Abstract
Professional organizations maintain healthy nursing practices and commitment to society as well as the promotion of nurses’ welfare. Healthcare associations champion their members through career development and opportunities. Professional organizations also influence policymaking and educate their members on the policies. Regular policy update in healthcare is critical to tackling pressing challenges that affect nursing. Learning and practicing nurses join professional organizations to access education, leading to better patient systems and personal career outcomes. As the nurses perfect their practice, patient care ultimately improves. Professional organizations, therefore, connect and advocate for nurses’ welfare while improving the quality of care they provide for the patients.
Introduction
The American Nurses Association highlights that to maintain competency, nurses need professional development and support in career achievements. Nurses unite with their peers when they join professional organizations to create a stronger local, national, and state voice (Holder & Schenthal, 2007). The Nightingale pledge formed the foundation of modern ethical nursing in 1983 and it has been evolving since then (McBurney & Filoromo, 1994). Moreover, most hospitals and healthcare centers prefer to hire nurses affiliated with professional organizations. The American Academy of Nursing (AAN) and the National League for Nursing (NLN) are two professional organizations that pull together nurses from various backgrounds to share education and best practices.
American Academy of Nursing (AAN)
The AAN is an organization that generates and synthesizes health policy to foster education on organizational excellence and good nursing leadership. It contributes to health policy and practice and educates nursing knowledge to improve patient experience and community service. The current issues covered by AAN include actions regarding drug pricing, fighting racism, and policies working on inclusion, diversity, and social justice. The collaborative efforts of AAN and the Nursing Community Coalition (NCC) are essential to creating a safer, higher-quality healthcare system through effective nursing. These organizations address Congress to petition for funding for nursing research to better assist the community and healthcare rights for patients.
The NCC requests resources to carry out its roles from the Health Resources and Services Administration HRSA for nursing workforce development programs. Nursing Outlook is a bimonthly journal popular among nurses and supported by AAN to share knowledge. Academic resources by AAN mainly cover nursing practice, social concerns, and health policy. The NCC is an independent affiliate of the ANA, working on key ethical issues and resource allocation.
The AAN seeks to improve the health and wellness of nurses to promote a safe and ethical work environment. The cost of membership is $130 a year for an active registered nurse (AAN, 2022). The organization currently has 2,500 elected members (AAN, 2022). The AAN exclusively provides academic and career development resources to its members. The current issue confronting the organization is sourcing funding to develop knowledge on firearm mobility and mortality prevention through Public Health Research. NCC is therefore requesting 530 million dollars from Congress for nursing research funding (AAN, 2022). It is also urging Congress through HRSA to make waivers permanent beyond the Public Health Emergency (PHE) for continuous care during a pandemic.
National League for Nursing
The National League for Nursing (NLN), founded in 1893, is a national organization for faculty nurses and leaders. It offers faculty development networking opportunities, testing services, nursing research grants, and public policy initiatives to more than 40,000 individuals and 1,100 education and associate members (NLN, 2022). NLN enhances nursing education and develops a diverse nursing workforce to promote community and national excellence. Conducting nursing education, championing nurse educators, advancing nursing science, and committing to the members are the four main objectives of NLN. The prevailing need for ongoing education to stay connected with other professionals in nursing necessitates the roles of NLN.
Resources provided to members include the NLN Education Summit (annual conference), Leadership programs, faculty development webinars, Scholarly Writing Retreats, certification fees, and the NLN bookstore. The cost for enrolling at NLN is $120 annually for full members and $220 for two years members (NLN, 2022). Graduate student members pay $80, and retired members pay $80 annually or $140 for two years (NLN, 2022). The NLN is a non-profit organization that currently has 45,000 members (NLN, 2022). Current issues the organization is working on are dismantling racist practices in nursing education and heightened workforce demand.
Importance of Nursing Organizations
Nurses are highly encouraged to be part of professional associations for career and personal development. The healthcare providers group together in nursing organizations to develop a network among the nurses. The network presents the nurses with information and opportunities that may not be available otherwise. Therefore, it creates an alliance to champion the nurses’ rights and share knowledge. Other than ethical practices, nursing organizations provide opportunities for nursing careers by influencing nursing education, practice, and health policies. Nurses in professional organizations create a positive image for employers about their knowledge and upholding ethical standards.
The American Academy of Nursing (AAN) and the National League for Nursing (NLN) are nursing organizations. The AAN advances the professional knowledge of nurses on standard ethical practices to promote a safe and ethical work environment. The AAN optimizes nursing services and the economical use of healthcare resources through education on the use of cost-effective and innovative healthcare services. The NLN fosters the development and advancement of all nursing education and service open to diverse nursing students and practitioners. This is achieved through faculty development, grants for nursing research, initiatives to monitor public policies, networking opportunities, and testing services to its members. Caring, integrity, success, and diversity are the four core values of NLN observed in all its processes. Since it is open to everyone, the NLN is inclusive of eliminating health disparities. Moreover, research grants provided by organizations advance the science of nursing education.
Conclusion
Nursing organizations are devoted to supporting nursing professionals with education, networking, certification, and career development. AAN and NLN are organizations that advance nursing knowledge and networking opportunities. The AAN provides educational resources to its members to develop a safe and ethical work environment. The NLN provides nursing research grants, networking opportunities, and examination services and initiates public policies. The ANA was formed to establish the nurses’ codes of ethics and laws to regulate the nursing practice. Both AAN and NLN organizations advocate for ANA guidelines on ethical practices in nursing. Continuing and practicing nurses rely on professional organizations for networking, welfare development, education, and leadership in care change. Considering the aging population, chronic diseases, and overburdened healthcare system, the future of healthcare depends on technical advancements and nursing development.
References
AAN. (2022). American Academy of Nursing.
Holder, K. V., & Schenthal, S. J. (2007). Watch your step: Nursing and professional boundaries. Nursing Management, 38(2), 29. doi.org/10.1097/00006247-200702000-00010
McBurney, B., & Filoromo, T. (1994). The Nightingale Pledge: 100 years later. Nursing Management, 25(1), 72. doi.org/10.1097/00006247-199401000-00016
NLN. (2022). National League for Nursing.