Organization of Nurse Leaders

11/24/2025

Are you attending ONL's Winter Quarterly Meeting on December 12th? If you're not yet registered, check out https://www.oonl.org/winter-quarterly-meeting for more info, and if you are already registered, consider participating in our 3rd Annual Share the Warmth Donation Drive!

On behalf of ONL's Membership Committee, we invite you to join fellow nurse leaders in making a difference this holiday season by taking part in our Share the Warmth donation drive. To participate, please bring along new hats, gloves, mittens, or socks to donate at our Winter Quarterly Meeting. ONL will distribute them to shelters in need across our member states. We will have a monetary donation option available for those who wish to participate but are unable to bring physical goods along with them.

11/24/2025

Nursing is a profession requiring intensive academic preparation and specialized disciplinary knowledge. Nurses practice in all settings where healthcare services are delivered, and professional nursing practice is critical to the health of millions of Americans. Any action that would limit access to funds for nurses to pursue advanced degrees is short-sighted and undermines efforts to build a strong and robust nursing workforce.

ONL appreciates the leadership of our colleagues and partners at national nursing organizations—American Organization for Nursing Leadership (AONL), American Nurses Association, National League for Nursing, National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN), American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners, American College of Nurse-Midwives —who are representing the voice of nurses across the country as the credibility of our profession is under attack, and we join them in urging the Department of Education to revise the proposed definition of 'professional degrees' to explicitly include nursing.

11/21/2025

2026 is just around the corner... Make plans to 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗢𝗡𝗟'𝘀 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 for nurse leaders at all levels, from nurses leading at the bedside to seasoned executives.

Our Winter/Spring 2026 calendar includes foundational leadership development programs and hot-topic sessions addressing pressing issues in nursing leadership today. 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸 𝗶𝘁 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲: https://www.oonl.org/upcoming-programs

Cheers to the esteemed program faculty and incredible thought leaders joining us this season: Dr. Gabrielle Abelard, Dr. Ellen Joswiak, Dawn Nelson, Dr. Tim Porter-O'Grady, Heather O'Sullivan, Dr. Crystal Lawson, Dr. Dan Weberg, Dr. Rose Sherman, Dr. Joyce Batcheller, Randy Keirn, Dr. Barbara Mackoff, Jermaine Moore, Dr. Stacy Hutton Johnson, Sara Macchiano — We are grateful for your wisdom and partnership!

11/20/2025

Turnover is costly and taxing on teams, and effectively retaining nurses requires building a culture with staying power.

Join ONL and Dr. Rose Sherman on December 17th for "Staying Power: Building a Culture of Retention in the New World of Work". During this interactive virtual program, Dr. Sherman will share actionable, forward-thinking recruitment and retention strategies to promote well-being, engagement, career advancement, and a sense of belonging among the current and next-generation nursing workforce.

This program is designed for nurse leaders at all levels of leadership, and both ONL Members and not-yet-members are welcome to attend! For more information or to register, visit:https://onl.memberclicks.net/assets/docs/NursingLeadership_NewWorldofWork/2025December/ONL-Nursing-Leadership-in-the-New-World-of-Work-December-2025.pdf

11/10/2025

Thanks to our friends and colleagues at Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association for their great new report, "On the Mend: Progress and Painpoints for Massachusetts' Healthcare Workforce," which analyzes what has led to success in reducing the number of vacancies in healthcare positions in the state and where gaps remain. Check it out ⬇️

10,000 new jobs.
A 28% reduction in key vacancies.
Major progress for healthcare and the Massachusetts economy.

Read MHA’s new report to see the gains made – and persistent gaps – within our commonwealth’s healthcare workforce: https://shorturl.at/lSbDj

10/28/2025

Nurse leaders are bombarded with data from many sources. Before information can be turned into action, nurse managers and directors need to be able to make sense of the data understand the "why" behind the numbers.

𝗝𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝘂𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗡𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟭𝟵𝘁𝗵 𝗳𝗼𝗿 "𝗤𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗦𝗮𝗳𝗲𝘁𝘆 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀: 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗡𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗗𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗡𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗞𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗤𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻," a virtual program led by patient safety and quality experts Dr. Lori Armstrong DNP, RN, NEA-BC and Anthony Dawson, RN, MSN of Inspire Nurse Leaders.

This interactive, full-day virtual workshop prepares new nurse managers and directors to understand and act on their unit's quality and patient safety data. Participants will leave feeling empowered with new knowledge and skills to actively engage in quality initiatives that lead to more effective and sustained improvements.

Join us! More information and registration available here:https://onl.memberclicks.net/assets/docs/meetings/QualityandSafety/2025Nov/ONL-Quality-and-Patient-Safety-Foundations-November-2025.pdf

10/27/2025

🌟 𝗝𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝘂𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗢𝗡𝗟’𝘀 𝗪𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗤𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴! We’re excited to welcome nurse leaders from across New England to our Winter Quarterly Meeting on 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟭𝟮, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱, from 8:30 AM–2:45 PM at the Sheraton Hotel & Conference Center in Framingham, MA.

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲, 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝘂𝗽, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗴𝘂𝗲𝘀. The program offers something for nurses at all levels of leadership, from nurses leading change at the bedside to those leading health systems. It also offers terrific team bonding and shared learning for nursing teams.

💡 Highlights include:

𝗞𝗲𝘆𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗲 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿: 𝗗𝗿. Tim Cunningham — inspiring sessions on “𝘈𝘣𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘓𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱: 𝘍𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘕𝘦𝘸 𝘞𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘍𝘰𝘳𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥” and “𝘍𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘍𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦: 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺”

𝗢𝗡𝗟 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 — Stay at the forefront with the latest updates from ONL

𝗣𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 — Explore and learn about the incredible work that is transforming nursing practice and patient care in our region

𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆, 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 — Dedicated time for connection and fun with fellow nurse leaders from across the region

𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗿𝘀 — Learn about products and solutions that can support your nursing team and organization

𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗮𝗿𝗺𝘁𝗵 𝗗𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗗𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲 — This holiday season, let’s make a difference together. We’ll be collecting new hats, gloves, mittens, and socks to distribute to shelters in need in our five member states.

👉 Learn more and register today! https://www.oonl.org/winter-quarterly-meeting

👇 Leave a comment below if you'll be attending!

10/27/2025

This weekend ONL leaders had the pleasure of participating in the 11th annual New England Minority Nurse Leadership Collaborative (NEMNLC) Conference, of which ONL was proudly a Diamond Sponsor.

It was a great event, and ONL is proud to stand alongside NEMNLC in its mission to champion diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in nursing leadership. Kudos to NEMNLC on another wonderful year!

10/24/2025

Nurse Licensure Compact update: As of October 1st, Connecticut has fully implemented the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC)! This means that nurses with a multistate license can now practice in Connecticut, and Connecticut nurses can apply for a multistate license.

This is great news for nurses, patients, and communities throughout the region, and is an example of policy success achieved through persistent advocacy efforts and engagement! For more information, check out this link: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/connecticut-fully-implements-nurse-licensure-170200826.html

Chicago, Oct. 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Connecticut fully implemented the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) on Oct. 1, 2025, allowing registered nurses (RNs) and licensed practical/vocational nurses (LPN/VNs) who are Connecticut residents to have one multistate license, with the ability to practice i...

10/24/2025

For the first time, nurse staffing has been elevated to a core element of patient safety within the Joint Commission’s National Performance Goals (NPG)! The newly added NPG 12 will require organizations to demonstrate compliance with policies and procedures related to nurse staffing, effective January 1, 2026. This important advancement is the result of work led by the National Nurse Staffing Task Force, facilitated by Dr. Katie Boston-Leary, and the American Nurses Association (ANA), and the vision and advocacy of so many nurse leaders.

At ONL, we applaud this development as a meaningful step toward elevating the vital connection between adequate nurse staffing, healthy work environments and patient outcomes. This regulatory approach to nurse staffing strengthens our collective ability to address nurse staffing through evidence-based, unit-level solutions rather than through state legislatures and state law. It also ensures nurses leaders are accountable for nurse staffing and will have the flexibility to meet the unique needs of their patient populations. We commend the ANA, the Joint Commission, and the many nurse leaders whose vision and advocacy made this milestone possible!

For the full text of the newly released Joint Commission National Performance Goals, click here: https://digitalassets.jointcommission.org/api/public/content/9ca80055182b4274842a5780a94f2c82?

10/01/2025

Leading modern nursing teams means navigating intergenerational dynamics, communication styles, and evolving expectations. Join ONL and nursing leadership development expert Dr. Rose Sherman on October 30th for "𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗕𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗴𝗲𝘀, 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗪𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘀: 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗠𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶-𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗡𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘀." This interactive virtual workshop provides actionable tools and strategies for leaders at all levels to help their multigenerational nursing teams build bridges— not walls—as they work together to provide care.

ONL Members and not-yet-members are welcome to participate! For more details or to register, visithttps://onl.memberclicks.net/assets/docs/BuildingBridgesNotWalls/2025October/ONL-Building-Bridges-Not-Walls-October-2025.pdf

09/22/2025

Another great opportunity from our friends and colleagues at Boston College Connell School of Nursing! Check out their upcoming Pinnacle Lecture on October 20th featuring Dr. Holly Powell Kennedy, Helen Varney Professor Emerita of Midwifery at Yale University School of Nursing.

Held each semester, Pinnacle Lectures feature an inspiring leader who speaks on an issue at the forefront of health care. These lectures are open to practitioners and scholars unaffiiated with Boston College in addition to the BC community.

Register to attend at http://www.bc.edu/pinnacle