Introduction
One of the profession characteristics is the presence of a professional culture that nurture the ethos and values of the profession in the midst of its members. In most cases, this professional culture is maintained and nurtured via the actions of organizations profession. In nursing profession, professional organizations are established to advocate collectively on their members behalf as well as on behalf of other constituents, representing the central nursing profession values to other publically. There are various nursing professional organizations that foster professional development among nurses in the country (Halsted, n.d.).This paper will focus on determining how the American Nursing Association influences professional development of nurses in America.
American Nursing Association
The selected nursing professional organization is American Nursing Association (ANA). ANA was the second nursing organization to be established in America. It was established in 1896 as the Associated Alumnae of Trained Nurses of the United States and Canada. It later evolved to ANA. ANA is the only full-service nursing professional organization representing the 3.6 million nation registered nurses interests. The ANA, promotes nurses rights on healthcare issues in the regulatory agencies, lobby congress and workplace via its constituent nurse’s associations members and its organizational affiliates (ANA, 2017). It also supports various subsidiary organizations associated with nursing. Some of these subsidiary organizations are the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), which is among credentialing programs which attests nurses in practice areas of specialty. The programs also acknowledge healthcare organizations for enhancing positive, safe work environments via the Magnet Recognition Program (Halsted, n.d.). They also act as excellence pathway and excellence pathway in Long Term Care Programs. The programs also provide accreditations to continuing nursing education providers. American Academy of Nursing (AAN) is another ANA subsidiary which is an organization of eminent leaders that have been acknowledged for their exceptional contributions in research, nursing education, practice and management. Another subsidiary is the American Nurses Foundation (ANF) that is an arm of national philanthropic that enhances the continued development and growth of services and nurses (ANA, 2017).
Professional Development and other chances the Professional Organization Would Offer to the Members
ANA acts as an effective means in which the nursing profession can protect and represent nurses’ interests, influence healthcare policy, advocate for the best possible quality care to the public and offer continuing education chances for nurses. The organization mission encourages nurses to advance in their profession to enhance healthcare for all. ANA mission and vision include policy advocacy discussion to enhance the nurses right in the workplace, promote nurses image, and lobbying government for alterations on health-related and nursing issues. ANA is the biggest nursing professional organization which stands for the needs and views of its members in different arenas of policymaking. The organization through its legislative and political program has taken action on issues that include enough healthcare services reimbursement, suitable nursing staffing ratios, and access to healthcare. This provides nursing with a healthy working environment, where they have the required services and logical working schedules, and hence preventing possibility of burnout among nurses (Catallo et al., 2014). The organization also contains programs that center on the safety and health of the nursing profession and individual nurse. For instance the ANA Healthy Nurse, Healthy Nation and Healthy Nurse programs encourage s health habits that include getting screenings, sleep, managing stress, living a lifestyle that is smoke-free and physical exercise for nurses.
Beside this, being a member of ANA offers nurses with a chance for certification, education advancement, educational conferences, and role-associated competencies. The organization ensures that its members have acquired the relevant knowledge to practice in a specific nursing specialty. It also ensures that its members maintain current competency and knowledge in their specific nursing practice unit. The organization has affirmed consistently the baccalaureate degree in nursing as the ideal educational preparation for nursing practice entry. ANA members must registered nurses (RN)who have obtained the RN licensure. The organization provides credential as a way of promoting healthcare service quality and safety. Credentialing act as a form of acknowledging specialized experienced and knowledge needed in the nursing field. The organization manages particular requirements for nursing education and timely experience and knowledge demonstration in specialty practice. The ANA provide nonlinear monitoring of nursing education after the entry to ensued individual career and professional growth. This gives individuals an opportunity to advance in their professional with high level of flexibility based on individual life (ANA, 2010).
Importance of Being a Member of American Nursing Association
ANA provides a number of benefits to its members. Some of these benefits include continuous commitment to the profession. ANA ensures continuous learning and consolidation individual practice in diverse practice settings to all nursing personnel. This ensures continuous personal growth that promotes individual personal life in all ways. The organization provides a code of conduct that serves as the ethical nursing framework irrespective of practice role or setting, and offer future guidance. Adherence in the set code of conduct mold a nurse into ethical practices which enhances quality of services offered at the individual level of operation in any specialty. This makes an individual to be committed to his or her profession giving a person a great chance to grow. ANA also ensures a good working environment to all its nurses, an aspect that benefits individuals by ensuring high job satisfaction and healthy living. It also provide professional network that promotes individual knowledge and knowledge sharing to enhance performance. Other benefits include provision of long term healthcare insurance for its members, auto insurance, professional liability insurance, life insurance, to benefit members’ dependents after death, retirement financial planning, and student loans solution (ANA, 2017b).
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