Imagine this: It’s your first day as a newly licensed nurse. You walk into the ICU, assigned to a critically ill patient, but there’s no structured onboarding, no formal preceptor to guide you—just you, your education, and the expectation that you’re ready.
That’s exactly what Dr. Kristen Ponichtera described during the webinar, How To Align Your Nursing Program to the CBE Model. Drawing from her own experience, she shared the unsettling reality that many new nurses face—a reality that competency-based education (CBE) aims to change.
As a Nursing and Healthcare Content Specialist at LearningMate, Dr. Ponichtera brings extensive experience in higher education, emergency and critical care nursing, and content development. Her expertise provided valuable insight into the challenges and solutions surrounding the transition to CBE.
The webinar explores key questions at the heart of the CBE movement:
🔹 Why are nursing programs shifting to competency-based education?
🔹 What challenges arise during the transition?
🔹 What technology can nursing programs leverage to help with the transition?
One of the most pressing concerns? New graduate readiness. Despite completing rigorous coursework and clinical rotations, 68% of nursing graduates report feeling underprepared for real-world clinical decision-making. Employers feel the gap too—hospitals estimate that it takes an average of six months before a new nurse reaches independent practice capability.
This disconnect between education and practice is precisely why Competency-Based Education (CBE) is gaining momentum in nursing programs across the country. Rather than focusing on time spent in lectures and clinical rotations, CBE ensures that students can demonstrate essential nursing competencies before they graduate—giving them the confidence, skills, and readiness to excel in today’s fast-evolving healthcare landscape.
However, as we learned from polling our webinar attendees, nursing programs are in various stages of transitioning to CBE:
41% are currently in the process
28% are planning to start soon
18% have no plans yet
13% fall into other categories
For those already making the shift, the benefits are clear: higher NCLEX pass rates, reduced clinical placement challenges, and greater employer satisfaction. But for many programs, the question remains—how do we make this transition successfully?
Let’s dive into the why, how, and next steps for integrating CBE into your nursing curriculum.
Why Nursing Programs Are Transitioning to CBE
The shift toward competency-based nursing education isn’t just a passing trend—it’s an urgent response to the evolving demands of healthcare. During the webinar, Dr. Ponichtera emphasized that today’s healthcare environment is evolving faster than ever. "New technologies, changing patient demographics, and evolving care models mean our nursing education must keep pace,’ she explained.”
Consider these industry shifts:
✅ Technology is revolutionizing patient care. Healthcare technology adoption has increased by 167% since 2020, and 76% of healthcare facilities now use AI-assisted electronic health records.
✅ Patient populations are more complex. The aging population has increased by 20–25%, requiring more specialized, high-acuity nursing care.
✅ New graduates aren’t fully practice-ready. Many employers report that new nurses lack clinical judgment, struggle with technology, and aren’t prepared for interprofessional communication.
Traditional nursing education models—while foundational—aren’t fully bridging the gap between classroom learning and real-world practice. CBE changes that by focusing on skill demonstration over seat time, real-world decision-making over memorization, and adaptability over rigidity.
How Prepared Are Nursing Programs for the Shift?
When asked to rate their program’s readiness in meeting the AACN Essentials on a scale from 1 to 5, our attendees responded:
8.89% rated their preparedness as a 1 (low readiness)
28.89% rated it as a 2
31.11% rated it as a 3
28.89% rated it as a 4
Only 2.22% rated it as a 5 (fully prepared)
Clearly, most programs recognize the need for CBE but are still working toward full integration. Understanding the challenges and solutions is critical for those in transition—and those yet to begin.
The Challenges of Transitioning to CBE (And How to Overcome Them)
1. Faculty Resistance to Change
Dr. Ponichtera noted that many experienced educators have spent years refining their teaching methods and may feel overwhelmed by the shift to CBE. ‘One of the most effective ways to bring faculty on board is through small, incremental changes—starting with CBE elements in select assignments or clinical simulations,’ she advised.
Solution: Start small. Introduce CBE through select assignments, clinical simulations, or debriefing sessions. Provide faculty training, mentorship, and peer support groups to ease the transition.
2. Student Adaptation to a New Learning Model
CBE requires students to take greater ownership of their learning, which can be overwhelming—especially for those used to structured, lecture-based education.
Solution: “Providing clear competency checklists, digital tracking tools, and strong faculty support helps ease this transition,” Dr. Ponichtera recommends.
Peer mentoring and faculty guidance can also help students adjust.
3. Adapting Assessment Methods
According to Dr. Ponichtera, one of the biggest challenges nursing programs face is developing assessments that measure both technical skills and clinical decision-making. “CBE is not just about checking off a list of completed tasks—it’s about ensuring students can integrate knowledge, think critically, and respond effectively in complex situations,” she stated.
Solution: Implement a layered assessment approach:
🔹 Step 1: Technical skill validation in a controlled lab setting
🔹 Step 2: High-fidelity simulations introducing patient complications
🔹 Step 3: Supervised real-patient care experiences in clinical settings
This approach ensures students progress from technical mastery to independent decision-making before graduation.
4. Administrative and Accreditation Challenges
CBE programs must align with AACN Essentials, state board regulations, and accrediting bodies like CCNE and ACEN while maintaining rigorous documentation.
Solution: Utilize curriculum mapping and competency tracking technology like CORE CompMS to align learning objectives with accreditation standards and track student performance with real-time analytics.
Implementing CBE: A Step-by-Step Guide
During the webinar, Dr. Ponichtera emphasized the importance of an incremental approach.
“Programs that rush the transition often face resistance and implementation challenges. A phased approach—starting with faculty development and small curriculum pilots—leads to a more successful and sustainable transition,” she advised.
Programs that successfully transition to CBE typically follow a phased approach over 18–24 months:
📌 Phase 1 (0–6 months): Faculty training & curriculum mapping
📌 Phase 2 (6–12 months): Pilot CBE in select courses
📌 Phase 3 (12–18 months): Expand implementation & collect data
📌 Phase 4 (18–24 months): Full program-wide transition & continuous improvement
By taking incremental steps and celebrating small wins along the way, programs can ensure a smoother transition with long-term success.
Technology’s Role in Supporting CBE
A successful CBE transition requires the right tools to track competencies, manage clinical assessments, and align with accreditation standards.
How Can CORE Solutions Help With Your Transition to CBE?:
✅ CORE ELMS—Tracks clinical rotations, interprofessional education, simulation labs, and patient encounters to tie all the data back to competencies.
✅ CORE CompMS—Provides a platform for curriculum mapping, measuring effectiveness, and demonstrating outcomes to ensure students meet required learning outcomes.
✨You can even leverage an add-on service offering to help with the mapping process. Want to learn more?
✅ MyCred E-Portfolios—Allows students to demonstrate and showcase competencies with digital portfolios for faculty and employers.
By leveraging technology, nursing programs can streamline the transition to CBE, simplify assessment tracking, and ensure compliance with accreditation bodies.
Final Thoughts: The Future of Nursing Education is Here
As Dr. Ponichtera highlighted throughout the webinar, transitioning to CBE is not just about changing how we teach—it’s about ensuring that nursing graduates are fully prepared for the complexities of modern healthcare. “The future of nursing education lies in our ability to adapt, innovate, and maintain the highest standards of competency-based learning,” she concluded.
📢 Key Takeaways:
✔ CBE ensures practice-ready nurses by focusing on skills, not seat time
✔ Multimodal assessments better prepare students for real-world patient care
✔ Faculty & student support are critical for a smooth transition
✔ Technology like CORE CompMS & CORE ELMS simplifies key processes in clinical education.
The path to CBE may be challenging, but the destination is worth it—for educators, students, employers, and, most importantly, patients.
Ready to take the next step? Request a demo today!
References
American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2023). Competency-based education for practice-ready nurse graduates. https://www.aacnnursing.org
Dormire, S. L., Adamek, R. C. H., Shields, S. M., Wilkens, C., McLennon, S., Vela, C., & Moffitt, C. (2025). A framework to redesign nursing undergraduate curriculum: One program’s journey. Journal of Nursing Education, 64(1), 27–33. https://doi.org/10.3928/01484834-20250106-01
Lajiness, M. J., & Lis, G. A. (2023). Competency-based education in nursing: What is it and how does it affect urology nurses? Urologic Nursing, 43(4), 158-160. https://doi.org/10.7257/2168-4626.2023.43.4.158
Lewis, L. S., Rebeschi, L. M., & Hunt, E. (2022). Nursing education practice update 2022: Competency-based education in nursing. SAGE Open Nursing, 8, 1-6. https://doi.org/10.1177/23779608221140774
Moore, W., Palerino, A., & Pawloski, K. (2024). Integrating innovation and competency-based education in the development of a new direct-entry master of science in nursing program. Journal of Professional Nursing, 53, 65-70. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.profnurs.2024.05.004
Nagai, M., Oikawa, M., Komagata, T., Basuana, J. D. B., Ulyabo, G. K., Minagawa, Y., Matsuoka, S., Egami, Y., Honda, M., & Tamura, T. (2024). Clinical competency of nurses trained in competency-based versus objective-based education in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: A qualitative study. Human Resources for Health, 22(38). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12960-024-00921-0
Stuart, T. L. (n.d.). Increasing new graduate nurse retention from a student nurse perspective. The Journal of Nursing. Retrieved from https://rn-journal.com/journal-of-nursing/increasing-new-graduate-nurse-retention-from-a-student-nurse-perspective
Welch, S. (2024). Competence to expertise in nursing practice. Contemporary Nurse: A Journal for the Australian Nursing Profession, 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1080/10376178.2024.2445276
Wolters Kluwer. (2020). How prepared are new nurse graduates for practice today? Wolters Kluwer Nursing Education. https://www.wolterskluwer.com/en/news/how-prepared-are-new-nurse-graduates-for-practice-today
.png)
Alexis Carbone
Author
