Resources & Events
What's Happening in Nursing
Conferences, CE opportunities, and learning resources — curated monthly by Alfredo & Erin for nurses at every stage of the journey, including those offering FREE CE. Always looking 3 months ahead.
📅 3-Month Rolling Calendar · 🔄 Updated Every Month
⭐ This Month's Featured Event
🏛️ ANCC Magnet & Pathway to Excellence Conference
October 29-31, 2026 · Chicago, IL
The largest annual gathering of nursing leadership worldwide, co-hosting the Magnet and Pathway to Excellence conferences, with 9,000+ nurse executives and leaders from 20+ countries expected. Offers 148 concurrent sessions and up to 50 ANCC contact hours.
📅 October 2026
🏛️ ANCC Magnet & Pathway to Excellence Conference
October 29-31, 2026 · Chicago, IL
The largest annual gathering of nursing leadership worldwide, co-hosting the Magnet and Pathway to Excellence conferences, with 9,000+ nurse executives and leaders from 20+ countries expected. Offers 148 concurrent sessions and up to 50 ANCC contact hours.
Link: https://magnetpathwaycon.nursingworld.org/
🏛️ American Academy of Nursing Health Policy Conference
October 8-10, 2026 · Washington DC Theme: "Digital Health: Promise, Responsibility," exploring ethical and policy considerations around digital health and AI, including governance, accountability, the patient relationship, and scaling care models.
Link: https://www.academypolicyconference.com/
🏛️ 123rd Annual Convention: Maryland Nurses Association (MNA)
October 8 & 9, 2026 · Maritime Conference Center, Linthicum Heights, MD
The Power of Maryland Nurses: Advancing Health, Honoring Service, Celebrating America 250
Link: 123RD Annual Convention - Maryland Nurses Association
🏛️ Emergency Nursing 2026 (ENA)
September 28 – October 1, 2026 · Phoenix, AZ ENA's annual conference, the largest emergency nursing event, expecting 4,100+ emergency nurses and ED professionals.
Link: https://www.ena.org/events/emergency-nursing-2026
📅 November 2026
🏛️ ANA-NY 14th Annual Conference
November 12–14, 2026 · Troy, NY Hosted by the American Nurses Association of New York, centering on the theme "ESP: Effective, Social, and Professional" to boost leadership and emotional intelligence.
Learn More → aana.com/premier-event/annual-congress
🌍 NPACE Primary Care Conference
November 2–4, 2026 · Napa Valley, CA
Formatted for Nurse Practitioners and advanced practice nurses, providing primary care updates and CEUs.
Learn More → aana.com/premier-event/annual-congress
📚 ANCC Certification Renewal Planning
August — Plan ahead · Online
Great time to review your ANCC certification renewal timeline and map out remaining CE requirements before Q4.
Visit ANCC → nursingworld.org/ancc
📅 December 2026
🏛️ AACN Transform 2026
📍 Indianapolis, IN
📅 Dec 3–5, 2026
AACN's national conference for faculty teaching in baccalaureate and master's nursing programs. It features thought leaders who are changing how nurses are educated and how they practice. Pre-conference events include a Simulation Workshop on Dec 2 and the Faculty Leadership Network program on Dec 3. The 2025 conference drew 775+ attendees, and its topics included technology and AI in nursing education.
Learn More: https://www.aacnnursing.org/transform
🏛️ IHI Forum 2026
📍 Phoenix, AZ (Phoenix Convention Center)
📅 Dec 6–9, 2026
The Institute for Healthcare Improvement's annual forum, which has been running for more than 30 years and is a major event for quality improvement, patient safety, and health equity. Nurses, physicians, executives, and improvement professionals attend. The 2026 agenda also includes an Age-Friendly Health Systems workshop and a review course for the CPAFH credential on Dec 7. Learn More →: https://events.ihi.org/forum
Looking for FREE continuing education (CE):
📚 ANA Continuing Education Online Catalog
Available year-round · Online / Self-Paced
ANA's always-available CE library — ethics, leadership, clinical skills, and wellness topics. Browse CE Catalog → www.nursingworld.org/continuing-education
American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) — Free CE Nurse Courses The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) is proud to share free access to select CE activities, offering a sample of the expert knowledge and evidence-based learning that you can rely on us to deliver. These selected CEs are free for a limited time; sign in or create a free account to start any activity and track your CEs.
https://www.aacn.org/education/free-continuing-education-nurse-courses
Medscape Free Nursing CE
Medscape Education is the leading destination for continuous professional development, comprising 30+ specialty-focused websites offering thousands of free CME/CE courses (ranging from 0.25 to 2 credits) and not-for-credit activities for physicians, nurses, and other healthcare professionals. Medscape, LLC is accredited as a provider of continuing nursing education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation.
🔗 Link: https://www.medscape.org/nurses
Nurse.com Free CE Courses — browse for FREE offerings
Synopsis: Free CE course library (with free account) spanning wound care, meditation/wellness, and healthcare policy topics.
Source: https://www.nurse.com/ce/webinars
How Happenings Works
📅 3-Month Rolling Window
We always show the current month plus the next two — so you're always planning ahead, never looking back at past events.
🔄 Updated Monthly
On the 1st of each month, we drop the oldest month and add a fresh new one. Check back regularly or subscribe to our Wednesday newsletter for monthly Happenings updates delivered to your inbox.
🔗 Direct to Source
Every event links directly to the official primary source — no middlemen, no affiliate links. Just honest, curated resources for nurses by nurses.
📬 Know of a great event?
We personally review every listing. If you know of a conference, webinar, book release, or CE opportunity that belongs here — send it our way!