Through membership with the Licensed Practical Nurse Association of Ohio you will also have the opportunity to make legislative decisions and participate in legislative processes. In other words, your membership will have an effect on decisions made in the overall arena of nursing and you will have a voice in laws made in the state of Ohio that affect the practice of nursing. This is something that LPNs do not often have. The association also goes out of its way to provide information related to national trends in education, employment practices and legislation that impact practical nursing.

This information is essential in keeping you informed and helping you make decisions related to your career as an LPN. Unlike other organisations that can be passive and uninvolved, the Licensed Practical Nurse Association of Ohio aims to be an active force in the lives of each of the nurses in its care. Continuing education is provided, not only for the purpose of ensuring that each nurse will be able to become relicensed, but also because this will improve the knowledge and skills of each of its members, thereby providing them with more opportunities for their futures. Last, but not least, the association works in cooperation with regulatory agencies to help maintain and/or improve standards relating to competent practice as a licensed practical nurse.

An association is nothing without a comprehensive ethics policy. According to its website:

“The Licensed Practical Nurse shall practice, at all times, in an ethical manner by upholding the following principles:

• Consider as a basic obligation the conservation of life and the prevention of disease;
• Promote and protect the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health of the patient/client and significant others;
• Fulfill all duties faithfully, efficiently, and safely;
• Function within the parameters established by the practice act and any other applicable laws or rules;
• Accept personal responsibility for his/her acts;
• Maintain the respect and confidence of all members of the health care team, as a valued member of the health care team;
• Provide conscientious care and charge just remuneration;
• Hold in confidence all matters coming to his/her knowledge in the practice of his/her profession, and in no way and at no time violate this confidence beyond professional necessity;
• Respect professional boundaries and the personal property of all patients/clients;
• Become acquainted with and respect the religious and cultural beliefs of his/her patient/client and of all people;
• At all times while in the delivery of direct patient/client care, wear the licensing credentials of the “Licensed Practical Nurse” or the initials “LPN”;
• Meet his/her obligation to the patient/client by keeping abreast of current trends in health care through reading and continuing education; and
• Actively promote legislation that will meet the safe health needs of its people”.

Member Benefits

Like all nursing associations, the Licensed Practical Nurse Association of Ohio offers its members a number of benefits. By belonging to this association, you are benefiting yourself as well as the nursing profession in general. To begin with, you will have access to an online Learning Network as well as 40% off regular cost to access 140 titles or 215 hours of CE-approved courseware. There are a number of benefits that free members can enjoy for life, including access to the 2 FREE CE-approved courses, made by nurses for nurses, a Lifelong Learning Portfolio, a central repository for all of your learning, and the ability to exchange expertise and favorite resources on the association’s Community Board.

Further member benefits include representation to Ohio’s legislators on healthcare issues, an important resource as this allows you to, thought your membership, to make a difference to the nursing organisation in general. Members, as mentioned previously, will have access to continuing education at a reduced price. As continuing education credits are a compulsory component of recertification as an LPN, this is an invaluable resource. The Licensed Practical Nurse Association of Ohio also offers approval of continuing education programs for providers at a reduced rate, something which may come in handy in the future depending on the route you choose to take through your career in the nursing profession.

Networking with other professionals within the industry is an important part of being a successful LPN. The Licensed Practical Nurse Association of Ohio, therefore, also provides access to the “Nurse Talk” Forum to engage in conversations with other Members of LPNAO. This serves both a social function as well as being a key factor in developing your knowledge and skills as well as coming into contact with career opportunities that you otherwise may not have been aware of. As networking is recognized by the Licensed Practical Nurse Association of Ohio as being such an important aspect of any nurse’s career, the association provides a number of different networking opportunities through various meetings, conferences and conventions. These conferences and conventions are also a source of training and an opportunity to advance your knowledge and skills in the nursing field. An important benefit of membership with this association is that it makes you eligible for educational grants while enrolled in The College Network. This demonstrates the Licensed Practical Nurse Association of Ohio’s devotion to ensuring that as many LPNs as possible are able to access the education they need to achieve their goals.

The Licensed Practical Nurse Association of Ohio takes support for its members one step further by providing convenient career counselling and information through its’ website and newsletters as well as keeping Ohio’s nurses abreast of today’s challenges in healthcare. The association further seeks to promote the ethical and professional practices by Ohio nurses. This is in the best interests of the nursing industry as a whole as well as being in the best interests of each individual nurse as it ensures professional excellence. An additional networking opportunity provided by the Licensed Practical Nurse Association of Ohio is the ability to connect with other state related organizations. Members will have access to the “Member’s Only” pages of the LPNAO website and privileged insider information, all aimed at giving the Ohio LPNs who are members of the Licensed Practical Nurse Association of Ohio an edge over non-members. The Licensed Practical Nurse Association of Ohio has an online web store and members receive a 10% discount on all nursing supplies listed there. Last, but most certainly not least, members will have access to full American Income Life Insurance coverage.

Now that you are aware of the various membership benefits available through the association it time to consider whether or not you would like to join. If you would like to join (or if you are an expired member and would like to renew your membership) please go to this link. This webpage allows you to apply for membership. If you would like to find out more about how to join the association and what the requirements to do so are, please contact the association directly. Their contact details are included at the end of this article.

Contact Information

The following information can be used to contact the association directly:

Address: 1310 Saint Paris Rd
Springfield , OH
45504
UNITED STATES
Phone Number: 1 800 222 5762

Association Contacts:

President
Shasme Jones
800 222 5762
help@lpnao.org
Education Secretary
Nora Beamish
education@lpnao.org
Alternatively you could use the association’s email form found on their website here.

In the case of emails, contact can be made at any point in time, provided you accept the fact that you will most likely only receive a reply during normal working hours. If you would like to phone the association it is better that you only call during office hours. It is unlikely that you will receive an answer at other times of the day.

Membership with an association such as the Licensed Practical Nurse Association of Ohio can improve your career in a number of ways. For one thing you will become immediately more appealing to potential employers. This is because membership implies 1) that you are a licensed practical nurse with nothing bad against your name, and 2) that you are willing to do more than the bare minimum required to be an LPN. On top of that the many career advancement as well as the educational opportunities provided through the association ill directly improve your chances of finding employment within this specific field.

References

http://www.lpnao.org