The Power of Nurses® Stage

The Power of Nurses® Stage

Visit The Power of Nurses® Stage at the Magnet & Pathway Conference® for engaging conversations about the issues shaping nursing and healthcare. Hear from nursing leaders, innovators, and changemakers on topics including artificial intelligence, healthcare policy, staffing, professional practice, workforce well-being, certification, leadership, and nursing excellence.

These brief, high-impact sessions are designed to share compelling ideas, elevate meaningful work, and give attendees practical insights they can take back to their organizations.

The Power of Nurses® Stage will feature programming on Thursday, October 29, and Friday, October 30. All times are Central Time.

Arrive Early for Premium Giveaways!

The first 35 attendees at select sessions will receive a premium giveaway, while supplies last. Featured items will include premium drinkware from YETI, Stanley, and Hydro Flask, plus a crossbody bag that is perfect for carrying conference essentials throughout the day.
Look for the Premium Giveaway callout below to see which sessions will feature these special items.

 

Thursday, October 29

11:15–11:30 a.m.

The Next Step for Your Organization’s Well-Being: From Pathway to Well-Being Excellence

Speakers: Patricia McGaffigan, MS, RN, CPPS, CPHFH, CPAFH, and Rocky Hauch, DNP, RN, PCCN, Commissioners, Commission on Pathway to Excellence

Explore how Pathway-designated organizations can build on their existing foundation to pursue Well-Being Excellence, including important framework differences, deemed status, and practical next steps.

11:45 a.m.–12:00 p.m.

The Power of Nurses®: A Nurse Helped Build a Hospital

Speakers: American Nurses Enterprise (ANE) CEO Angela Beddoe and Norton West Chief Administrative Officer Corenza Townsend, LPN

American Nurses Enterprise CEO Angela Beddoe joins Corenza Townsend, LPN, Chief Administrative Officer of Norton West Louisville Hospital, for a discussion about helping turn a community-driven vision into a full-service hospital. The conversation will explore nursing leadership, advocacy, access to care, and how nurses can create lasting impact in their communities. The session also highlights The Power of Nurses®, ANA’s national storytelling campaign showcasing the extraordinary impact nurses make on patients, communities, and healthcare.

Premium Giveaway: Arrive early! The first 35 attendees at this session will receive a premium giveaway, while supplies last.

12:00–12:15 p.m.

Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice, Fifth Edition: What Nurses Need to Know

Speakers: ANE CNO Brad Goettl, DNP, DHA, RN, FAAN, FACHE, ANA VP, Nursing Programs Sarah Gray, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, CEN, FAEN, and ANA Director, Nursing Practice & Work Environment Jennifer Shepherd, DNP, MHA, RN, NEA-BC, NPD-BC, FAAN, FFNMRCSI

Learn what is new in the fifth edition of Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice, why the updated guidance matters, and how nurses, educators, and leaders can apply this foundational resource across roles and practice settings.

Premium Giveaway: Arrive early! The first 35 attendees at this session will receive a premium giveaway, while supplies last.

12:15–12:30 p.m.

ANA NextGen Ambassadors: Gateway to Connecting With the Next Generation of Nurses

Speakers: Steve Fox, ANA SVP of Member Acquisition and Retention, Kelsey Gellner, BSN, RN, Moselle Jules, BSN, RN, and David Nguyen, BSN, RN

NextGen Ambassadors reflect on their first year of engagement and discuss how ANA and the nursing profession can better understand and connect with the next generation of nurses.

12:45–1:00 p.m.

AI in Nursing

Speaker: Rich G Kenny, MMCi, RN

Explore how artificial intelligence is affecting nursing practice, professional accountability, clinical judgment, and the digital practice environment. Additional session details will be announced soon.

Premium Giveaway: Arrive early! The first 35 attendees at this session will receive a premium giveaway, while supplies last.

1:00–1:15 p.m.

From Magnet to Well-Being Excellence: A Gold-Tier Designee’s Playbook

Speakers: Patricia McGaffigan, MS, RN, CPPS, CPHFH, CPAFH, and Kimberly McIntosh, DNP, RN, NPD-BC

Hear lessons from a Magnet®-designated organization that achieved Well-Being Excellence™ Gold Tier, including the rationale for pursuing the credential, demonstrated benefits, leading practices, and lessons learned.

1:15–1:30 p.m.

The ANCC Success Pays® Impact Story: Voices, Insights and Opportunities

Speaker: Lourdes B. Careaga, MSN, RN, NE-BC, Certification Program Manager, ANCC

Hear findings and stakeholder perspectives from the 2025 Success Pays® program evaluation, including program strengths, opportunities for improvement, and testimonials illustrating the program’s impact.

2:15–2:30 p.m.

One Day, Every Certification: Is Your Hospital on the Map?

Speakers: Brittany Waldron, Senior Certification Manager, ANCC; Bresney Fanning, MSN, APRN, NNP-BC, C-ELBW, President, ABNS, moderator, ; Carey Heck, PhD, MSN, CRNP, AGACNP-BC, CCRN, CNRN, President, ABNN; and Michael Dexter, MBA, MSN, RN, EMT, CEN, CFRN, CPEN, CTRN, TCRN, CCRN, CNL, Director of Professional Development, BCEN

This moderated panel explores how specialty certification supports career development, safety, quality, and organizational outcomes. The session concludes with a national Certified Nurses Day call to action.

2:45–3:00 p.m.

Why Retention Alone Is Not Enough: Strengthening Outcomes Measurement for ANCC PTAP Accreditation

Speakers: Kristen Evans, DNP, RN, NPD-BC, Assistant Director, Operations, PTAP & APPFA, ANCC and Shirley Tumang, MSN-Ed, RN, PCCN, Senior Accreditation Program Analyst, PTAP & APPFA, ANCC

Learn why retention alone does not provide a complete picture of transition-to-practice program quality and how stronger outcomes measurement can support continuous improvement and ANCC PTAP accreditation readiness.

3:15–3:30 p.m.

The State of Healthcare Policy: What Nurses Need to Know

Speaker: Jennifer Mensik Kennedy, PhD, MBA, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, President, ANA

Hear about key developments shaping healthcare policy and what they mean for nurses, patients, and the profession. This timely session will explore issues ANA is monitoring and advancing, the role nurses play in influencing policy, and opportunities for the nursing community to remain informed and engaged.

Premium Giveaway: Arrive early! The first 35 attendees at this session will receive a premium giveaway, while supplies last.

3:45–4:00 p.m.

ANA Group Membership: Helping Organizations Address Nurse Retention

Moderator: Brian Pinder

Panelists:

• Tina Gordon, MPA, CAE, FACHE, CEO, North Carolina Nurses Association
• Susan Swart, EdD, MS, RN, CAE, Executive Director, ANA-Illinois
• Kit Bredimus, DNP, RN, CNML, NE-BC, CENP, NEA-BC, FACHE, FAONL, FNAP, Chief Nursing Officer and Vice President of Nursing, Midland Health

Discover how organizations are using ANA and state nurses association group membership to support professional development, leadership, community, nurse well-being, and workforce retention.

Friday, October 30

9:00–9:15 a.m.

Leading Excellence in a Military Organization: A CNO’s Personal Account

Speaker: Dr. Valerie Morrison, DBA, MSN, MSM, RN, NEA-BC, CENP, SHRM-SCP, FAAN, Director of Student Health Services, University of North Florida

Gain a CNO perspective on how Walter Reed used the Pathway to Excellence® framework to strengthen nurse engagement, shared decision-making, workforce well-being, and a culture of organizational excellence.

10:00–10:15 a.m.

The Ripples No One Sees

Speaker: Kaylee Peters, BSN, RN, Accreditation Program Analyst, NCPD, ANCC

Discover how everyday nursing influence can extend from individual patients and colleagues to entire systems of care, and how showing up with excellence, compassion, and generosity can create an impact far beyond what one person may see.

10:30–10:45 a.m.

Leading Through Excellence: Perspectives From Magnet® and Pathway to Excellence® CNOs

Moderator: Rebecca Graystone, PhD, MBA, RN, NE-BC, Senior Vice President, Accreditation and Organization Credentialing, ANCC

Panelists: A Magnet®-designated organization CNO and a Pathway to Excellence®-designated organization CNO, to be announced

Hear nursing leaders share lessons and practical insights on building supportive practice environments, advancing nursing excellence, and sustaining organizational recognition. An international organization is under consideration to bring a global perspective to the discussion.

Premium Giveaway: Arrive early! The first 35 attendees at this session will receive a premium giveaway, while supplies last.

11:00–11:15 a.m.

Professional Agency: How Nurses Will Shape the Future of Practice, Well-Being, and AI

Speaker: Jennifer Shepherd, DNP, MHA, RN, NEA-BC, NPD-BC, FAAN, FFNMRCSI

Explore how professional standards, specialty nursing practice, nurse well-being, and ethical AI are creating the foundation for the next era of nursing, and how nurses can lead change and shape the profession’s future.

12:00–12:15 p.m.

From Chaos to Calm: Applying Magnet Principles of Nurse Well-Being

Speaker: Beth Pruski, RN, CPHQ, NE-BC, Program Manager and Senior Analyst, ANCC

Take a restorative conference pause and explore practical well-being strategies that can support focus, reduce stress, and be adapted into workplace initiatives and supportive organizational cultures.

2:15–2:30 p.m.

Structural Empowerment: Why it is Essential to Nursing Excellence

Speaker: Karen Wentzel, MSN, RN, CPHQ, Senior Magnet Program Analyst, ANCC

Learn what structural empowerment means, why it is essential to nursing excellence, and how an individual nurse can identify opportunities to participate, lead, and create change within an organization.

2:45–3:00 p.m.

From Staffing Standards to Safer Care: What Nurse Leaders Need to Know

Speaker: Katie Boston-Leary, PhD, MBA, RN, NEA-BC, FADLN, FAONL, Senior Vice President of Equity and Engagement, ANE

Explore why nurse staffing is a patient-safety and care-quality issue and what the increased national focus on staffing means for nurses and healthcare organizations. The session will address ANA’s advocacy and how nursing leadership, evidence, and collaboration can advance safer staffing practices and stronger outcomes.

3:15–3:30 p.m.

The APRN Impact

Speaker: Tonya L. Page, DNP, APRN, ACNP-BC, LSSGB, FCCS, APRN Educational & Faculty Outreach Program Manager, ANCC

Schedule, session details, participants, and giveaway availability are subject to change.