Registration is now open for the 2026 cohort of the WSHA Rural Nurse Leadership Program. This is a unique opportunity for nurse leaders in rural hospitals to strengthen their leadership and management skills.
The training is designed specifically for nurse managers, charge nurses and clinical nurse educators in rural settings. The curriculum, developed by national nursing leadership expert Ruth Hansten, RN, MBA, Ph.D., focuses on practical skills such as delegation, supervision, problem solving and making assignments. The goal: to improve employee satisfaction and retention while fostering safer care environments for both staff and patients.
This program uses the American Academy of Critical Care Nurses Health Work Environment Assessment Tool (HWEAT) as a pre- and post-measure. Our 2025 cohort showed improvement across all dimensions of the HWEAT after completing the training.
Trainings are free to rural Washington hospitals and take place virtually over 8-12 weeks. The next session will take place in the spring of 2026.
We encourage Chief Nursing Officers or equivalent leaders to coordinate with interested nurse learners to review program details, assess readiness, then complete the application form. Both the CNO and nurse learner will sign a commitment form as part of the application.
Download the flyer to share with your teams and start planning for spring!
Sincerely,
Megan Herman
WSHA Director, Safety and Quality
Meganh@wsha.org