2026 Care Initiatives New DON Scholarship
Scholarship applications are closed.
Scholarship recipients will be notified in late July 2026.
These scholarships, made possible by Care Initiatives, are for new DONs employed by an IHCA member facility to attend DON Fundamentals - A Playbook for New Nurse Leaders in October 2026. This scholarship program provides a great opportunity for new DONs to learn, grow and connect with others in the same role.
About DON Fundamentals - A Playbook for New Nurse Leaders
Oct. 27-28 | Contact Hours: 10.0
This comprehensive, two-day training is designed to provide new DONs and nurse leaders with the essential skills, strategies and knowledge to excel in their leadership roles within nursing facilities. This program equips nurse leaders with a playbook for success, offering practical tools to navigate the challenges they’ll face in their day-to-day work. The curriculum is tailored specifically to the unique needs of DONs, providing actionable insights into leadership, compliance and human resource management in nursing facility settings.
Course Topics
- Leadership Fundamentals – Mastering Time and Performance Management
- Mitigating Risk and Incident Reporting
- Quality Improvement in LTC – Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement
- Quality Improvement in LTC – Five-Star and Quality Measures
- Involving your Medical Director in your Quality Improvement Program
- Best Practices for Survey Preparedness
- Human Resources for DONs
These scholarships are generously made possible by Care Initiatives.
2026 Scholarship Timeline
- April 15 | Applications Open
- May 31 | Applications Close
- July 31 | The IHCA Foundation Board of Directors will judge qualified applications. Applicants will be notified of the results by the end of July.
- Oct. 27-28 | DON Fundamentals - A Playbook for New Nurse Leaders
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