2027 Program Preview

Program Details

Unlock your potential to shape the future of healthcare with the SDAHO Nurse Leadership Program. 

To transform care delivery and secure high-quality outcomes, impactful nurse leaders must treat continuous professional development as a core obligation rather than a simple asset.

Launched in 2019, the SDAHO Nurse Leadership Program delivers a customized educational experience with real-world operational tools.  Designed for both current and emerging hospital and post-acute care nurses, this premier program delivers actionable operational tools you can immediately apply to elevate your practice and drive better outcomes in your organization and community.  You will learn directly from South Dakota’s leading healthcare experts through an immersive, dynamic curriculum featuring interactive lectures, hands-on independent study project, and invaluable networking opportunities.

Invest in your professional growth, master your nursing leadership competencies, and register today to become the visionary leader your organization needs.

Who Should Attend: 

The SDAHO Nurse Leadership Program serves current and emerging nurse leaders in hospitals and post-acute care settings, including nursing homes, assisted living facilities, home health and hospice.

If you are a Nurse Executive, Director of Nursing, Associate DON, Nurse Manager or an aspiring leader ready to grow your operational skill, this program is for you!

Why you Should Attend:

  • Cultivate a statewide professional network of nursing peers to actively share best practices, exchange, clinical insights and accelerate professional growth.
  • Elevate professional communication strategies to build trust, bridge interprofessional gaps, and foster a collaborative workplace culture.
  • Lead organizational initiatives and clinical change initiatives by applying structured evidence-based project management steps to minimize disruptions to daily workflows.
  • Examine the responsibility of healthcare leaders to champion policies in advocacy efforts that influence organizational and community health policies.
  • Examine leadership and human resources partnership and review complex healthcare labor laws
  • Apply core management principles to seamless guide teams through department operations
  • Analyze the relationship between unit-level operational expenses (such as overtime, turnover, unit equipment) and the broader financial health of the organization.

Objectives

  • Formulate advanced communication strategies to effectively resolve conflict, manage crisis, and lead diverse teams.
  • Apply foundational operational and leadership principles to complex, real world clinical and management scenarios.
  • Evaluate operational workflows to ensure continuous regulatory compliance and foster a culture of evidence-based clinical inquiry.
  • Execute critical leadership competencies in strategic decision-making, financial tracking, talent development, and leading sustainable change.
  • Navigate healthcare employment law and leverage human resources partnerships to manage performance and mitigate legal risk.

FAQs

Nurse Leadership Portal

Program Overview:

  • Format: 10 session hybrid model (combining virtual and in-person events)
  • Core Topics: Crucial Conversations, SD Board of Nursing, AONL Nurse Leader Core Competencies, healthcare ethics, innovative leadership, healthcare finance, human resources, advocacy, and evidence-based practice
  • Resources for self-initiated leadership development
  • Completion Requirements: Attend at least 8 of the 10 sessions (with a minimum of 2 in-person) and submit a final independent study project.
  • Cost: $375 for SDAHO members and $500 for non-members (including training materials and conference registrations)

Tentative Schedule

Expectations for the Program:

  • Attend all in-person and virtual events.
  • Active participation in both in-person and virtual events.
    • Ensure you have a working webcam.
  • If you are unable to attend a virtual or an in-person event, notify SDAHO immediately.
  • Program is designed for 10 sessions, no substitutions.
  • Complete course evaluations at the end of each event.

Successful Completion of the Program: 

  • Attend at least 8 of the 10 sessions, 2 of which must be in-person events.
  • Submission of final independent study project by 4pm on Wednesday, October 6, 2027.

2027 Registration Information:

  • SDAHO Members = $375
  • Non-Members = $500
  • Pricing includes all sessions in education program, such as:
    • Crucial Conversation© training and books (a savings of $2000) 
    • Post-Acute Partners in Care Convention registration (a savings of $200 member/$300 non-member)
    • Annual Convention registration (a savings of $250 member/$375 nonmember)
    • Meals and/or snacks for in-person events

Have questions? 

Contact Debra Morello at debra.morello@sdaho.org or call 605-789-7536

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