Abstract

The landscape in master's-prepared nursing education has vastly changed. Programs are constantly expanding and evolving to respond to changing trends and needs in healthcare. Simultaneously, the demographic profile of nurses returning to graduate studies has immeasurably diversified. While it can be argued that developing advanced practice nurses (APNs) at an earlier time point may lengthen their leadership careers such that they build stronger portfolios to effect more substantive healthcare changes, it is also worth questioning whether limited clinical experience in our new generation of nurse leaders will ultimately widen our proverbial knowledge–practice gap.