ALISO VIEJO, Calif. - Jan. 27, 2026 – The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) will launch the 2026 cohorts of Clinical Scene Investigator (CSI) Academy’s Nursing Workforce Solutions program this spring, empowering direct care nurses with the tools and leadership skills to promote a healthy work environment, strengthen nurse retention and improve nurse satisfaction.
The program will feature AACN’s Healthy Work Environment standards and AACN CSI Academy, a proven hospital-based direct-care nurse leadership, innovation and experiential implementation science-based program. There will be six geographic cohorts, each comprising 10 teams, for a total of 60 teams from 15 hospitals. AACN provides the program at no cost to these hospitals, thanks to the support of Johnson & Johnson.
The 60 teams participating in the 2025 cohorts of Nursing Workforce Solutions are currently implementing their projects and will start reporting their outcomes toward the end of 2026.
“Building on the 60 CSI teams from the 2025 cohorts, this second round will further spread nurses’ ability to enhance the health of their work environments, increase nurse retention and improve patient outcomes,” said AACN Chief Clinical Officer Vicki Good, DNP, RN, CENP, CPSS, FAAN. “Johnson & Johnson and AACN continue to invest in the nursing workforce through this collaborative effort.”
CSI Academy’s team-oriented program builds additional skills for direct care nurses. It leverages their expertise, preparing and supporting them as clinician leaders who effect positive changes that improve patient, nurse and hospital outcomes. Nationwide, more than 816 nurses at 141 hospitals have completed CSI Academy since its launch in 2012. The program has reached over 13,000 nurses and 2.2 million patients. Building on the success of CSI Academy, the Nursing Workforce Solutions program seeks to further scale the impact by adding a sustainability component, so health systems can more easily infuse learning throughout their hospitals.
“Nurses are uniquely positioned to transform both care delivery and the healthcare work environment, and Johnson & Johnson is proud to collaborate with the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses to support and empower nurse-led innovation within health systems and improve access to care,” said Michele Morgan, director, Global Nursing Initiatives, Global Health Equity, Johnson & Johnson.
Hospitals participating in the newest cohorts for Nursing Workforce Solutions include urban and rural hospitals, and Disproportionate Share Hospitals:
- Atrium Health Cabarrus, Concord, North Carolina
- Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center, Charlotte, North Carolina
- Bayhealth, University of Pennsylvania, Dover, Delaware
- CommonSpirit Health Mountain Region, Centennial, Colorado
- Harborview Medical Center, Seattle, Washington
- Mosaic Life Care Health System, St. Joseph, Missouri
- Nemours Children’s Hospital, Wilmington, Delaware
- Swedish First Hill Campus, Seattle, Washington
- The University of Kansas Health System, Kansas City, Kansas
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Organization of Nurse Leaders of New Jersey Nursing Workplace Environment and Staffing Council Program (NWESC), comprising:
- AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center, Atlantic City, New Jersey
- Cooper University Health Care, Camden, New Jersey
- Deborah Heart & Lung Center, Browns Mills, New Jersey
- Inspira Health Network, Vineland, New Jersey
- Jefferson Health, Turnersville, New Jersey
- Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes, Camden, New Jersey
AACN offers online access to its collection of CSI Academy innovation projects – including project summaries, clinical interventions, data collection tools, outcomes and references – as part of the program’s goal to inspire and empower as many acute, progressive and critical care nurses as possible. The CSI innovation project library is a resource for hospitals, healthcare administrators and clinical leaders seeking solutions that improve outcomes and reduce costs.
To learn more about bringing AACN’s CSI Academy to your hospital or health system, visit the CSI Academy FAQ page.
About the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses: For more than 50 years, the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) has been dedicated to acute and critical care nursing excellence. The organization’s vision is to create a healthcare system driven by the needs of patients and their families in which acute and critical care nurses make their optimal contribution. AACN is the world’s largest specialty nursing organization, with about 130,000 members and nearly 200 chapters in the United States.
American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, 27071 Aliso Creek Road, Aliso Viejo, CA 92656; 949-362-2000; www.aacn.org; facebook.com/aacnface; x.com/aacnme