The American Nurses Association

The importance of belonging to your professional nursing

associations

What do associations do? 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 There are over 100 specialty organizations

Focus on the clinical aspects of each specialty Focus on areas that are unique to the specialty

American Nurses Association Focus on the issues that affect all of nursing

and patient care

History of ANA 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 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 1901 – Helped secure passage of a bill creating the Army

Nurse Corps – under the direction of a properly trained nurse

1913 – With the Red Cross, ANA developed a plan that took public health nursing to rural communities.

1934 – ANA’s House of Delegates approved an 8-hour work day for nurses

1945 – ANA intensified efforts to recruit nurses for military service as an alternative to President Roosevelt’s proposal to draft nurses into military services.

1955 – ANA helped pass a bill to commission male nurses in the Reserve Nurse Corp

A Sample of Historical Accomplishments 1965 – ANA was the first association of health care

professionals to endorse the creation of Medicare.

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.

1986 – Helped to create the National Institute for Nursing Research at NIH.

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 Today1. 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

Code of Ethics for Nurses A statement of the ethical

obligations and duties of every individual who enters the nursing profession

The profession’s non-negotiable ethical standard

An expression of nursing’s own understanding of its commitment to society

ANA’s Foundational Work

Nursing Scope and Standards 23 current standards Produced in cooperation with the

Specialty Nurses Organizations

Nursing’s Social Policy Statement Reflects a new definition of nursing

ANA Working for Nurses on

Capitol Hill Nurse Reinvestment Act

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 Assures the proper

administration of vaccinations Compensates individuals injured

by the vaccine

ANA Protecting Nurses – Needlestick & Sharps Injury Prevention

ANA successfully pushed for enactment of OSHA Bloodborne Pathogen Standard, Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act of 2000, and multiple state needlestick legislation

Estimates show declining rates of needlestick and sharps injuries, though injuries continue to occur. Our work is not done!

Train-the-trainer program teaches implementation of a needlestick prevention committee and compliance with OSHA regulations

ANA Needlestick Prevention Guide available free on Nursingworld.org website

ANA Protecting Nurses – Back Injury Prevention/Safe Patient Handling ANA Board approves position

statement titled “Elimination of Manual Patient Handling to Prevent Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders” in June 2003

Co-sponsorship of annual Safe Patient Handling Conferences in coordination with the Tampa VA Patient Safety Center

Educational campaign targeting front-line nurses, healthcare administrators, and nursing schools

Ergonomics identified as a priority for ANA nationwide state legislative agenda

ANA Protecting Patients Recognizing the aging population,

ANA’s Nurse Competence in Aging program works to increase nurse’s capacity to care for aging patients

Cover the Uninsured Week, May 1-7, 2006 ANA is the only nursing

organization among 18 national partners

Take Action for Healthy Blood Pressure Campaign 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 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 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

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 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! More nurses belonging to nursing

associations…. 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