There is ample evidence that the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) tools into nursing practice is becoming more commonplace, but there are fewer national resources indicating to what degree prelicensure nursing programs employ these technologies and incorporate related topics into their curriculum.

The current survey study sought to determine the prevalence of registered nurse (RN) and licensed practical nurse (LPN) education programs’ use of generative AI technologies, and the extent to which they embed AI and other digital health topics into their instructional content.

A national survey was conducted of all RN and LPN program administrators nationwide for which we had email contact information (N = 2744).

Prelicensure RN programs (n = 122, 24 %) were more likely to use generative AI technology than LPN programs (n = 27, 12 %, p < 0.001), but more than three-quarters of both types of programs reported they do not use such tools or are not sure. In addition to the low usage of generative AI technology, few programs reported teaching advancements in AI and/or other digital health–related topics to their students (RN n = 87, 17 %; LPN n = 25, 11 %).

Nursing education programs that limit integration of AI into their curriculum risk potentially limiting students’ learning on evidence-based practice and may miss opportunities to promote critical reflection. The results of our study underscore the need to support nursing faculty to ensure prelicensure instructional content prepares nursing students for advancements in clinical practice.