Essay Example on Professional Nursing Association: Benefits & Impact

Introduction

Professional association in the nursing profession is an organization created to unify and inform its members about matters of concern. The American Nurses Association is one example of a professional association. It is important for nurses to be members of professional associations since they enjoy benefits such as helping in professional and personal development. Also, it is critical to dynamism present in the nursing field. It generates energy, ideas, and proactive work essential in the maintenance of a health profession that promotes the needs of the nurses, patients, and the trust of society. This paper examines the importance of membership in professional associations for nurses, such as the American Nurses Association.

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American Nurses Association

The American Nurses Association (ANA) was formed to represent the interests of the county's registered nurses. It was founded in 1896 seeks to promote the quality of health for all. Its membership runs in all the 50 states in the United States. Its mission includes the advancement of the nursing profession and promoting quality of health care ("About ANA"). Its vision is to acts as the voice of registered nurses all over America through advocacy, leadership, education, and practice. The purpose of ANA includes the establishment and development of standards of nursing practice, advancing the rights of nurses in practice, and their general wellbeing.

Benefits of ANA Membership

The nursing membership in American Nursing Association comes with some benefits to the member. First, there are exclusive online resources that are present in the professional association's website and usually for members only. Second, the association enables networking between nursing professionals, in addition to professional development, which is essential in the profession. It is because the nursing profession necessitates accredited and ongoing education (Gaines, 2020). It also provides other benefits such as career assistance, assesses to experts and mentors, discounted fees for continuing education courses, and availability of professional and peer-reviewed journals. Professional associations help in the dissemination of professional knowledge through regular communication with the members (Matthews, 2012). For instance, they help in the publication of scholarly manuscripts on the latest knowledge of the nursing profession.

Importance of Networking

When a nurse is working in their hospital or clinic setting, the network only involves clinicians in the same unit. The network exponentially grows when they join a professional organization such as the American Nursing Association (Gaines, 2020). It provides networking opportunities such as online forums, annual conventions, events, and local meetings. American Nursing Association has networking information-sharing capabilities that enhance the ability of nurses to advocate for nurses and the nursing practice (Matthews, 2012). It, therefore, means that they participate in association advocacy, which is a benefit of membership. The improvement of communication support structures provides communication through secure, intra-member networks.

How ANA keeps Members Informed

The professional organization provides the benefit of quick communication with the members through the provision of collaborative efforts. It provides newsletters and bulletin alerts, providing members with information on current issues and details on developments that impact nurses and care delivery. There is also issue-specific communication that requires members to implement emerging developments. Nurses can respond in different ways, such as phone calls, Tweets, emails, and Facebook, among others (Matthews, 2012). The responses entail their opinion on how given proposals might affect nurses and patients. In this century, there are many means of communication available to nurses, which means they can evaluate information with ease and provide much-needed feedback (Matthews, 2012). Informing nurses and the resulting feedback is critical in the development of policies and legislations.

Education Continuation and Professional Development

American Nursing Association supports individual nurses through its products and services, such as certification that help in the enhancement of nursing knowledge and leadership acumen. It provides many quality resources such as webinars and ongoing demand courses, certifications, and tools that help in nurse learning (Matthews, 2012). It also provides continuing education through the provision of classes in appropriate learning formats to satisfy license and certification requirements ("Continuing Education"). Some of the continuing education topic areas provided by ANA included work environment, organizational excellence, clinical, leadership, and certification review (Matthews, 2012). These are important in professional development by giving emphasis on advocating for nursing teaching and ways to improve healthcare.

Conclusion

Professional associations are critical in advocating for the rights of the nursing members. They educate association members, nurses, and the public on the importance of membership and the essence of involvement in professional improvement. One of the largest professional associations in nursing practice is the American Nursing Association. It seeks to advance the nursing profession in addition to promoting the quality of health in the country. It supports networking by providing opportunities such as online forums, annual conventions, events, and local meetings. It also informs members by providing the necessary communication. Lastly, it aids in education continuation and professional development by availing products and services such as certification that help in the enhancement of nursing knowledge and leadership acumen

References

About ANA: ANA Enterprise. (2020). https://www.nursingworld.org/ana/about-ana/

ANA Continuing Education. (n.d.). https://www.nursingworld.org/education-events/ana-continuing-education/

Matthews, J. H. (2020, January 31). Role of Professional Organizations in Advocating for the Nursing Profession. https://ojin.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/ANAMarketplace/ANAPeriodicals/OJIN/TableofContents/Vol-17-2012/No1-Jan-2012/Professional-Organizations-and-Advocating.html

Gaines, K. (2020, March 20). You Should Join a Nursing Organization. Here's Why. https://nurse.org/articles/benefits-of-nursing-organizations/