Professional Organizations

Professional Organizations

Professional Organizations are associations that have been formed by a group of people with similar interests, such as a career to further the interests of the members. They have been in existence since the 19^th century in America. There are very many nursing professional organizations in the world. Some include; The American National Association, the Hospice and Palliative National Organization, the National Student Nurses Association, the State Nursing Organization. These organizations bring together people with similar interests. They can, therefore, champion their rights, create job opportunities, foster interactions with other people in your profession both socially and professionally, and mentor younger members in the group. Therefore, they are crucial, and nurses should be registered in a professional organization that is relevant to them. This discussion will be based on two professional organizations, their roles, membership, and resources available to their members. We will also look into the general importance of professional organizations.

The American Nurses Association

The American Nurses Association (ANA) is a non-profitable nurses’ professional organization that was founded in 1896 as the American Associated alumni to promote the interests of the nurses. It was, however, renamed the American Nurses Association in 1911. Its headquarters are in Silversprings, Maryland, in the United States. It has membership in 54 states in the United States. The joint of ANA and ANA/c membership fee is $15 per month and $174 per year (“American Nurses Association,” 2020).

ANA is essential to nursing because it is at the forefront to champion the interests of about four million registered nurses in America. It helps in ensuring the nurses work in safe working environments; it promotes nurses’ ethics in their workplaces, it advocates for high quality and standard nursing practice, protects the health of registered nurses, and ensures that they are in good health. Finally, it helps in advocating the issues that affect nurses in their practice. Some of the resources available to nurses in the association include; research opportunities and career advancement opportunities. ANA has contributed to nurses’ research through its various affiliate programs such as the American Academy of Nursing and the American Nurses Foundation (ANF). The ANF was developed to foster research and education programs among the nurses. Through the National Research Grants program, it offers grants to beginner members to conduct research. The ANF has also been useful in providing career opportunities to the nurses, such as leadership roles and joining the forces as a nurse. The current issues the organization has been working on since 2019 include reauthorization of the nursing workforce programs and ensuring the stability of the Affordable Care Act (“American Nurses Association,” 2020).

The National Student Nurses’ Association

The National Student Nurses’ Association (NSNA) is a non-profitable organization which was founded in 1952. It is based in Brooklyn, New York, in the United States. The president of the association is Douglas David. The NSNA has a total membership of 60, 000 members who are distributed in 50 states. The full membership cost is $30 per year plus the state dues. The cost is subsidized for new members. They have a discount of $5. Regular members also receive a discount of $10 if they pay for two consecutive years (“NSNA,” 2020).

NSNA is essential to nursing because it mentors student nurses to develop professionalism, ethics, and quality nursing practice standards and skills that will enable them to be professional and accountable nurses. It also trains students to understand leadership roles and take up leadership roles in the profession. The student nurses are trained to develop core values of quality education, advocacy, care, and diversity. Some of the resources available to members include; conferences, scholarship opportunities, magazines, and leadership development programs. The National Student Nurses’ Association holds Mid-Year conferences to discuss various topics relevant to the students’ nurses, such as career talks and ways in which they can get career opportunities when they complete their undergraduate programs. These conventions and conferences are subsidized for members of the association. NSNA also offer scholarship opportunities to their members. Through the Foundation of the National Student Nurses Association (FNSNA), more than 4.3million scholarships have been provided for the undergraduate nurses. NSNA also publishes an official magazine called the Imprint. It is published five times during their academic year and emailed to all the members. Members can also access it online. The magazine contains valuable insight into the student nurses, and they can learn about nursing and the opportunities that are available to them (“NSNA,” 2020).

The current issues NSNA is working on include; scheduling their 68^th annual convention and offering guidance for student nurses during the coronavirus pandemic (“NSNA,” 2020).

Importance of Profession Organizations to Nursing

Professional Organizations are essential in nursing. They help in the career advancement of the nurses. This is by encouraging research programs and giving grants to support nurses doing research. This helps to foster research culture among nurses. Nurses get to learn better-discovered methods of offering nursing care to patients. Professional organizations also enhance career advancement by training nurses to develop core values of professionalism, ethics, leadership and autonomy, and quality practices. Nurses get training in various fields and acquire practical skills that are useful in their practice. It also offers an opportunity for life-long learning. The nurses are, therefore, competent to perform their roles. Professional organizations also enable nurses to get employment opportunities. Some organizations, such as the American Nurses Association, helps interested members to get employment opportunities in the forces (Marcotte et al., 2014).

Professional organizations also help in networking among nurses from various states and countries. This is because they usually organize annual conventions and conferences where members from multiple states attend. The nurses can also exchange ideas and information that is relevant to their profession and learn from each other. Members of professional organizations can also benefit from them through the journals and magazines issued by the organizations. This enables them to be informed of the latest guidelines and practices. Thus, it enhances their nursing practice. Professional organizations also provide scholarships to members of the organization. They liaise with organizations offering scholarship opportunities and secure them for their members (Marcotte et al., 2014).

Conclusion

Professional Organizations play a crucial role in nursing. They play a crucial role in the career advancement of nurses, providing networking and scholarship opportunities, and developing core values such as professionalism, advocacy, and leadership skills in the nurses. The American Nurses Association is a non-profitable nurses’ organization aimed at championing the interests of nurses, ensuring safety and ethics at the workplace, and advocating for high quality and competent practice among the nurses. It is based in Maryland in the United States. The National Student Nurses’ Association is an organization based in New York in the United States and is aimed at championing the student nurses’ interests. It mentors the student nurses to develop core values of leadership, professionalism, advocacy, and competent nursing practice. Professional organizations are playing a crucial role in the lives of students and registered nurses. Therefore, others who have not joined any organization are encouraged to do so.

References

Marcotte, L., Moriates, C., & Milstein, A. (2014). Professional Organizations’ Role in Supporting Physicians to Improve Value in Health Care. JAMA, 312(3), 231. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2014.6762

American Nurses Association. ANA. (2020). Retrieved 3 April 2020, from https://www.nursingworld.org/ana/.

NSNA. NSNA. (2020). Retrieved 3 April 2020, from https://www.nsna.org/.