As the complexity of the current healthcare system continues to change, so too must our approach to nursing education. This session explores how performance gaps in nursing students—often masked by success in traditional exams—highlight the need for a shift toward competency-based education (CBE). This session will examine how and emphasize the importance of intentionally aligning classroom instruction and simulation-based learning to create integrated educational experiences for competency-based education. Providing real-world nursing experiences like autonomous decision-making, critical thinking, and clinical judgment by offering repeated, meaningful learning opportunities across multiple times and settings. By breaking down the silos between learning environments, we can foster deeper learning and more accurately assess clinical competency. Educators and clinical leaders will leave with practical strategies for designing experiences that reflect real-life nursing demands and promote readiness for practice from day one.