Description/Overview: Advanced practice nurses (APNs) play a critical role as facilitators of evidence-based practice (EBP). Therefore, the education and preparation of APNs must include a strong foundation in the scholarly prerequisites to EBP. APNs need advanced knowledge and skill in finding appropriate sources of evidence, as well as critical appraisal, synthesis, and clinical implementation of evidence-based practices. The first presentation in this session will describe the evolution of APN education and APN role implementation, including recent trends leading up to the current mandate for doctoral preparation across the US. These trends will be compared to the simultaneous evolution of EBP. Participants will consider how each of these trends has influenced the other, in the Americas as well as in other regions of the world. The second presentation will focus on strategies for using an evidence-based approach to APN education, as well as case exemplars for teaching the principles and processes of EBP to APNs. The final paper will be presented by an APN who was educated in a traditional master’s level program, as well as a doctor of nursing practice (DNP) program. This presenter has since assumed a faculty role where she has led the process of transitioning a master’s level program into a new DNP program. This presentation will include recommendations for faculty members who are constantly challenged to refine APN programs in response to current health care trends and regulatory requirements.

Learner Objective #1: Describe the evolution of advanced practice nursing education from a global perspective.

Learner Objective #2: Explain the relationship between evidence-based nursing practice and advanced nursing practice.