The American Holistic Nurses Association, or AHNA as it is more commonly referred to, is an organization that aims to support and enhance the practice of holistic nursing, which incorporates the idea of healing the whole person.
Membership Advantages
Membership with any organization carries with it a number of advantages and benefits that you otherwise would not have access to. The American Holistic Nurses Association is no exception. The firs advantage that you will benefit from as a member of the American Holistic Nurses Association is the fact that the organization has a very strong focus on community in that “AHNA brings together a diverse and talented array of nurses and other professionals who are committed to sharing their expertise, experiences and love of holistic healthcare with one another. Surround yourself with loving, nurturing souls who understand why you care and who want to help you improve and grow your holistic practice”.
AHNA members come together in many ways:
- The American Holistic Nurses Association hosts an Annual Conference at which you will have the opportunity to meet with a number of other professionals who share your beliefs and approach to medicine.
- The association also aims to enhance holistic nursing education and self-care by providing a number of different Local Chapter Meetings across the country at which nurses have the opportunity to get to know one another better.
- The many Online Discussion forums provided by AHNA exist to help you to find answers to your questions and share your knowledge with others.
- There are a number of publications that you will have access to as a member through which you can share your personal experiences (in Beginnings, AHNA’s member magazine) and/ or your research in the Journal of Holistic Nursing.
- When you visit AHNA’s National Office you will encounter helpful and friendly staff dedicated to providing you with the best service possible.
The organization also works to unite members through information by supplying a number of publications and communications to its members
“The different publications that you will have access to through the AHNA, according to the association’s website, are the following:
- Beginnings — a magazine written by you, our members, addressing current holistic health news.
- Journal of Holistic Nursing — with Continuing Nursing Education opportunities and the latest research.
- New Benefit! Free online access to JHN digital archives.
- Web site — our informative and interactive site that offers free events posting for members and networks, plus a Practitioner Directory listing available only to members.
- Monthly eNewsletter — offering news of AHNA and holistic nursing each month in between quarterly mailings of the Journal of Holistic Nursing and Beginnings.
- Promotion and Advocacy — for holistic nursing, AHNA and its membership nationwide at events, conferences and meetings.
- Connections in Holistic Nursing Research — a quarterly eNewsletter devoted to research in holistic nursing”.
Another important benefit that you must not neglect to include when you are analyzing the pros and cons of membership with this organization are the continuing education opportunities provided. As a AHNA member you will receive significant discounts on all AHNA-provided continuing education activities, 65 contact hours for Foundations of Holistic Nursing home study course which is offered by the AHNA and which serves as an excellent method through which to prepare for certification, CNE credits, which are available at each annual conference hosted by the organization, AHNA approval for any activity or event which you would like to host yourself, and endorsement of any holistic educational programs that you may like to launch. If you would like to find out more about these opportunities, contact AHNA Education, (800) 278-2462, Ext. 16.
The association offers a number of local chapters to its members. At the meetings that these chapters hold you may stand a chance of:
- Earning contact hours for license renewal
- Attending educational and valuable workshops
- Taking part in important ceremonies
- Having access to important informational gatherings
All organizations that operate within the professional domain tend to offer a variety of awards and scholarships. The American Holistic Nurses Association provides several research grants as well as assistance to individuals who would like to conduct research in the domain of educational nursing, the Holistic Nurse of the Year Award which acknowledges the outstanding achievements of an individual nurse, the Charlotte McGuire Scholarships for professional education allowing individuals who would otherwise not have been able to pursue their career further the opportunity to achieve their dreams, a number of different Conference Scholarships which allow individuals to attend the annual conference at a reduced rate or even for free, and the AHNA Excellence in Holistic Nursing Education Award.
At AHNA there is a strong focus on self-care and wellness which is supported through the organization’s:
- Philosophy
- Publications
- Promotion of holistic nursing on a national level
There are a number of discount and advertising advantages that members of the American Holistic Nurses Association are eligible to receive. According to the organization’s website, these are:
- “Membership discounts for new member referrals
- Free, one-month online event listing for members and networks
- Discounts on advertising, conference exhibiting, educational offerings and services (CNE approval and endorsement costs)
- Free “Happenings” Ad (events listing) in Beginnings: 30-word maximum
- 10% discount on display advertisements
- 10% discount on online advertising for sponsored link on the AHNA website
- 10% discount on mailing list rentals
- Online Practitioner Directory listing available only to members”
If you would like to find out more about the above mentioned advantages, please feel free to contact AHNA Communications on (800) 278-2462, Ext. 13.
The organization provides its members with Liability Insurance from the Nurses Service Organization. Liability insurance is a necessity for all nurses as it is not safe to assume that you will never be in a situation where you will need it.
To find out more about this organization, please visit www.nso.com or call (800) 247-1500.
Membership Types
There are three main types of membership categories that you can fall into as a member of the American Holistic Nurses Association. You can be an individual member, a group member, or a discounted member.
Individual Membership
As a Standard Member you will pay a fee of $125 for membership. This membership level is open to all and includes the Journal of Holistic Nursing (JHN), Beginnings magazine, discounts on continuing nursing education, AHNA Annual Conference, and advertising opportunities (essentially you will be eligible for all of the membership benefits mentioned previously).
As an Elder you will pay a fee of $75 without a journal or a fee of $110 with a journal for membership. This membership level is open to all those 62 years of age or older and includes all of the benefits with or without the JHN for retirees or employed nurses.
As a Full-time Student you will pay a fee of $55 for membership. This membership level is open to students of ALL kinds and includes unlimited access to the Journal of Holistic Nursing online, but do not receive the hard copy. Registered nurses can vote on Leadership Council membership.
As a Part-time Student you will pay a fee of $80 for membership. This membership level is open to students of ALL kinds and includes unlimited access to the Journal of Holistic Nursing online, but do not receive the hard copy. Registered nurses can vote on Leadership Council membership. Please submit evidence of part-time student status.
As a Recent Graduate you will pay a fee of $85 (for new nurses only) for membership. This membership level is open to individuals who have been certified within the last 12 months, and recent MSN graduates.
As an International Member you will pay a fee of $135 for membership. This membership level is open to non-US residents all over the world! International Members receive the same benefits as Standard Members.
Group Membership
Professional Group Memberships allow organizations who have multiple members who would like to join the association to do so at a 30% discount for each member in comparison to the usual Standard Member individual rate. These group memberships are open to “any group of people who wish to receive multiple memberships for a discounted package rate. For example, Holistic Hospital has 35 nurses on staff and would like each nurse on staff to have an AHNA membership”. These are the fees involved:
- 5-10 people will pay $110 each, which is $15 off member dues
- 11-20 people will pay $99 each, which is $26 off member dues
- 21-50 people will pay $85 each, which is $40 off member dues
- 51 or more people will pay a separately negotiated rate
Discount Membership
If you are an NSNA Member you will only pay $45 in membership fees, although you must submit evidence of NSNA membership. As an HN-BC you will only pay $115 in membership fees although you must submit evidence of AHNCC certification: HN-BC, HNB-BC or AHN-BC.
If you would like to find out more about this organization, please use the information provided below:
Mailing Address
American Holistic Nurses Association
323 N. San Francisco St. Suite 201
Flagstaff, AZ 86001
Phone Numbers
(800) 278-2462
(928) 526-2196
(928) 526-2752 (fax)
Email Address
info@ahna.org
