National & State Nurse Associations
969,000 Nurse Association Sites
Nurse Associations are an integral part of nursing. Most nursing schools teach
that nursing is a profession and that professionals become members of groups
that promote education and practice standards as well as ethics. Nursing
associations do exactly that. From the huge nationally know American Nurse
Association to the hundreds of chapters of the Visiting Nurse Association there
are as many associations of nursing as there are nursing specialities. Do a
Google search for nurse association and the websites listed will show a count
around 969,000. The number will vary but that's almost 1 million sites.
Considering that as of 2001 there were approximately 2.2 million nurses in the
United States that's 1 website for every 2.5 nurses in the country. Of course,
if you count every nursing related website on Google There are 7.3 million sites
or approx 3 websites for every nurse. With that much "noise" on the internet its
no wonder that nurse associations serve as a valuable tool to help filter some
of the "noise" out.
Membership in Nurse Associations
Membership in national nurse associations is usually through a local, regional,
or state chapter. Benefits of belonging usually include updates on practice
issues, networking with your peers, political action committees, education
committees, discounted CE classes, a magazine subscription and discounts from
merchants ranging from car wash discounts to special incentives on credit cards.
Most associations are representative democracies based on the delegate form of
representation. What that means to the average nurse is that if you want an
opportunity to become involved in nursing issues ranging from mentoring the new
nurse to helping solve the AIDS epidemic you volunteer to serve and are
appointed or elected to office. What you do with it after that is entirely up to
you. If you doubt the power of one nurse to make significant changes just look
at nursing history and the story of nurses like Florence Nightingale. Her
influence is still felt today in practically every aspect of health care.
What do Nursing Associations Do?
Better to ask "What don't nursing associations do?". Nursing associations
regulate nursing practice, endorse political candidates, accredit schools,
engage in collective bargaining, offer CE credits, conduct nursing research, act
as advisors to local, state and federal agencies and more.
Who are the members of a Nursing Association?
Membership in a nursing association depends on a number of factors. For
example, if you are an emergency room registered nurse you could be a member of
the Emergency Nurses Association, your state Nurses Association and the American
Nurses Association. Most associations charge some sort of dues so nurses usually
limit the number of memberships they have. Many states have strong ties to the
American Nurses Association and membership in the state association
automatically confers membership in the ANA.
Links to Nursing Associations
National Nurses
Associations
State
Nurses Associations
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