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

The Essentials: Core Competencies for
Professional Nursing Education

Introduction
Since 1986, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) has published the
Essentials series that provides the educational framework for the preparation of nurses at
four-year colleges and universities. In the past, three versions of Essentials were published:
The Essentials of Baccalaureate Education for Professional Nursing Practice, last published in
2008; The Essentials of Master’s Education in Nursing, last published in 2011; and The Essentials
of Doctoral Education for Advanced Nursing Practice, last published in 2006. Each of these
documents has provided specific guidance for the development and revision of nursing curricula
at a specific degree level. Given changes in higher education, learner expectations, and the
rapidly evolving healthcare system outlined in AACN’s Vision for Academic Nursing (2019), new
thinking and new approaches to nursing education are needed to prepare the nursing workforce
of the future.
The Essentials: Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education provides a framework for
preparing individuals as members of the discipline of nursing, reflecting expectations across
the trajectory of nursing education and applied experience. In this document competencies
for professional nursing practice are made explicit. These Essentials introduce 10 domains that
represent the essence of professional nursing practice and the expected competencies for each
domain (see page 26). The domains and competencies exemplify the uniqueness of nursing
as a profession and reflect the diversity of practice settings yet share common language that
is understandable across healthcare professions and by employers, learners, faculty, and the
public. The competencies accompanying each domain are designed to be applicable across four
spheres of care (disease prevention/promotion of health and wellbeing, chronic disease care,
regenerative or restorative care, and hospice/palliative/supportive care), across the lifespan,
and with diverse patient populations. While the domains and competencies are identical for
both entry and advanced levels of education, the sub-competencies build from entry into
professional nursing practice to advanced levels of knowledge and practice. The intent is that
any curricular model should lead to the ability of the learner to achieve the competencies. The
Essentials also feature eight concepts that are central to professional nursing practice and are
integrated within and across the domains and competencies.
Because this document has been shared with practice partners and with other nursing
colleagues, the Essentials serve to bridge the gap between education and practice. The core
competencies are informed by the expanse of higher education, nursing education, nursing
as a discipline, and a breadth of knowledge. The core competencies also are informed by the
lived experiences of those deeply entrenched in various areas where nurses practice and the
synthesis of knowledge and action intersect. The collective understanding allows all nurses
to have a shared vision; promotes open discourse and exchange about nursing practice; and
expresses a unified voice that represents the nursing profession.
This introduction provides an overview of the evolution of nursing as a discipline, critical
aspects of the profession that serve as a framework, and sufficient depth to inform nursing
education across the educational trajectory (entry into practice through advanced education).
THE ESSENTIALS: CORE COMPETENCIES FOR PROFESSIONAL NURSING EDUCATION

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