Emerging Professional Eligibility & Application Components
Nominations are now closed. The 2026 cohort submissions will open summer 2025.
The Emerging Professional Voices program is inclusive of nurses at all levels, titles and organizational settings. Nominees must meet the eligibility requirements and nominators should complete all components of the application.
Nominators must illustrate how the nominee has demonstrated exemplary leadership through innovation and influence. The maximum length for each response is 200 words.
Eligibility Criteria
Emerging Professional Voices is inclusive of nurses at all levels, titles and organizational settings. Work areas could include clinical, quality, education, safety, academic and critical access.
- Any nurse leader either in a formal or informal nursing leadership role.
- Has demonstrated exemplary leadership within their organization, community and the nursing profession through innovation and influence.
- Exhibits significant potential as a future health care leader and role model.
- Minimum of BSN or actively enrolled in a BSN program.
- Nurse leader who demonstrates interest in assisting AONL in achieving its objectives.
AONL staff and board members are not eligible to be nominated.
Selection Process
The AONL Membership Committee will conduct a blind review of all nominations and score each nominee based on the criteria listed above. The final number of individuals recognized will be determined by the number of submissions but will not exceed 20. All nominators and nominees will be informed of the results in late summer 2024.
Important Dates
Application Deadline: June 12, 2024
Notifications to Nominee and Nominator Late Summer 2024
Application Components
Nominee Statement
Describe your vision of nursing leadership and how you translate that vision into reality.
Professional Goal
Give an example of how the nominee approached achieving a professional goal.
Leadership Qualities
Give an example of how the nominee drove results and improved outcomes.
Significant Challenge
Give an example of how the nominee faced and responded to a significant professional challenge within the last five years. (Nominator please work with nominee to provide background and outcomes.)
Innovation
Give an example of how the nominee has innovated in their role and/or has promoted a culture of innovation in their organization. (Innovation does not have to be something that has never been done before, but should be done in a new way, and can be demonstrated through individual work or as part of a group/team.)
Influence
Describe the outcomes and provide metrics if available. (Does not need to be in a formal leadership capacity, can be in a peer-to-peer or "influencing up" capacity. Examples include leading organizational committees, influencing research, engaging staff, publishing, and community engagement.)
Inclusion
Give a specific example of how the nominee has created an inclusive environment through the promotion of psychological safety and belonging within in their practice. (Psychologically safe environments allow all team members, regardless of age, race, gender identity, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, title, mindset, etc. to feel accepted and respected.)
