Meet our ENLs

View our 2019 cohort and connect with them on neo.

You can find out about the ENL journey of our remarkable 2018 graduates through their reflections in the ENL program graduate eBook.

Interested in becoming an ENL?

If you are an ambitious go-getter looking for an opportunity to step outside of your comfort zone to advance your career and become the best nurse leader you can be then look no further! The ENL program will allow you to demonstrate your drive and initiative. The program is self-paced and self-driven, meaning you will get as much out of the program as you put in. Participants will be required to independently complete a range of activities in order to accrue the points required to complete the program. Applications are open to current and up-and-coming nurse leaders, from undergraduate nursing students to nurses in their sixth year of nursing practice. Check out the eligibility requirements and detailed program outline for each stage below. Up to 50 participants will be welcomed into the program each year.

How to apply?

Applications for the 2019 ENL program have closed. Register your interest for the 2020 intake below to be notified as soon as information becomes available.

Program overview and eligibility

To be eligible to apply for the ENL program, applicants must be ACN members. Click on the icons to view the program overview and additional eligibility for each stage.

Stage 1

Empowered to LEARN

Students completing a Bachelor of Nursing (final year), Nursing Masters or Nursing Honours year

Stage 2

Empowered to GROW

Registered Nurses in their first year of practice

Stage 3

Empowered to REACH

Registered Nurses in their second or third year of practice

Stage 4

Empowered to ACHIEVE

Registered Nurses in their fourth or fifth year of practice

Stage 5

Empowered to LEAD

Registered Nurses in their sixth year of practice

ENL program objectives

The program is divided into five stages reflecting the challenges and opportunities nurses face as they progress through their leadership journey. Each stage is nine months and participants are welcome to enter at any stage depending on where they are in their personal journey.

Throughout the various stages within the ENL program participants will:

identify and have a greater awareness and understanding of their own leadership qualities, through self-assessment and ACN professional feedback
see an improvement in their own leadership confidence and effectiveness
have developed a social, ethical and professional understanding of contemporary health care environments to provide nurse leadership within the health care context
have a growing understanding of the socio-political environment of nursing
have a better understanding of change mechanisms within the profession of nursing and health sector
be better equipped to understand the development of nursing policy, research and education and its influence on the profession and broader health environment.