The American Nurses
Association
The importance of belonging to
your professional nursing
associations
What do associations do?
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Set the standards of practice for the profession
Maintain the Code of Ethics
Promote the profession to the public
Educate their members on issues through
continuing education and publications
Advocate for their members on the Federal and
State level
Provide opportunities for members to interact,
discuss trends and disseminate knowledge
Nursing Associations
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There are over 100 specialty organizations
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Focus on the clinical aspects of each specialty
Focus on areas that are unique to the specialty
American Nurses Association
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Focus on the issues that affect all of nursing
and patient care
History of ANA
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Deplorable working conditions and the need to protect the
public from incompetent women who claimed to be trained
nurses propelled nursing leaders to form an association of
trained nurses
In September 1896, The Nurses Associated Alumnae of
the United States and Canada was formed
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Renamed the American Nurses Association in 1911
The Goals of the Association
“To establish and maintain a
code of ethics; to elevate
the standards of nursing
education; to promote the
usefulness and honor, the
financial and other
interests of nursing.”
Minutes of the Association,
February 1897
A Sample of Historical
Accomplishments
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1901 – Helped secure passage of a bill creating the Army
Nurse Corps – under the direction of a properly trained
nurse
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1913 – With the Red Cross, ANA developed a plan that took
public health nursing to rural communities.
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1934 – ANA’s House of Delegates approved an 8-hour work
day for nurses
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1945 – ANA intensified efforts to recruit nurses for military
service as an alternative to President Roosevelt’s proposal
to draft nurses into military services.
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1955 – ANA helped pass a bill to commission male nurses
in the Reserve Nurse Corp
A Sample of Historical
Accomplishments
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1965 – ANA was the first association of health care
professionals to endorse the creation of Medicare.
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1976 – Nurse Training and Health Services Bill, vetoed by
President Ford, was overridden by Congress, recognizing
the existing and expanding role for nurses in delivering
health care.
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1986 – Helped to create the National Institute for Nursing
Research at NIH.
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1998 – ANA supported the “Patient Right to Know Act” with
provisions for anti-discriminatory language, coverage of
emergency care and prohibitions of gag clauses in managed
care plans.
ANA Today
ANA Goals Today
1.
Professional Practice and Excellence – ANA successfully champions
professional nursing excellence through standards, code of ethics and
professional development, such as credentialing and lifelong learning.
2.
Healthcare and Public Policy – ANA is an acknowledged leader in the
formulation of effective healthcare and public policy as they affect the
profession and the public.
3.
Knowledge and Research – ANA is the recognized source for
accurate, comprehensive health policy information based on knowledge
from research.
4.
Unification – ANA facilitates unification and advancement of the
profession.
5.
Workforce and Workplace Advocacy – ANA with its partners and
through its organizational relationships is the leader in promoting
improved work environments and the value of nurses as professionals,
essential providers and decision makers in all practice settings.
ANA’s Foundational Work
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Code of Ethics for Nurses
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A statement of the ethical
obligations and duties of every
individual who enters the
nursing profession
The profession’s nonnegotiable ethical standard
An expression of nursing’s own
understanding of its
commitment to society
ANA’s Foundational Work
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Nursing Scope and Standards
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23 current standards
Produced in cooperation with the
Specialty Nurses Organizations
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Nursing’s Social Policy
Statement
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Reflects a new definition of nursing
ANA Working for Nurses on
Capitol Hill
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Nurse Reinvestment Act
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Provides federal funding for
scholarships and training
Funded for $150 million in 2006
– a 120% increase from 2000
funding levels of ~$68 million.
Smallpox Emergency
Personnel Protection Act of
2003
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Assures the proper
administration of vaccinations
Compensates individuals injured
by the vaccine
ANA Protecting Nurses –
Needlestick & Sharps Injury Prevention
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ANA successfully pushed for enactment of
OSHA Bloodborne Pathogen Standard,
Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act of
2000, and multiple state needlestick
legislation
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Estimates show declining rates of
needlestick and sharps injuries, though
injuries continue to occur. Our work is not
done!
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Train-the-trainer program teaches
implementation of a needlestick prevention
committee and compliance with OSHA
regulations
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ANA Needlestick Prevention Guide available
free on Nursingworld.org website
ANA Protecting Nurses – Back Injury
Prevention/Safe Patient Handling
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ANA Board approves position
statement titled “Elimination of
Manual Patient Handling to Prevent
Work-Related Musculoskeletal
Disorders” in June 2003
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Co-sponsorship of annual Safe
Patient Handling Conferences in
coordination with the Tampa VA
Patient Safety Center
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Educational campaign targeting
front-line nurses, healthcare
administrators, and nursing schools
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Ergonomics identified as a priority
for ANA nationwide state legislative
agenda
ANA Protecting Patients
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Recognizing the aging population,
ANA’s Nurse Competence in Aging
program works to increase nurse’s
capacity to care for aging patients
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Cover the Uninsured Week, May 17, 2006
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ANA is the only nursing
organization among 18 national
partners
Take Action for Healthy Blood
Pressure Campaign
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Free blood pressure screenings and
consumer education in 10 cities in
partnership with state nurses’
associations in 2005
ANA Promoting Nursing
Coverage for the work of ANA and Nursing
in prominent magazines, newspapers,
radio and television
 Nurses have topped Gallup’s professional
honesty and ethics poll every year but one
since 1999 when nurses were first added
to the poll
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In 2001, Firemen were rated number one
ANA Proving the Value of Nurses
 ANA’s National Database for Nursing Quality
Indicators (NDNQI) helps to demonstrate the
positive impact of the appropriate mix of nursing
staff on patient outcomes
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Provides data at the unit level
Develops a database to
inform practice and policy
ANA, along other nursing organizations, has
funded research to help quantify the economic
value of nursing
ANA Representing Nurses
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ANA represents nursing at numerous tables (and
is often the only nurse in the room!)
Institute for Healthcare Improvement Saving 100,000 Lives
Campaign; National Quality Forum; U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services; Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality;
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Centers for Medicare and
Medicaid Services; National Institutes of Health; National Institute for
Occupational Safety and Health; U.S. Department of Labor; American
Hospital Association; American Health Care Association – Long Term
Care Commission; American Medical Association; American Medical
Informatics Association; American Public Health Association, American
Society of Bioethics and Humanities; e-Health Initiative; Families
USA; Hospitals for a Healthy Environment; International Council of
Nursing; Institute for Healthcare Improvement; Institute of Medicine;
Joint Commission of Accreditation of Health Care Organizations;
National Association for Home Care; National Coordinating Council for
Medication Error Prevention and Reporting; National Coalition of
Health Professional Education in Genetics; National Council of Patient
Information & Education; National Conference of State Legislators
…Just
to name a few!
ANA Subsidiaries
The American Nurses Credentialing Center’s
many programs include certification for all
levels of nursing and MagnetR Hospital
Recognition Program
The American Nurses Foundation has
awarded over 900 nursing research grants
since 1955 with over $3 million dollars
granted.
The AAN is comprised of 1,500+ qualified
and savvy nurse leaders who are literally at
the top of their profession. AAN members
have been identified by their peers to be the
best and the brightest in the nursing
discipline.
ANA Organizational Members
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Constituent Member Associations
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ANA has a state nurses association in every
state plus the District of Columbia, Guam, the
Virgin Islands, and a uniformed nurses
constituency
Organizational Affiliates
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Currently 21 of the top specialty nursing
organizations belong to ANA
State Nurses Association
Key in protecting the Nurse Practice Acts
in each state
 Instrumental in advancing the rights of
advanced practice nurses in each state
 The voice for nurses at the state
legislature
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ANA and the state nurses associations work to
coordinate this effort to be more effective
All this work is already
being done –
why do I need to belong?
Belonging is Important!
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More nurses belonging to nursing
associations….
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Gives additional power to the association when
speaking in front of Congress and other
regulatory bodies
Gives additional funds for associations to do
work on behalf of the profession
Puts nursing in a position to direct health care
policy versus reacting to it
Plus Membership Gives you
A voice in the decisions being made for
the profession
 The opportunity to receive discounts and
benefits as a member
 Discounts on certification
 Free continuing education
 Access to members only information
 A chance to interact with nurses around
the country
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How do I belong
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A variety of ways to belong when you are a RN
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Through your state nurses association – most states
offer discounted dues for new nurses
In some states, directly to ANA or your CMA
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As a student, you may become a subscriber to
Members Only on Nursingworld.org
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Become involved now by participating in your
local National Student Nurses Association chapter
ANA and Nursing
are excited to have
you join the
profession –
We hope you will
join ANA and your
specialty nursing
association
For more information go to:
NursingWorld.org
The official web site of the American Nurses Association