Like all other associations related to health care, the American Nurses Association, Inc (or the ANA, to which it is commonly referred), is dedicated to protecting and advancing the profession for which it stands, which, in this instance, is nursing. Its headquarters is based in Silver Spring (which is located in the state of Maryland). The association defines nursing as being focused on:
- The protection of health and abilities
- The promotion of health and abilities
- The optimization of health and abilities
- The prevention of illness and injury
- The alleviation of suffering through the diagnosis and treatment of human response
- Advocacy in the care of individuals, families, communities, and populations
At present there are 3.1 million registered nurses in the country who are members of the ANA. The association’s mission statement is “Nurses advancing our profession to improve health for all”.
At present ANA is the only full-service professional organization that represents the interests of those 3.1 million registered nurses and LPNs.
If you would like to contact the American Nurses Association in your area, simply click on this link.
This will allow you to access information about the ANA and its functioning within your own state. For example, if you would like to find out more about ANA in North Dakota you should use the following contact details:
Address: c/o Becky Graner
5265 Hwy 1806
Mandan, ND 58554
Phone: (701) 223-1385
Fax: (701) 223-0575
E-mail: Becky@ndna.org
Website: www.ndna.org
Office Hours: 8:30am – 4:30pm
Likewise, for information regarding the ANA in Texas, this is the information that you will need:
Address: 7600 Burnet Road Suite 440
Austin, TX 78757-1292
Phone: (512) 452-0645
Fax: (512) 452-0648
E-mail: memberinfo@texasnurses.org or esanders@texasnurses.org
Web site: www.texasnurses.org
Office Hours: 8:00am – 5:00pm
Regardless of which state you reside and practice as an LPN in, the ANA has a presence that you can most certainly benefit from.
History And Primary Mission
Before the ANA became the association that we know today it was the Nurses Associated Alumnae of the United States of America which was founded in 1896. It was not until 1911 that the association changed its name. Although it was clear that many changes were needed in nursing, the association was originally set up with the care of wounded soldiers in the war in mind above everything else. The American Nurses Association is actively involved in the following:
- Establishing standards of nursing practice
- Promoting the rights of nurses in the workplace
- Advancing the economic and general welfare of nurses
There are three subsidiary organizations that fall under the ANA, namely:
- The American Academy of Nursing
- The American Nurses Foundation
- The American Nurses Credentialing Center
Career And Credentialing
Because continuing education in the field of nursing is so important in order to maintain standards and ensure a high quality of care, the ANA provides online assistance and training in the following formats to advance the careers of its members:
- Webinars and conferences
- Continuing education units
- Certification
At this point it is interesting to note that members of the organization receive this training at a significant discount in comparison to those nurses who are not members. The continuing educaiot5n units offered by the organization are many and varied and a complete list can be accessed by visiting this link.
According to the association’s website it also has a career center with the aim of connecting “qualified nursing professionals with leading healthcare employers”. Essentially the association is active in helping you find the best job possible.
The Practice
The ANA also has a very strong focus on nursing practice, specifically in terms of ensuring that all of its members practice according to very strict standards. There are a number of ANA principles that come up at this point:
- The Principle of Collaborative Relationships
- The Principle for Social Networking and the Nurse
- The Principle for Pay for Quality
- The Principles for Nurse Staffing
- The Principles for Nursing Documentation
- The Principles for Delegation
- The Principles of Environmental Health for Nursing Practice with Implementation Strategies
This is essentially a set of standards by which nurses belonging to the organization are expected to practice. More information about these standards can be found by visiting this link: http://www.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/ThePracticeofProfessionalNursing/NursingStandards/ANAPrinciples.
Ethics
Nursing is governed by a strict code of ethics. “Ethics” refer to the moral principles that govern a person’s or group’s behavior. The ANA is an association that is extremely strict about following this code of ethics no matter what. Information about the code of ethics can be found at http://www.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/EthicsStandards/CodeofEthicsforNurses. Another issue addressed on the association’s website is that of the study of genetics. The association clearly states its ethical position on this topic, as well as on many others, such as moral courage and distress, end of life issues, and a number of other important moral dilemmas that face nurses on a regular basis. Essentially the association is somewhere for nurses to turn when they are confused about the morality of a specific issue or treatment method.
Health And Safety
As a nurse it is your responsibility to ensure that the health and safety of your patients is promoted at all times. The various topics that you will be able to gain clarity on through the American Nurses Association regarding the safety of those in your care are as follows:
- Safe Patient Handling
- Needle Safety
- Bullying and Workplace Violence
- Healthy Nurse
- Environmental Health
- Disaster Preparedness & Response
- Staffing and Work Environment
In each case the association is very careful to state its specific position on each of the matters mentioned above and provides nurses with excellent guidelines on the topic of how they can meet these health and safety requirements comparatively easily throughout their daily dealings in their health care facility or hospital.
Policy And Advocacy
According to the ANA’s website, policy and advocacy are important dimensions of its functioning because “Practicing nurses have first-hand experience regarding the effects of healthcare laws and regulations in providing quality care. This gives the nursing community a unique perspective on health care policy. ANA is in part an advocacy organization, charged with using these insights to set policy and influence health care legislation”.
Essentially what this means is that the ANA is active in giving voice to your opinions. There is no need to feel powerless to make the changes that are so necessary in the nursing profession, because the ANA is there to ensure that your thoughts on the matter are heard and that they receive due thought and consideration. In short, the association fights for your rights.
Member Benefits
There are a number of benefits that you, as a member, can benefit from that other non-members will be unable to make use of. These include the following:
- ANA Member Value Program
- Career Center
- ANA Nurse CE
- ANA Nurse Space
- ANCC Certification
- Events
- ANA Periodicals
- Factsheets and Resources
- Professional Liability Insurance
- Navigate Nursing
- Nursesbooks.org
- ANA Educational Alliance
- Professional Tools
- ANA eNewsletters
Essentially the purpose of the above mentioned benefits is to keep you up to date with advancements in the profession so that you do not get left behind. The association is also invested in ensuring that your personal career advancement is also attended to at all times by providing a number of job placement and further education opportunities.
There are a number of clear benefits involved in belonging to an association such as this one. For example, you will immediately have access to a number of resources that you would not previously have been able to use. These include both educational resources for the purposes of expanding your career further and practical resources that can be used in your job as it stands. By networking with other nurses you will have the ability to find out about employment opportunities which otherwise may have remained hidden from you. In addition there are few medical associations that actively seek to advocate for their members in the way that the American Nurses Association does. Belonging to this association is a necessity for your career.
The general contact details of the ANA for the American Nurses Association, the American Nurses Credentialing Center, and the American Nurses Foundation are as follows:
Physical Address:
8515 Georgia Avenue
Suite 400
Silver Spring, MD 20910-3492
301-628-5000
301-628-5001 (fax)
1-800-274-4ANA (4262)
ANA Membership Billing:
1-800-923-7709
American Nurses Credentialing Center:
1-800-284-CERT (2378)
E-mail Addresses:
Advertise: adsales@ana.org
American Nurses Foundation (ANF): anf@ana.org
ANA-PAC: ana-pac@ana.org
Books – nursesbooks.org: anp@ana.org
Copyrights/Permissions: copyright@ana.org
Ethics Issues: ethics@ana.org
Exhibit Sales and Information: exhibits@ana.org
Lobbying – Federal and State: gova@ana.org
Magnet Recognition Program: magnet@ana.org
Membership: memberinfo@ana.org
Including requests for additional information or current member change of address:
Membership billing phone number: 1-800-923-7709
Online CE Help: webmaster@ana.org
Technical Questions and Comments About website: webmaster@ana.org
The American Nurse (TAN), Editor: taneditor@ana.org
All Other Inquiries: info@ana.org
