Comparison and Alignment of Industry Standards

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) sets standards for nursing education, while Quality and Safety Education in Nursing (QSEN) aims to improve healthcare quality by revising curriculum to focus on patient-centered care, teamwork, evidence-based practice, quality improvement, and safety. The National League for Nursing (NLN) promotes excellence in nursing education and supports faculty and nurse leaders with resources for transformative nursing, focusing on advancing the health of the global community.

June 20, 2016 [comparison and alignment of industry standards]
AACN
MISSION
VISION
STATEMENT
AACN is the national voice for baccalaureate and graduate nursing education. AACN works to establish
quality standards for nursing education; assists schools in implementing those standards; influences the
nursing profession to improve health care; and promotes public support for professional nursing education,
research, and practice (AACN, 2016).
No vision statement posted on site.
COVERT
GOALS
Depth / Length
The AACN has as its underlying purpose the role of advance nurses in leadership and increased scope of practice
as the nursing discipline evolves. Development of nurses to the highest degree includes scientific inquiry and
research. Key words “increasingly complex” are used to describe the DNP, this refers to the AACN agenda of
continuous expansion and leadership potential of the nurse as they become more educated. The CCNE is a
subsidiary of this organization and is the voluntary credentialing division for nursing programs.
OVERT GOALS
Depth / Length
The AACN has published three papers which are fundamental in their perspective of nursing goals;
1. The Essentials of Baccalaureate Education for Professional Nursing Practice
2. The Essentials of Master's Education for Advanced Practice Nursing
3. The Essentials of Doctoral Education for Advanced Practice Nursing.
The focus on educational goals of the nursing graduates are enumerated and explained within these documents.
They set the standards for expectations of the student curriculum and faculty of each academic area.
“AACN maintains seven Leadership Networks for nursing school faculty and staff involved in instructional
development, research, organizational leadership, faculty practice, business operations, graduate student
recruitment, and communications/development AACN, 2016).”
ALIGNMENT
TO MISSION
The published documents and steadfast adherence to the principles of improved healthcare are manifested
throughout the AACN website. The supportive resources they have align with the mission of producing
curriculum standards of research inclusivity and assisting schools in maintenance of these goals

June 20, 2016 [comparison and alignment of industry standards]
QSEN
MISSION
VISION
STATEMENT
Building nursing’s capacity to continuously improve the quality and safety of health care.
No vision statement posted on site.
COVERT
GOALS
Depth / Length
TO “QSENize” school curriculum. The QSEN was founded in part after stakeholders became aware of the IOM
article, To Err is Human (1999). QSEN, partnering with various nursing organizations sought to improve the
quality, safety and care instilled in the nursing curriculum. As stated by Lyle-Edrosolo and Waxman (2016)
nurse leaders can rely on the excellence of a nursing program which has been structured around the framework of
the QSEN. Faculty can use many guides offered by the QSEN to teach quality and safety and other principles
considered an important characteristic of nursing.
OVERT GOALS
Depth / Length
Six principles components make up the core of QSEN which have as the ultimate purpose to revise curriculum to
focus on patient-centered care, teamwork and collaboration, evidence-based practice, quality improvement and
informatics, and safety (QSEN, 2016). The definitions of the knowledge skills and attitudes to support these
individual elements were also determined. In 2007 QSEN.org was initiated with the support of the Robert
Woods Johnson Foundation (AACN, 2016). Following the first phase of development in which the six
competencies were described (QSEN, 2016) was phase II. This phase saw the official commencement of the
organization and pilot programs were which included these principles into various academic programs.
ALIGNMENT
TO MISSION
The focus of the QSEN works in conjunction with the AACN to consistently revise and enhance existing nursing
curricula. The table which specifies exact nursing behaviors in respect to the knowledge, skills and attitudes
provides the foundation for excellence and improvement of the six valued nursing goals. QSEN actively pursues
strategies to meet the increasingly complex nursing agenda.

June 20, 2016 [comparison and alignment of industry standards]
NLN
MISSION
VISION
STATEMENT
The National League for Nursing promotes excellence in nursing education to build a strong and diverse nursing
workforce to advance the health of our nation and the global community. The values of NLN are to establish
caring, integrity, diversity and excellence in its members.
The NLN has a series of vision statements listed on its site. Each vision statement concerns major topics such as
collaboration, diversity and simulation. These principles can be reviewed in their statement, A Vision for
Recognition of the Role of Licensed Practical/Vocational Nurses in Advancing the Nation’s Health
COVERT
GOALS
Depth/length
The NLN has as its underlying focus the excellence in the faculty and nurse leaders. They offer many
educational resources to advance and support transformative nursing. These include testing, development and
evaluation of administrators and those who aspire to lead. They also concern themselves in the political arena,
by their dedication to the shaping and influencing policies which affect nursing workforce development.
OVERT GOALS
Depth / Length
NLN supports the faculty and leaders by providing resources for excellence. The gap of nursing services which
permeated national barriers has been filled by the publication of Global Service-Learning in Nursing. This
publication recognizes the mission objective of advancement of the health of the global community This
organization has partnered with Laerdal Medical and Wolters-Kluwer Health to provide technologically advanced
simulation laboratories. The concentration on the provision of these skills; as well as development programs for
faculty represent their commitment to the mission to “build a strong and diverse nursing workforce (NLN,
2016).
Alignment with
mission
NLN Vision Series serves as a roadmap for the future of nursing, reflecting the NLN's role as the leader in nursing
education. These statements formerly known as position statement delve into the local, national and global
criteria of the nursing as a community advocate.