A professional home for all nurses

America’s more than 5 million RNs practice in rural clinics and tertiary medical centers, schools of nursing and elementary schools, health systems and health plans. We assess patients and implement care plans, conduct research, lead organizations, and innovate solutions. We’re new-to-practice, specialists and generalists, educators, researchers, advanced practice RNs, policymakers, and more.

The American Nurses Association (ANA) and our constituent and state nurses associations (C/SNA) and organizational affiliates (OA) are there professionally for all nurses. They give voice to our concerns, advocate for policies and regulations that support our practices, and welcome our participation in guiding our profession. They also open networking opportunities for us, produce a timely and relevant body of knowledge that meets our professional needs, and offer a rich menu of benefits that support us throughout our careers.
As a proud, decades-long member and now a leader of ANA, I take comfort knowing that the experienced, insightful, and diligent staff of the association work on behalf of all RNs. Their attentive and strategic efforts aim to ensure that we can: practice to the full extent of our licensure, education, and training in healthy work environments with safe staffing; connect with knowledgeable colleagues for career insights and collaboration; and access just-in-time resources that support our professional development. Close collaboration with ANA’s C/SNAs and OAs—so aware of concerns and interests of nurses in communities nationwide—vitally informs these efforts.

ANA also brings key stakeholders together. This enables thoughtful discussions and insights to guide and advance our profession. We see the effects of this not only in actions taken by the ANA Membership Assembly—ANA’s governing and official voting body—but also in the development and routine update of foundational documents such as the Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice and the Code of Ethics for Nurses with Interpretive Statements. These essential documents underlie all nursing activities, regardless of practice setting or specialty. Additionally, shared success stories, and even hurdles at state or national levels, can translate into successful initiatives elsewhere. This continual, open collaboration strengthens our profession and keeps it in sync with ever-evolving healthcare practices and technologies.

If advocating for nurses, elevating our value to society, and advancing the nursing profession are core concerns of ANA, so too is the professional development of our members. ANA offers a wide range of benefits that enable members to advance professionally, keep up to date on nursing news and practices, save time and money, and network for career connections that matter. These resources support nurses from the onset of their careers to their retirement. From continuing education credits and tuition discounts to flash or career mentoring and professional liability insurance, ANA has something any RN can implement immediately in their practice or organization (nursingworld.org/membership/member-benefits).

The Pulse on the Nation’s Nurses Survey Series has shown clearly that during the pandemic the youngest nurses experienced the most severe stress, burnout, and practice challenges (nursingworld.org/survey-series-results). As ANA looks to these Millennial and Generation Z nurses as our prospective leaders, we’re especially concerned about understanding their professional needs and interests. ANA is conducting an in-depth assessment and consulting with these nurses to ensure that our membership portfolio remains pertinent and easily accessible to them.

Our strength and progress come from the rich diversity and participation of our members. I welcome all nurses—irrespective of practice setting or career stage—to join me in making ANA their professional home.

Jennifer Mensik Kennedy,
PhD, MBA, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, President,
American Nurses Association

American Nurse Journal. 2023; 18(12). Doi: 10.51256/ANJ122316