American Association of Colleges of Nursing: New Essentials, Quality and Safety Domain

Since 1986, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) has published its Essentials, a framework to guide all levels of nursing education and practice. This brief overview will describe the latest AACN Essentials, including 4 spheres of care and 10 domains of nursing, with an emphasis on the fifth domain focusing on quality and safety. Implications for the specialty of oncology nursing and exemplars for implementation may expedite application of this new education and clinical practice framework.