essentials model, there is an emphasis on ensuring that all nurses pursuing advanced education
attain Level 2 sub-competencies as well as competencies required for an advanced nursing
practice specialty or advanced nursing practice role being pursued. The number of required
practice (direct and indirect care) hours vary based on advanced specialty/role requirements.
These Essentials represent a commitment that required hours prepare a consistent product in
terms of breadth of preparation and quality to reinforce confidence in our graduates by nursing
practice colleagues, other health professionals, and consumers.
Some learners will achieve select competency outcomes more quickly than others. “One and
done,” however, does not demonstrate the progressive and consistent nature of competency
attainment and the assessment necessary in nursing professional education. Repetition plays a
role in reinforcing previously acquired knowledge, skills, values, and attitudes. Repetition also
allows for intentional and unintentional complexities and context nuances to be introduced,
thus building on minimum competency thresholds. Given the paucity of evidence to support
specific experience quantities, case numbers, or hourly requirements that should be achieved, a
minimum threshold of hours of practice engagement remains necessary at this time.
The specific clinical/practice experiences and number of practice hours and/or credit hours
required depends on these Essentials, advanced nursing practice specialty and advanced
nursing practice role requirements, and regulatory standards for specialty certifications and
licensure. The program must include adequate experiences (in terms of time, diversity, depth,
and breadth) to allow attainment and demonstration of all relevant competencies (Level 2
sub-competencies and applicable specialty/role competences and other requirements) and
successful transition to practice demonstrated through program outcomes. The number of inperson practice hours will vary based on student needs and curriculum design. Participation
in a minimum of 500 practice hours in the discipline of nursing, post entry-level education,
and attainment of Level 1 sub-competencies is required for demonstration of the advanced

THE ESSENTIALS: CORE COMPETENCIES FOR PROFESSIONAL NURSING EDUCATION 23