The American Organization for Nursing Leadership’s conference is one of the key annual milestones for the entire healthcare industry: a moment to step back, look at the bigger picture, and reconnect with collaborators and colleagues from around the country. Throughout a week full of open dialogue, fresh thinking, and meaningful partnership, a few themes kept rising to the top for our team in attendance.
The power of the right partnerships
AONL reinforced something we believe deeply: the best workforce solutions aren't built alone. The Prolink Clinical Team is dedicated to advancing the practice of nursing, and our leadership is in lockstep with our collaborators on what the future of nursing practice should look like. We were proud to celebrate our ongoing collaboration with Case Western Reserve University's Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing—including its Marian K. Shaughnessy Nurse Leadership Academy Coldiron Fellowship program—alongside the April 2026 publication of our joint research on nurse preceptors in Nurse Leader magazine.
We also had the privilege of offering live Precision Coaching sessions in our booth through our partners at Inspire Nurse Leaders. Dr. Lori Armstrong and Leslie Schafer drew a crowd, and for good reason. Their commitment to developing leaders, reducing burnout, and empowering nurses to drive change is matched only by their genuine passion for leaving the profession better than they found it. And Grapefruit Health’s Founder and CEO Eric Alvarez reminded us how innovation in care-gap closure is pushing the entire workforce solutions space forward. These are the kinds of partners that make us better.
A nursing brain trust in action
The Prolink booth was designed as a "one-stop workforce shop.” Over the course of the conference, it became a place for some of the top minds in the industry to exchange ideas. Healthcare leaders stopped by to share their challenges, swap solutions, and have real conversations about what's working and what isn't. The energy wasn't transactional; it was collaborative. It felt less like a trade show floor and more like a room full of people who genuinely want to solve hard problems together.
That kind of open dialogue is what makes AONL worth attending year after year. The people make it what it is; this year, we were reminded that true partnership is advisory and consultative. Our expertise is enhanced by the people in our industry who push us to think outside the box—and vice versa.
AI at the bedside is no longer a future conversation
Virtual nursing and artificial intelligence were front and center this year, and the questions the field is wrestling with are ones we're thinking about closely, too. How do we balance the efficiency that AI can bring with the irreplaceable human connection at the heart of patient care? From a workforce standpoint, how do we plan for a staffing landscape being reshaped by tools that improve both clinical documentation and care delivery?
At Prolink, we’re already reshaping our processes with AI-based tools with stellar results. Our virtual assistant-driven clinical rounding calls drive more clinicians to the resources they need. We’ve had success with the tools we’ve implemented so far, but we’re always looking for new ways to embrace emerging technology and use our agile framework to drive innovation.
AI is a resource, not a replacement. The most forward-thinking healthcare organizations will be the ones that figure out how to harness it without losing what makes nursing what it is. We're committed to helping the health systems we partner with navigate that balance.
Shaping the future of nursing—together
AONL 2026 was a reminder of what makes the nursing profession so special. The challenges facing the healthcare workforce are real, but so is the creativity, the passion, and the collaborative spirit of nursing leaders. We’d like to thank everyone who made this year’s conference a success: those who stopped by our booth, connected with us at our welcome reception, and collaborators new and old who push our industry forward.
