Addressing the elephant in the room: Differentiating the AACN Essentials levels of competency within advanced practice

While the 2021 AACN Essentials, “The Essentials: Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education”, provide a framework for educational preparation, academia is challenged to navigate through the muddy waters of competency attainment at the advanced level (L2). The aim of the new Essentials is to serve as a curriculum guide and provide a clear vision of the profession to community and stakeholders, while those within the profession struggle to thread this vision through redesign, specifically differentiating competency in L2 for master's and doctoral level preparation. This perspective article challenges educators to expand the definition of competency attainment to one of innovation based on the history and evolution of Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) education, competency-based education (CBE), and the achievement of milestones as advanced practice moves to entry level as DNP. •Confusion exists around differences between masters and doctoral education and the L2 Essentials competency attainment•Masters education develops high level clinical competence while leadership capacity to improve care occurs at a doctoral level•Competency-based education and EPAs can showcase the progressive development and attainment of advanced practice skills