Upcoming Programs

Exceptional professional learning builds an engaged and resilient nursing workforce and helps nurse leaders at stages of their leadership journey succeed in their roles.

Invest in yourself, your team, and your organization by participating in our interactive professional development programs led by esteemed faculty and distinguished thought leaders.

Click here to download our Winter/Spring 2025 Programs At-a-Glance

The Nuts and Bolts of Nursing Leadership
Wednesday, January 8th, 2025, 9:00 AM-3:00 PM ET via Zoom For Nurse Managers & Directors
Wednesday, January 15th, 2025, 9:00 AM-3:00 PM ET via Zoom For Charge Nurses, Emerging Leaders, Team Leads & Clinical Leaders

This highly-rated program offers fantastic foundational leadership training for nurse leaders newly in a leadership role.

Nurses are often promoted into leadership roles with little or no training in the leadership, management, and communication skills needed to succeed. This one-day, interactive workshop is designed to equip new leaders with the key skills and strategies needed to be successful: transitioning into a leadership role; communication and collaboration, including power and authority; resource management; and managing staff performance.

This workshop is offered on two different dates, with each date's program customized to bring focus and examples that are designed for the specified target audience.

Winter '25 Leadership Lunch Series
Fridays: Jan. 17th, Feb. 21st, Mar. 21st, and Apr. 18th, 2025, 12:00-1:30 PM ET via Zoom
For nurse leaders at every stage of their leadership journey

ONL's Leadership Lunch Series is a four-part, interactive, live educational program in which nurse leaders and nursing teams learn and gain inspiration from our remarkable faculty lineup who share diverse perspectives ranging from big-picture thinking to tactical, actionable strategies. During each session, participants spend 90 minutes hearing from a different nationally-recognized distinguished thought leader via Zoom, with protected time to enjoy their lunch!

This program offers something for everyone at all levels of leadership and is a great way for organizations to invest in their nursing teams. When viewed as a team, this program serves as a jumping off point for internal discussion of the ideas shared and collaboration on application and strategies for implementation.

What nurses expect from their leaders is changing, and so, too, are the skills needed to be successful as a nurse leader of today's nursing workforce. Gone are the days of command-and-control leadership when staff were supposed to be grateful for a job; nurses today want leaders who help them grow and develop as professionals. Enter the Nurse Leader Coach: the linchpin in nurse recruitment and retention.

In this workshop led by Dr. Rose Sherman, you will expand your leadership skillset to become a Nurse Leader Coach equipped to meet the needs of today's nursing workforce and strengthen retention. Participants will learn how to adopt a coaching mindset, develop basic coaching skills, and coach their team to a higher level of performance and well-being.

The charge nurse sets the tone for the shift for each unit. This role is often a nurse's first experience leading others and managing more than their own patient assignment. It is critical for new charge nurses to learn key skills for leading their team, including managing conflict, allocating resources, and working within the hospital system.

Led by Dr. Crystal Lawson, this interactive virtual workshop is designed to equip and empower new and aspiring charge nurses with the essential leadership skills needed to be effective and successful across key aspects of the charge nurse role, including promoting quality outcomes, cultivating a healthy work environment, and fostering teamwork. Participants will gain practical tools and strategies that can be put to use immediately on their unit.

Spring Quarterly Meeting | Protecting and Retaining New Graduate Nurses: Strategies for Healthcare Leaders
Friday, February 28th, 2025, 8:30 AM-12:00 PM via Zoom
For nurse leaders at every stage of their leadership journey

Join us to gain insights, inspiration, and actionable strategies while connecting with fellow nurse leaders during this interactive virtual program! The Spring Quarterly Meeting will include an ONL Business Meeting and a keynote presentation.

ONL BUSINESS MEETING

The ONL Business Meeting offers a chance to learn more about the core work of ONL to advance nursing leadership and support nurse leaders. Members of the ONL Board and staff provide insight into what ONL has been working on and share key updates about upcoming programs, member benefits, opportunities to get more involved with ONL, key policy and legislative activity in our region, and recent developments and key topics impacting nursing practice and nursing leadership. The Business Meeting is also a forum in which ONL recognizes and celebrates our members' recent milestones and achievements.

KEYNOTE PRESENTATION
Protecting and Retaining New Graduate Nurses: Strategies for Healthcare Leaders

33% of new graduate nurses leave an organization within their first year of practice (Nursing Solutions, Inc., 2023), and the number one reason why is culture. How do you ensure new graduate nurses feel welcomed, supported, and equipped with the knowledge and skills to confront disruptive behaviors in the workplace?

ONL is thrilled to welcome healthy workforce culture expert Dr. Renee Thompson as our keynote speaker to share best practices and practical strategies for creating a nurturing and supportive environment where new graduate nurses feel welcomed and empowered to address any incidents of disruptive behaviors. By fostering a culture of kindness, collaboration, and respect, nurse leaders can help new nurses build confidence, develop their skills, and feel valued as essential members of the team -- thereby improving new graduate nurse retention.

Nursing Leadership in the New World of Work: Strategies and tools for every level of leadership
Thursday, March 6th, 2025, 9:30 AM-12:00 PM ET via Zoom
For nurse leaders at every stage of their leadership journey

The turbulence of the last four years has impacted healthcare delivery systems and the nursing workforce. Nursing leaders are working tirelessly to pick up the pieces and navigate the new world of work. In this workshop, Dr. Rose Sherman will share what nurse leaders need to do differently to effectively lead in this new world of work with actionable strategies and tools that can be put into practice immediately. Participants will learn how to become a more effective communicator, restore trust, promote professional accountability, encourage engagement, and build a cuture of well-being on their nursing teams.

Elevating Your Executive Presence and Influence
Wednesday, March 26th, 2025, 2025, 9:30 AM-12:00 PM ET via Zoom
Nurse managers and directors with at least one full year of experience in a formal leadership role

Experienced leaders will tell you that getting results is not just about what you do, but how you go about doing it. Led by Dr. Dan Weberg, this interactive workshop will help nurse leaders enhance their executive presence and professional influence. Whether taking on a new role, working across departments, leading change, or building engagement, this session will prepare nurse leaders for higher-level leadership success in an increasingly complex, networked environment.

Succeeding in Difficult Conversations: Strategies for Nurse Leaders
Tuesday, April 15th, 2025, 9:30 AM-12:00 PM ET via Zoom
For nurse leaders at every stage of their leadership journey

Difficult conversations are part of every leadership role, and feeling confident in challenging conversations takes practice. In this interactive workshop, Dr. Crystal Lawson will offer practical tools to empower nurse leaders to succeed in executing difficult conversations, reduce anxiety about giving feedback, and gain confidence in managing performance while also demonstrating respect.

ONL Leadership Catalyst
Thursday and Friday, May 1st and 2nd, 2025, at the Westin Waltham Boston in Waltham, Massachhusetts
For nurse leaders with two or more years of formal leadership experience

This two-day, in-person program offers immersive leadership development for nurse leaders with two or more years of formal leadership experience. Participants will advance their strategic leadership capacity, gain insights about their leadership practice, and refine their leadership purpose to reflect their values. Upon completing the program, nurse leaders will be equipped with strategies for leading high-functioning teams, strategically navigating relationships, and negotiating for limited resources in complex organizations.

Participants can expect two full days of engaging workshops, insightful discussions, and collaborative activities led by renowned faculty with extensive experience in healthcare leadership. Nurse leaders will also benefit from building meaningful connections face-to-face with their cohort of fellow nurse leaders from New England; program faculty; and ONL leaders, board members, and past presidents during the workshops and networking sessions. These valuable relationships will provide a supportive professional network to whom participants can turn as fellow leaders.

Preparing Preceptors for Success
Wednesday, May 14th, 2025, 9:00 AM-3:00 PM ET via Zoom
For current and aspiring clinical nursing preceptors

Good nurse preceptors are a valuable asset for units and organizations. When preceptors are able to successfully deliver a good onboarding experience for new hires, they can directly impact retention, build trust within the nursing team, and elevate nursing practice.

Led by Dr. Crystal Lawson, this interactive virtual workshop is designed to expose preceptors to the principles of adult learning theory and prepare them with tools to help newly hired nurses practice safely and feel welcomed. Participants will learn key strategies for giving feedback and practice skills that will help them effectively pass on their knowledge and promote safe practice.

Join ONL for our Annual Meeting to reconnect with friends and colleagues face-to-face, renew and reenergize your leadership practice, and refill your cup! We are excited to be hosting this year's Annual Meeting at the spectacular Omni Mount Washington Resort in beautiful Bretton Woods, NH. We hope you will join us for this not-to-be-missed event!

The Nuts and Bolts of Nursing Leadership
Tuesday, June 17th, 2025, 9:00 AM-3:00 PM ET via Zoom For Nurse Managers & Directors
Tuesday, June 24th, 2025, 9:00 AM-3:00 PM ET via Zoom For Charge Nurses, Emerging Leaders, Team Leads & Clinical Leaders

This highly-rated program offers fantastic foundational leadership training for nurse leaders newly in a leadership role.

Nurses are often promoted into leadership roles with little or no training in the leadership, management, and communication skills needed to succeed. This one-day, interactive workshop is designed to equip new leaders with the key skills and strategies needed to be successful: transitioning into a leadership role; communication and collaboration, including power and authority; resource management; and managing staff performance.

This workshop is offered on two different dates, with each date's program customized to bring focus and examples that are designed for the specified target audience.

Eradicating Bullying & Incivility Self-Study eCourse
Asynchronous, self-paced online learning program available at any timeFor nurse leaders at every stage of their leadership journey

ONL has partnered with the Healthy Workforce Institute (HWI) to provide our members and community with access to HWI's Eradicating Bullying & Incivility Self-Study eCourse. Designed with busy healthcare leaders in mind, each module is bite-sized, less than an hour long, and can be taken online at the learner's desired pace.By the end of this course, you will have the tools, strategies, and confidence to identify disruptive behaviors that undermine a culture of safety, set behavioral expectations with employees, and hold staff accountable for professional behavior.