The Legacy We Lead

Kaiser Permanente (KP) has long recognized that professional nursing is central to its mission, vision, and ability to deliver high-quality, integrated, value-based care. Over the past decade, the KP Scholars Academy—originating as the KP Nurse Scholars Academy in Northern California—has evolved into a powerful strategic platform for advancing professional nursing workforce development, leadership excellence, professional practice, and academic progression across the enterprise. Rooted in the imperatives of health care reform, informed by innovative engagement strategies such as the “Hearts and Minds” visioning forums, and strengthened by a legacy of disruptive nursing innovation dating back to the Kaiser Foundation School of Nursing (KFSN), the Academy has become a catalyst for cultural transformation and professional nursing advancement. By intentionally honoring the past while shaping the future, this work positions professional nursing not as a supporting function, but as a leading force in the evolution of integrated care. This article examines the historical foundations that shaped the Academy, its alignment with KP’s National Nursing Professional Strategy Agenda and Nursing Professional Practice Model, and the strategic nursing workforce priorities that guide its continued evolution—preparing professional nursing to lead with clarity, purpose, and vision toward the next horizon of care.