The education of advanced practice nurses is continually evolving in response to advancements in technology, methodologies, and emerging diseases. Faculty, preceptors, and students require effective tools to enhance diagnostic reasoning, utilize artificial intelligence, and integrate behavioral health into primary care. By assessing and learning about new tools, educators can foster clinical reasoning skills and providers can reduce clinical errors and improve patient outcomes.
Offering up to four (4) continuing education credits (CEUs).
Virtual Series:
- Integrated Behavioral Health
Tuesday, January 21, 2025, 7PM - 8PM
Dr. Lisa Alberts and Dr. Dawn Shepard
Lisa Alberts DNP, APRN-BC, PMHNP-BC
Dr. Lisa Alberts is Associate Professor and Director of the DNP/PMHNP program at FGCU. Prior to her appointment at FGCU, she was a full-time faculty in the School of Nursing and Health Sciences at La Salle University in Philadelphia, PA. She is a practicing psychiatric nurse practitioner at a private multispecialty organization. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Duke University, Master of Science in Nursing from La Salle University, Post Master’s certificate as a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner from Drexel University, and Doctor of Nursing Practice from La Salle University. She is board certified through American Nurses Credentialing Center as an Adult Health Nurse Practitioner as well as a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. Research interests include assessment and intervention of children with severe self-injury and autism. She is a mentor for the Golisano Institute of Developmental Disability Nursing
Dawn Shepard, DNP, APRN, PMHNP-BC, FNP-C, AGNP-C, CCM
Dr. Dawn Shepard is a triple board-certified nurse practitioner in psychiatric mental health, family, and adult-gerontology. She has 25 years of clinical nursing experience that enhances her teaching. Shepard has experience teaching across nursing programs to include graduate and undergraduate programs. Her psychiatric experiences include patient management in outpatient community mental health, inpatient behavioral health hospital, crisis stabilization unit, and on a psychiatric consulting team in an acute care setting. Her internal medicine experience focused on managing those with acute and chronic conditions.
Shepard has held an attending position at two major hospital systems as a behavioral health hospitalist. She earned a DNP in Clinical Leadership from Maryville University as well as her Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. She graduated from University of Tampa with her MSN-APRN in Adult-Gerontology and as a Family Nurse Practitioner. Her undergraduate BSN-RN degree was earned from the Medical College of Georgia. Shepard’s research and scholarship interests include depression and suicide, veteran health care, and working on the development of a new nursing concept. In 2021, Shepard’s research that focused on geriatric depression assessment was awarded the Makelbust Award in recognition of Excellence in Research and Clinical Practice.
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- Competency-Based Education: The Why, What, and How for Faculty and Preceptors
Tuesday, February 11, 2025, 7PM - 8PM
Dr. Marcy Ainslie
Marcy Ainslie, Phd, EdD, APRN, FNP
Dr. Ainslie has 25 years of experience as a family nurse practitioner (NP) with practice experience in endocrinology, family practice, urgent care, and substance use disorder, and 13 years as NP faculty at University of New Hampshire and previously Rivier University.
During her tenure as the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculty (NONPF) Senior Fellow Dr. Ainslie began the educational paradigm shift to competency-based assessment across all NP programs nationally and continues that work today. She has presented her scholarship at the state, national, and international level. Also, she serves as Chair of the Aquifer™ Taskforce for NP Curriculum and works to bring the NP perspective to educational materials used across the health professions. Finally, she has been appointed to the AACN sub-group for progression indicators to set behavioral expectations that demonstrate competency attainment across all roles of nursing.
Marcy Ainslie has published seven articles in the last four years. The areas of research are competency-based assessments in advanced practice nursing and telehealth implementation in curriculum and clinical practice.She is the recipient of the New Hampshire Nurse Practitioner Association 2022 Lifetime of Service Award and the 2023 American Association of Nurse Practitioners Advocate State Award for Excellence.
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- Diagnostic Reasoning and Improving Diagnostic Error
Monday, March 24, 2025, 7PM - 8PM
Dr. Marcy Ainslie
Marcy Ainslie, Phd, EdD, APRN, FNP
Dr. Ainslie has 25 years of experience as a family nurse practitioner (NP) with practice experience in endocrinology, family practice, urgent care, and substance use disorder, and 13 years as NP faculty at University of New Hampshire and previously Rivier University.
During her tenure as the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculty (NONPF) Senior Fellow Dr. Ainslie began the educational paradigm shift to competency-based assessment across all NP programs nationally and continues that work today. She has presented her scholarship at the state, national, and international level. Also, she serves as Chair of the Aquifer™ Taskforce for NP Curriculum and works to bring the NP perspective to educational materials used across the health professions. Finally, she has been appointed to the AACN sub-group for progression indicators to set behavioral expectations that demonstrate competency attainment across all roles of nursing.
Marcy Ainslie has published seven articles in the last four years. The areas of research are competency-based assessments in advanced practice nursing and telehealth implementation in curriculum and clinical practice.She is the recipient of the New Hampshire Nurse Practitioner Association 2022 Lifetime of Service Award and the 2023 American Association of Nurse Practitioners Advocate State Award for Excellence.
- Applications of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Education and Practice
Tuesday, May 20, 2025, 7PM - 8PM
Dr. Grace Sun
Grace H. Sun, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC
Dr. Grace Sun is a highly regarded clinician, educator, and leader in the field of nursing and nurse practitioner (NP) education. As her school’s Director of Evidence-Based Practice Initiatives, she spearheads efforts to standardize best practices in nursing education and clinical practice, with a particular focus on academic-practice partnerships, interprofessional education (IPE), and the integration of emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) into healthcare and education systems.
With over a decade of experience in curriculum design, Dr. Sun has created and taught MSN and BSN-DNP Informatics courses and is recognized nationally for her pioneering work in AI and generative AI in healthcare education. She is an invited speaker at national forums such as the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF), and the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP). In addition, she has been featured in multiple podcasts and webinars, and her extensive publications on AI have positioned her as a thought leader in the field.
Dr. Sun currently serves on the Executive Board of NONPF as Secretary, where she plays a key role in shaping strategic initiatives for the organization. A dedicated advocate for advancing the nursing profession, she is also instrumental in the ongoing transition toward competency-based education and assessment, including efforts for the nationwide adoption of the DNP by 2025. Her research and practice focus on AI's potential to transform NP education and practice, emphasizing the ethical, privacy, and security considerations of AI applications in clinical and educational settings. She is the founding Chair of the AI Special Interest Group within NONPF, further highlighting her leadership in bringing AI to the forefront of NP education.
Dr. Sun holds memberships in multiple professional organizations, including the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF), where she serves as Secretary on the Executive Board, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP), Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI), Integrative Medicine for the United States (IMUS), Advanced Practice Provide Executives (APPEx). As a nationally recognized expert in AI, she has published extensively on the integration of AI into education and practice and is regularly invited to speak at conferences, webinars, and podcasts on these subjects.
Dr. Sun’s leadership philosophy centers on interprofessional collaboration, innovation, and dynamic teamwork, aiming to improve healthcare outcomes, advance nursing education, and foster an inclusive, forward-thinking environment. She is passionate about shaping the future of healthcare through innovation, teamwork, and a commitment to excellence.
School of Nursing DNP Program (50-719) CEU available
This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award totaling $2,599,174 with zero percentage financed with nongovernmental sources. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.
