American Nurses Association

The American Nurses Association (ANA) is a professional organization to advance and protect the profession of nursing. It started in 1896 as the Nurses Associated Almunae and was renamed the American Nurses Association in 1911. It is based in Silver Spring, Maryland and Rebecca M. Patton is the current President.

Primary mission

The Association is a professional organization representing registered nurses (RNs) in the United States through its 54 constituent member associations. The ANA is involved in establishing standards of nursing practice, promoting the rights of nurses in the workplace, advancing the economic and general welfare of nurses.

ANA also has three subsidiary organizations: (1) American Academy of Nursing, to serve the public and nursing profession by advancing health policy and practice through the generation, synthesis, and dissemination of nursing knowledge,(2) American Nurses Foundation, the charitable and philanthropic arm, and (3) American Nurses Credentialing Center, which credentials nurses in their specialty and credentials facilities that exhibit nursing excellence.

Publications

• American Nurse Today
• The American Nurse
• OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing

Maintain standards of conduct

They are also responsible for creating a Code of Ethics for nurses.

1. "The nurse, in all professional relationships, practices with compassion and respect for the inherent dignity, worth and uniqueness of every individual, unrestricted by considerations of social or economic status, personal attributes, or the nature of health problems.
2 The nurse's primary commitment is to the patient, whether an individual, family, group, or community.
3 The nurse promotes, advocates for, and strives to protect the [health], [safety], and [rights of the patient].
4 The nurse is responsible and accountable for individual nursing practice and determines the appropriate delegation of tasks consistent with the nurse's obligation to provide optimum patient care.
5. The nurse owes the same duties to self as to others, including the responsibility to preserve integrity and safety, to maintain competence, and to continue personal and professional growth.
6. The nurse participates in establishing, maintaining, and improving health-care environments and conditions of employment conducive to the provision of quality health care and consistent with the values of the profession through individual and collective action.
7. The nurse participates in the advancement of the profession through contributions to practice, education, administration, and knowledge development.
8 The nurse collaborates with other health professionals and the public in promoting community, national, and international efforts to meet health needs.
9. The profession of nursing, as represented by associations and their members, is responsible for articulating nursing values, for maintaining the integrity of the profession and its practice, and for shaping social policy."

External links

• American Nurses Association website
• American Nurse Foundation website
• American Nurse Credentialing Center website
• American Academy of Nursing