Marcy Ainslie Honored as Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing

Marcy Ainslie, an assistant professor at the UNH School of Nursing, was recently named a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing (FAAN). Being named a Fellow is one of the field’s highest honors, recognizing sustained leadership, innovation, and research that improves health and advances health equity.  

As a Senior Fellow with the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF), Ainslie led a team of 81 experts in developing the first national Competency Implementation Guide for Nurse Practitioner Faculty, establishing benchmarks that help programs adopt competency-based education (CBE) and align outcomes across all 534 NP programs in the U.S. Additionally, she co-developed and validated the Nurse Practitioner Student Competency Assessment Instrument, which more than 500 faculty members requested nationwide to operationalize CBE.  

Ainslie also serves on the American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s Nursing Progression Indicators Subcommittee, one of just nine experts from the U.S. chosen to help develop expected student behaviors across all levels and roles of nursing.  

“CBE allows for individualized coaching that supports every student’s success and prepares practice-ready graduates to deliver quality care in today’s complex health systems,” Ainslie says.  

Ainslie’s research efforts include 17 national and international presentations and 15 peer-reviewed publications, which have reached more than 2,500 nurse practitioner educators and drawn the attention of the U.S. Department of Veterans Health Administration, the country’s largest NP employer. Her work also helped NP programs nationwide adapt to telehealth and distance learning models during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to her role at UNH, Ainslie is a nurse practitioner with the Mental Health Center of Greater Manchester, providing integrated medical care for those diagnosed with severe mental illness and substance use disorder.

Earlier this year, Ainslie was inducted as a Fellow of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, recognizing her significant contributions to nurse practitioner education and practice globally.  

“This work has been a collective effort, and I am grateful for the talented and dedicated nursing experts who have shared this journey with me,” Ainslie says. “Receiving the FAAN designation is an extraordinary honor that is both humbling and inspiring.”