Agenda and Session Presentations

AGENDA & SESSION PRESENTATIONS

The wait is over our conference agenda is live, and it’s packed with insights, innovation, and inspiration you won’t want to miss!

CHECK OUT THE 2026 NEC AGENDA

(Please keep in mind that sessions, room locations, etc. are subject to change! )

Agenda

This activity has been submitted to the Colorado Nurses Association for approval to award contact hours. The Colorado Nurses Association is accredited as an approver of nursing continuing professional development by the

American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation.

The Nurse Educators Conference in the Rockies strives to provide a robust and full schedule for our attendees!

At the same time as we want to provide multiple learning and networking opportunities we encourage all attendees to take time to re-energize and refresh in the beautiful Rocky Mountains! Breckenridge has numerous activities, hiking/walking trails, shopping, and events that we encourage attendees to take advantage of to make the most of your conference experience!

More Than Accommodations: Prelicensure Nursing Faculty Knowledge and Attitudes Toward Students With Learning Disabilities Advancing Belonging Through Faculty Development in Academic Nursing
- Emily Adams

Charting our True North: Core Concepts for Nursing Orientation

- Susan Boyer

- Miriam Chickering

Closing the Student Readiness Gap: Using Data to Evaluate Nursing Program Outcomes
- Kathy Casey

Harnessing Innovative Teaching Tools to Transform Nursing Education
- Beatrice Ekechukwu

Differences in Teaching Modalities and the Effect on Undergraduate Nursing Students’ Knowledge About, Attitudes Toward, and Intent to Work with Older Adults: A Longitudinal Study
- Kelly Henrichs

Building Community and Competence: Fireside Chats for Rural Nurses
- Cheryl King

Strategies to Improve Implementation of Holistic Admission Review in Undergraduate RN Programs
- Alisha Loken

True North of Holistic and Evidence-based Care: Intentionally and Strategically Teaching Spiritual Care to the Next Generation
- Melissa Neathery

Balancing the Byte and the Bedside: Defining Ethical Boundaries for AI use in Nursing Education
- Whitney Phillips

Moving Today's Nursing Student from Screens to Scrubs
- Cherie Rebar
- Nicole Heimgartner

Moral Courage 101: Practical Strategies for Building Ethical Resilience in Nursing Students
- Jamie Russell
- Matti Smith

Advancing Clinical Judgment Assessment: Integrating the Clinical Judgment Measurement Model into Virtual Nursing Simulations
- Max Sommer

Strengthening academic clinical faculty belonging and intent to stay through a structured mentorship program: An evidence-based approach
- Elsie Alabi-Gonzalez

Plotting the Course: Converting Traditional Learning Tasks into Learning Adventures
- Jasen Brooks

Standard Analysis into Transformative Education
- Daniel Copenhaver
- Charlie Frederick

YouTube, TikTok, and Beyond: Integrating Short-Form Video for Microlearning in Nursing Education
- Angela Evans

Leveraging AI to support brain-based teaching and deep learning
- Judith Herrman

Supporting First-Year Nursing Students’ Therapeutic Communication Skills Using AI Patient Avatars
- Jamie Kozel

Realizing Moral Distress in New Graduate Nurses: Implications for Educating the Future Nursing Workforce
- Lauren Loyd
- Lynnette L. Stamler
- Sue Schuelke
- Beth Culross
- Kati Bravo
- Kevin Kupzyk

Navigating Assessment: Strengthening Exam Quality with the Anatomy of a Question Framework
- April Nelson
- Jennifer Thurston
- Trista Anderson

Hands On Medication Competency: Putting it all Together with Pharmaboxes
- Alison Pittman
- Tara Maxa

Simulation Beyond Technology: Experiential Learning in Mental Health and Leadership Lab
- Natalie Richard

From Resignation to Resolution: Transforming Nursing Education through Empowerment
- Mostafa Sanati
- Diana Sanati

Structured Mentoring in Academia: Mentoring the Mentor and Improving Faculty Satisfaction to Advance the Future of Nursing Education
- Vera Stephenson
- Amy Bowers

Gamifying Pharmacology: It's Not All Fun and Games
- Courtenay Vihtelic

The Science of Sound: A Holistic Approach to Stress Reduction in Nursing Education
- Jacque Williams

Make Patho and Pharm Playful!

- Andrea Alexander

Can I See Me? A Comprehensive Framework for Developing Emotional Intelligence in Nursing Students
- Bridgette Bryan

Navigating a Curricular Evaluation Process: Staying on Course from Development Through Implementation
- Beth Cunniff

Enhancing Distance Faculty Belonging with Monthly Virtual Fellowship Sessions
- Emily Fondren
- Kathryn Osteen
- Katy Bartlett
- Christine Oliver
- Breanne Wilburn
- Courtney Brandt

Teaching with Intention, Preparing with Purpose: Cultivating Clinical Judgment Across the Nursing Curriculum
- Nichole Jackson

Discussions with Nurses of Other Cultures: Using Podcasts to Improve Cultural Competence
- Anne-Marie Kuchinski

A compass, a map, a mission: supporting and guiding students on their quest in developing a professional practice identity
- Lori McElroy
- Teri Boyd
- Stacy King
- Beth Pittman

One Profession, One Learning Curve: AI in Nursing Education and Practice

Jodi Orm

Shaping Future Nurses: Academia’s Role
- Kathy Prue-Owens

Coloring Outside the Lines: AI and Arts-Based Pedagogy for Nurse Educators
- Emily Roe

Navigating Beyond Content: How Intentional Pedagogy Shapes Professional Identity in Nursing Education
- Sarah Schwartz
- Jacqueline Jones

Using Insights from a Student Journey to Navigate Best Practices in Online Nursing Education
- Pam Stetina

Future-Ready Assignment Design: AI Resistant Assignments using Adobe & Canva
- Jamie Wankier Randles

Reimagining Clinical Education: Leveraging Academic–Practice Partnerships to Build Faculty Capacity
- Kathleen Williamson
- Christine Higbie

A Dedicated Clinical Education Faculty Model Spanning Simulation and Practice

- Fara Bowler

Navigating the Future of AI in Nursing Education: Responsibly Implementing AI Tools to Improve Student Engagement and Learning
- Kelsey LaFayette

From Pudding to Pool Noodles: Active Learning on a Budget
- Laura Dana

Beyond Theory: Putting the Clinical Judgment Measurement Model into Action Across the Curriculum
- Jaylynn Gold
- Chelsea Pike

Mentoring Mindset Program: A Coaching-Based, Mentee Driven Approach to Faculty Mentorship
- Heidi Johnston
- Mary Roberts-Davis

Group Mentoring of New Faculty: Navigating New Faculty Support
- Kathryn Kuskie

The Resilience Mandate: Moving From "Caring for the Caregiver" to Curricular Integration

- Natalie Monson

From Rockets to Results: A Journey of Immersive Education and Development
- Andrew Otten

Facing our True North: Navigating Teaching Challenges in Nursing Education Using Critical Incident Videos
- Cynthia Randall
- Carla Randall

Evidence‑Informed Near‑Peer Mentor Training for Doctoral Nursing Students: Charting Our True North in Educator Development
- Emily Roe

Predictive Validity of Standardized Exit Exams for Next Generation NCLEX-PN Readiness: Evidence from a National Study
- Kelsey Lafayette

Building the Future Nursing Workforce: Pathways from High School to Advanced Practice
- Rachel Taylor

Preceptor Instruction and Support Systems necessary for navigating the evolving challenges of healthcare and ensuring grounding in core professional values

- Susan Boyer

- Miriam Chickering

Navigating the Practice Readiness Gap: Standardizing Clinical Competency Assessment through Summative Multi-Patient Simulation

- Kelsey LaFayette

The Educator’s Compass: Navigating Feedback to Accelerate Student Growth
- Kelly Dries
- Emily Roe

Sculpting a Competency-Based Nursing Fundamentals Course Aligned with the AACN Essentials
- Lacey Helmke

The Future of Nurse Education: Blended Learning for Preceptor Development - Cheryl King
- Michelle Cheuvront

Escaping Harm: Advancing Leadership and Reinforcing Patient Safety Concepts in Nursing Education Using Virtual Simulation
- Tinisha Lambeth
- Amy Bell

Trauma-informed Pedagogy: Addressing Students at Risk for Experiencing Anxiety/Trauma Reactivation in Undergraduate Nursing Education
- Melissa Neathery

Educating Nurses for the Future: An Academic-Community Partnership Facilitates Experiential Learning for Shelter-Adverse Unhoused Populations
- Deborah Petty
- Cheryl Tucker
- Nan Ketcham

Wait...Are You Still
Teaching That??
- Cherie Rebar
- Nicole Heimgartner

A Load Off Their Minds: Unpacking cognitive overload in nursing students
- Deborah Rojas

Teaching Triage: An Internal SBAR Protocol for Protecting Educator Presence and Regulating Emotional Load
- Dana Smith

Gamification of Work Integrated Learning Among Undergraduate Nursing Students
- Kinsey Troxler

Beyond Traditional Instruction: Creative Expression in Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing Education
- Amanda Willey
- Jeffrey Willey

Purpose-Driven Innovation: Charting a True North for AI and Technology in Nursing Education
- Kathleen Williamson

CHECK OUT THE LINE UP OF BREAKOUT SESSION PRESENTATIONS

(subject to change)

Learning Outcomes

1. Participants will engage in actionable strategies that optimize teaching and student learning

2. Participants will employ best practices in course/curriculum development and program evaluation.

Learning Tracks

Didactic and Theory Teaching and Learning
Laboratory, Simulation, and Clinical Teaching and Learning
Professional Development for Clinical Practice
Course, Curriculum, and Program Evaluation
Faculty Development