Nursing Economic$

In 1976, nursing leaders in the emerging ambulatory care space convened for the first time, laying the foundation of an organization that would come to address the evolving needs of an entirely new practice space. The year 2025 marks 50 years of building the science and practice of ambulatory care nursing; advocacy for quality health care, access, and coverage; continuing professional education and resource development; and collaboration with in and outside of nursing. This article discusses the history of professional organizations and their role and value in nursing, and highlights the milestones of the American Academy of Ambulatory Care Nursing, and its past and present work to advance the specialty.

Burnout among ambulatory care nurses is a growing crisis driven by increasing patient volumes, administrative burdens, and emotional labor. This phenomenon affects individual well-being and impacts patient safety, health care quality, and institutional stability. This article examines factors contributing to burnout in ambulatory care settings, including workload pressures, compassion fatigue, and insufficient organizational support. Additionally, it explores evidence-based interventions aimed at enhancing workforce well-being, such as fostering supportive workplace cultures, implementing resilience and mindfulness training, optimizing scheduling, and integrating peer support programs. By adopting these strategies, health care organizations can mitigate burnout, improve nurse retention, and enhance patient care delivery.

As 2025 marks the 50th anniversary of the American Academy of Ambulatory Care Nursing, the Perspectives in Ambulatory Care column is pleased to feature a series by notable leaders in the fields of ambulatory, community, and public health care focusing on historic achievements, who will present challenges and future visions. In this article, renowned public health nurse educator and researcher Dr. Rosanna DeMarco presents a rich history of nursing leadership through a community engaged and focused care lens, and offers her career and research as an exemplar of how nurses engage with people in their daily lives and positively affect individual, family, and community-centric health outcomes outside acute-care.

This article outlines the core elements of the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) Pathway to Excellence® Program and key support resources available through the American Academy of Ambulatory Care Nursing’s ambulatory practice settings seeking to deepen nursing practice through mobilization of a ANCC Pathway to Excellence® designation.

Ambulatory care nurses are in an ideal position to gather social determinants of health (SODH) information from patients. Data on SDOH give nurses deeper insights into non-clinical factors affecting patient health, providing an opportunity for a more integrated approach to care. The challenge lies in turning this awareness into action. With increased visibility of issues like food insecurity, nurses seek practical solutions. Organizations may address this by partnering with food pantries or developing in-house programs, allowing staff to offer ‘food prescriptions'’ as direct interventions. This article explores the evolution of SDOH assessments and highlights evidence-based strategies from current literature to help outpatient health care providers effectively operationalize these assessments to tackle food insecurity.

To advance the science of ambulatory care nursing, the American Academy of Ambulatory Care Nursing (AAACN) has launched a research committee. Initial work included development of two national studies and a scoping review. This article describes the committee’s origins and outlines the scoping review protocol.

Workplace violence in ambulatory care is less controlled than in inpatient settings due to a variety of factors, including location, patient population, volume of visits, hours of operation, physical environment, and availability of resources. Personal knowledge, skills, and ability, as well as data and organizational resources, are needed to mitigate events. Continued research, publication of evidence-based practice, and advocacy for laws protecting health care workers in ambulatory care are necessary. The development of workplace violence risk assessments, violence screening questions, and national nursing quality indicators are needed to help move the prevention needle in ambulatory care settings.

Mobilizing health, creating access, and improving health should be the primary concerns of today’s nursing profession. This article explores the American Academy of Ambulatory Care Nursing’s utilization of the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Magnet® Recognition Program as a means to revolutionize health care across all settings to create equity and health for all patients.

The American Academy of Ambulatory Care Nursing (AAACN) recognizes a paradigm shift represented by the volume of health care delivery flowing from episodic acute care encounters to long-term relationships. This shift presents opportunities to further recognize and prepare nurse graduates for the complex and expanded role of the ambulatory care registered nurse (RN). This position paper discusses the current state of the RN role in ambulatory care and provides a vision for the future. The paper further identifies challenges, poses possible solutions, and highlights the AAACN position on the role of the ambulatory care RN.

The opioid crisis continues to impact the United States despite efforts to reduce or remove barriers to expanding access to opioid use disorder (OUD) care and treatment. There is significant work still to be done. Given the overall financial impact to health care, the criminal justice system, and general lost productivity in the United States that continues to grow each year, it is imperative that interventions supportive approaches be implemented. As licensed clinicians, ambulatory care registered nurses have the potential to make a significant impact to the expansion of OUD services. However, overcoming the barrier of billing for their services is a hurdle that must be tackled.