LTC DON Chat

Amy Stewart, MSN, RN, DNS-MT, QCP-MT, RAC-MT, RAC-MTA, chief nursing officer for AAPACN, and Michelle Stuercke, RN, MSN, DNP, MPA, LNHA, QCP, chief clinical officer with TCM consulting and management, discuss how to manage behavioral health issues in the nursing home.

In this LTC DON Chat podcast episode, Amy Stewart, MSN, RN, DNS-MT, QCP-MT, RAC-MT, RAC-MTA, chief nursing officer for AAPACN, and Lauren Stenson, MSN, RN, CNDLTC, QCP, DNS-CT, curriculum development specialist for AAPACN discuss how long-term care leaders can prepare for the next generation of residents, one that is more tech-savvy, informed, and actively engaged in their care. Additional Resourc...

In the LTC DON Chat podcast episode, Amy Stewart, MSN, RN, DNS-MT, QCP-MT, RAC-MT, RAC-MTA, chief nursing officer for AAPACN, Denise Winzeler, BSN, RN, LNHA, DNS-MT, QCP-MT, director of education and certification for AAPACN, and Lauren Stenson, MSN, RN, CNDLTC, QCP, DNS-CT, curriculum development for AAPACN, share some of the highlights for the AAPACN 2026 Conference that will be held March 17-20...

In this LTC DON Chat podcast episode, Amy Stewart, MSN, RN, DNS-MT, QCP-MT, RAC-MT, RAC-MTA, chief nursing officer for AAPACN, and Denise Winzeler, BSN, RN, LNHA, DNS-MT, QCP-MT, director of education and certification strategy for AAPACN, discuss goal setting for directors of nursing services in 2026. Additional Resource: Stretch and SMART Goal Setting Worksheet Tool

In this LTC DON Chat podcast episode, Amy Stewart, MSN, RN, DNS-MT, QCP-MT, RAC-MT, RAC-MTA, chief nursing officer for AAPACN, and Denise Winzeler, BSN, RN, LNHA, DNS-MT, QCP-MT, director of education and certification strategy for AAPACN, discuss how directors of nursing services can use communication to build physician trust, as well as steps DNSs can take to build a collaborative partnership wi...

In this LTC DON Chat podcast episode, Amy Stewart, MSN, RN, DNS-MT, QCP-MT, RAC-MT, RAC-MTA, chief nursing officer for AAPACN, and Lauren Stenson, MSN, RN, CNDLTC, QCP, DNS-CT, curriculum development specialist for AAPACN, discuss how nurse leaders can reinforce the clinical fundamentals that form the backbone of safe, high-quality care while balancing innovation, regulatory demands, and the reali...

In this LTC DON Chat podcast episode, Amy Stewart, MSN, RN, DNS-MT, QCP-MT, RAC-MT, RAC-MTA, chief nursing officer for AAPACN, and Denise Winzeler, BSN, RN, LNHA, DNS-MT, QCP-MT, director of education and certification strategy for AAPACN, discuss the importance of policy and procedure review in nursing homes, as well as steps the DNS can take to complete this process efficiently and stay in compl...

In this LTC DON Chat podcast episode, Amy Stewart, MSN, RN, DNS-MT, QCP-MT, RAC-MT, RAC-MTA, chief nursing officer for AAPACN, and Denise Winzeler, BSN, RN, LNHA, DNS-MT, QCP-MT, director of education and certification strategy for AAPACN, discuss what to do to prepare for respiratory illness season. 

In this LTC DON Chat podcast episode, Amy Stewart, MSN, RN, DNS-MT, QCP-MT, RAC-MT, RAC-MTA, chief nursing officer for AAPACN, and Lauren Stenson, MSN, RN, CNDLTC, QCP, DNS-CT, curriculum development specialist with AAPACN, discuss ways directors of nursing services can build confidence in their staff. Whether on-boarding new hires, supporting burned-out nurses, or just trying to bring stability t...

In this LTC DON Chat podcast episode, Amy Stewart, MSN, RN, DNS-MT, QCP-MT, RAC-MT, RAC-MTA, chief nursing officer for AAPACN, and Lauren Stenson, MSN, RN, CNDLTC, QCP, DNS-CT, curriculum development specialist with AAPACN, discuss how the director of nursing services (DNS) can advocate for resident-centered care by navigating Appendix PP updates, reducing unnecessary psychotropic medications, and...

In this podcast, Amy Stewart, MSN, RN, DNS-MT, QCP-MT, RAC-MT, RAC-MTA, chief nursing officer for AAPACN, and Denise Winzeler, BSN, RN, LNHA, DNS-MT, QCP-MT, director of education and certification strategy for AAPACN, discuss what to do when someone calls the Department of Health on your facility.  Additional Resources: Admission Checklist: Seed to Success

In this podcast, Amy Stewart, MSN, RN, DNS-MT, QCP-MT, RAC-MT, RAC-MTA, chief nursing officer for AAPACN, and Lauren Stenson, MSN, RN, CNDLTC, QCP, DNS-CT, curriculum development specialist for AAPACN, discuss how directors of nursing services can advance their leadership skills to help their teams be more resilient to the evolving challenges of healthcare. Additional Resources:Self-Care and Why I...

In this podcast, Amy Stewart, MSN, RN, DNS-MT, QCP-MT, RAC-MT, RAC-MTA, chief nursing officer for AAPACN, and Lauren Stenson, MSN, RN, CNDLTC, QCP, DNS-CT, curriculum development specialist for AAPACN, discuss the admission process and ways to ease the resident’s transition into long-term and post-acute care settings.

In this podcast, Amy Stewart, MSN, RN, DNS-MT, QCP-MT, RAC-MT, RAC-MTA, chief nursing officer for AAPACN, and Lauren Stenson, MSN, RN, CNDLTC, QCP, DNS-CT, curriculum development specialist for AAPACN, discuss some common pitfalls of the onboarding and orientation process in long-term and post-acute care settings and how to set new employees up for success. Additional Resources: AAPACN Onboarding...

In this podcast, Amy Stewart, MSN, RN, DNS-MT, QCP-MT, RAC-MT, RAC-MTA, chief nursing officer for AAPACN, and Denise Winzeler, BSN, RN, LNHA, DNS-MT, QCP-MT, curriculum development specialist for AAPACN, discuss how the director of nursing services (DNS) can improve staff retention through the onboarding process. Additional Resources: Interview Template Tool Stay Interview Template and Action Plan...

In this podcast, Amy Stewart, MSN, RN, DNS-MT, QCP-MT, RAC-MT, RAC-MTA, chief nursing officer for AAPACN, and Denise Winzeler, BSN, RN, LNHA, DNS-MT, QCP-MT, curriculum development specialist for AAPACN, discuss turnover and staff retention, what the differences are and how to track these metrics. They will also cover what the director of nursing services (DNS) can learn from these numbers and how...

In this podcast, Denise Winzeler, BSN, RN, LNHA, DNS-MT, QCP-MT, curriculum development specialist for AAPACN, and Amy Stewart, MSN, RN, DNS-MT, QCP-MT, RAC-MT, RAC-MTA, chief nursing officer for AAPACN, discuss facility culture—what it is, why it’s important, and how listeners can assess and implement strategies to improve their culture. Additional Resources: AAPACN’s Nursing Department Culture A...

In this podcast, Amy Stewart, MSN, RN, DNS-MT, QCP-MT, RAC-MT, RAC-MTA, chief nursing officer for AAPACN, and Colleen Oakley, OTR/L NHA RAC-CT, senior director of operations for Rehab America and treasurer and member of the AAPACN Board of Directors, discuss ways that the occupational therapist (OT) can collaborate with the director of nursing services (DNS) for better resident outcomes.

In this podcast, Amy Stewart, MSN, RN, DNS-MT, QCP-MT, RAC-MT, RAC-MTA, chief nursing officer for AAPACN, and Denise Winzeler, BSN, RN, LNHA, DNS-MT, QCP-MT, curriculum development specialist for AAPACN, discuss the opportunity for AAPACN members to advocate for long-term care through AAPACN’s Director of Nursing Services—Expert Advisory Panel (DNS-EAP). Additional Resources:Learn more and apply t...

In this podcast, Amy Stewart, MSN, RN, DNS-MT, QCP-MT, RAC-MT, RAC-MTA, chief nursing officer for AAPACN, and Jacob Berelowitz, LNHA, LMSW, CPHQ, CCM, program director for the Center of Excellence for Behavioral Health in Nursing Facilities (COE-NF), discuss resident behavioral health management—what it is, the benefits of this approach, how it differs from other methods, and some key strategies f...

In this podcast, Amy Stewart, MSN, RN, DNS-MT, QCP-MT, RAC-MT, RAC-MTA, chief nursing officer for AAPACN, and Denise Winzeler, BSN, RN, LNHA, DNS-MT, QCP-MT, curriculum development specialist for AAPACN, discuss common barriers in the care planning process, the risks of delaying care plan updates, and how the director of nursing services (DNS) can support the nursing team in the care planning proc...

In this podcast, Amy Stewart, MSN, RN, DNS-MT, QCP-MT, RAC-MT, RAC-MTA, chief nursing officer for AAPACN, and Anna Sherman, RD, LD, a registered dietitian at RD Nutrition Consultants, discuss the registered dietitian’s role as a key member of the interdisciplinary team and how the director of nursing services (DNS) can collaborate with the dietitian to improve resident and facility outcomes.

In this podcast, Amy Stewart, MSN, RN, DNS-MT, QCP-MT, RAC-MT, RAC-MTA, chief nursing officer for AAPACN, and Linda Winston, RN, MSN, BS, RAC-CT, RAC-CTA, DNS-MT, QCP-MT, independent nurse consultant and educator, discuss how to operationalize change in the workplace. This podcast is sponsored by AAPACN Diamond business partner, MDS Consultants. MDS Consultants provides short-term and long-term MD...

In this podcast, Amy Stewart, MSN, RN, DNS-MT, QCP-MT, RAC-MT, RAC-MTA, chief nursing officer for AAPACN, and Dr. Nancy Kusmaul, PhD, MSW, associate professor in the baccalaureate social work program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, discuss discharge planning best practices to avoid hospital readmissions.

In this podcast, Amy Stewart, MSN, RN, DNS-MT, QCP-MT, RAC-MT, RAC-MTA, chief nursing officer for AAPACN, and Denise Winzeler, BSN, RN, LNHA, DNS-MT, QCP-MT, curriculum development specialist for AAPACN, discuss the director of nursing services’ (DNS's) role in the annual budget.