AONL 2026 continues as nurse leaders brainstorm staffing solutions, workforce pipeline opportunities, and involving nurses in the financial side of the industry.
After the first day of AONL 2026, in Chicago, it's clear that CNOs are looking to the future to solve some of the industry's most systemic challenges: staffing, the workforce pipeline, and the financial ROI of nursing.
Staffing for sustainability
CNOs who are struggling with staffing should consider innovative solutions to increase nurse engagement and reduce turnover. At Intermountain Health, Dr. Ann Gantzer, CNO at Good Samaritan, and Amanda Feild, CNO at Saint Joseph Hospital, tried new staffing and payment model approaches in women's services and surgical services. After a key partnership ended and they lost 60% of their volume in 2024, there was a sense of instability for their nurses, and previous attempts to solve for that loss such as cross training for floating, staggering shifts, were not working.
For women's services, Feild implemented a guaranteed hours model with the goal of stabilizing staffing levels, reducing turnover, enhancing employee engagement, and improving efficiency. With the same goals in mind, Gantzer implemented call weeks for surgical services, where each RN was on call for one week, with guaranteed hours up to FTE.
Both strategies were successful, and yielded positive outcomes, with women's services saving almost $1 million yearly, and surgical services saving over $250,000 over two quarters. These strategies also allow for flexible coverage that balances out staffing during high and low census periods while reducing premium pay and strengthening caregiver engagement, Gantzer and Feild explained.
Pipelines for the future
As workforce shortages continue, CNOs must creatively source and build new careers pathways for nurses to enter the industry wherever they can. CNO Missy Baker and President Denise White explained how their organization, Atrium Health Union, created a Health Sciences Academy (HSA) in partnership with a local group of schools to boost economic mobility and engagement in the community while also giving students career pathways into healthcare.
The program begins in kindergarten and lasts through high school, and it aims to provide students with leadership skills and career opportunities, along with a robust health science curriculum. The results of the program so far are remarkable, with cohort students having notably higher GPA and EOC proficiency, better attendance, higher engagement, and fewer disciplinary concerns compared to non-cohort students.
Baker and White explained that CNOs must create innovative solutions to address future workforce demands, which will continue to outpace the supply well into the 2030s. By engaging with community partners, Baker and White said they can develop strategies that not only build the workforce pipeline, but also change lives in their communities.
Finance for leadership
Lastly, it's more important than ever that CNOs are able to comfortably engage with the business side of nursing so that collaboration and communication with the C Suite is more effective. Sarah Kiyoi, executive director workforce effectiveness at Sutter Health, shared how the nursing problem-solving process can be used as a financial problem-solving tool, and how nurse leaders can learn to lead with financial literacy. The team created training for nurses to teach them about the art and science of labor productivity, and how to manage a roster, Kiyoi explained.
CNOs should include business in core competencies and work towards developing frontline leaders, coaching using the nursing process, and explaining the 'why' while focusing on teamwork and nursing excellence. Nurse leaders should be able to embrace their power and influence in a health system through financial literacy so that decisions in healthcare are made with nurses sitting at the table.
Stay tuned for more AONL coverage.
G Hatfield is the CNO editor for HealthLeaders.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
A new staffing and payment strategy at Intermountain Health is yielding positive outcomes while also allowing for flexible coverage that balances out staffing, reduces premium pay, and strengthens caregiver engagement.
Atrium Health Union created a Health Sciences Academy (HSA) to boost economic mobility and engagement in the community while also giving students career pathways into healthcare.
CNOs should include business in core competencies and work towards developing frontline leaders, coaching using the nursing process, and explaining the 'why' while focusing on teamwork and nursing excellence.