The Power of Many: Belonging to Professional Organizations

One way to be an advocate for nurses, nursing, and patients, is to help facilitate changes that lead to improved healthcare safety and quality. Because it is difficult, if not impossible, to advocate for change by yourself, an important aspect of facilitating change is your ability to build positive connections with others.

Creating professional networks or connections with healthcare professionals and policymakers within and outside one’s workplace helps nurses develop connections they can use to learn, grow, and improve the profession. Conversely, nurses who do not put forth the effort to network with others risk being out of touch with what is happening in the wider world and limit their ability to influence others.

Nurses can find many networking opportunities through national and specialty professional nursing organizations. Professional organizations offer many opportunities for professional growth, such as developing leadership skills, continuing education/certifications, resources for career development, and creating relationships with others ^[1].

Sherman ^[2] offers some additional advice about networking:

• Networking is about planning and developing the relationship over time.
• Build a community of colleagues
• Always carry your business cards with you so you can better connect.
• Prepare for networking opportunities. Think about (and write down) topics to discuss or introductory questions.
• Be excited and positive about those you network with. Stay focused on building positive relationships.
• Relationship building begins with listening. Ask other people about themselves and their careers. Offer your ideas and ask questions; be sure your personal dialog does not take up the entire conversation.
• Follow up with new connections by sending a thank-you note or responding promptly to a request.
• Cultivate new relationships. Networking is an ongoing investment in professional development and in your ability to exert influence.

Professional Organizations

Professional organizations were created as a platform for nurses to advocate for the profession, support nurses’ rights, connect with others, and ensure quality healthcare for consumers ^[3]. Members of professional organizations can advocate locally, state-wide, nationally, and globally to support issues that impact the nursing profession and healthcare as a whole.

If you remember in chapter one, when we talked about the guiding documents for nurses, you will note that by participating in nursing professional organizations, you are following the guidelines in those documents. For example, nurses who take advantage of membership and activity in professional organizations are meeting the following competencies listed in the ANA’s Nursing Scope and Standards of Practice:

• Advocacy
• Professional development
• Service to the profession
• Career growth
• Mentoring
• Networking^[4]

In addition, the ANA’s Code of Ethics^[5] also includes a requirement for advocacy efforts. Advocacy is fundamental to nursing practice, and through membership and participation in professional organizations, nurses can fulfill the following provision:

How to Get Involved

Membership in a nursing organization is easy to obtain, most requiring a fee and some personal information to join. However, because there are many different nursing organizations (there are literally hundreds of nursing organizations), each nurse will need to decide which organization(s) they believe will best serve them. Nurses should evaluate and compare member benefits from different organizations depending on their career goals and professional development needs. For example, if a career goal is to obtain a specialty certification, choosing an organization offering reduced review course fees would be prudent. To obtain access to evidence-based practice resources for a specialty setting, nurses may want to choose a specialty organization that offers these resources.

Nurses are not expected to belong to many associations (one or two is usually sufficient). But, nurses need to understand that belonging to organizations with power in numbers will result in an organization with the power to influence policy changes. To choose the right organization, here are some suggestions that nurses can ask themselves about the organization:

• meets professional growth needs
• aligns with current role/specialty
• meets personal/professional advocacy efforts^[6]

Below are some general facts regarding some major state and national nursing organizations.

State-level Nursing Organizations

Most nurses choose to be members of their state nursing society because state organizations are positioned to follow state-specific issues and laws. State organizations are inexpensive to join and provide their members with continuing education and advocacy information. For example, most state nursing associations follow proposed bills that may impact their state’s nurses, patients, or healthcare systems. State-level nursing organizations often have procedures in place to notify members when they believe widespread action (such as letter writing or phone call campaigns) is needed.

Additionally, state nursing associations often sponsor an annual professional Lobby Day. At these events, nurses (or nurse practitioners) gather each year to organize their efforts and meet with legislators to share their position on the current bills. For information about state nursing Lobby Days, visit your state Nursing Association’s website

National Nursing Organizations

The ANA

On the national level, there are many nursing associations. The ANA is one of the largest groups. This association focuses on providing its members with continuing education, mentoring, networking, and advocacy opportunities. One of the major advantages of the ANA is its collaboration with state nursing associations.^[7]

^[8]

Like state nurses’ associations, the ANA also has an annual Lobby Day, only this one is held in Washington, D.C. Each year, hundreds of nurses gather at Capitol Hill to meet with federal lawmakers to discuss major health issues. Like the state associations, the ANA also has systems in place to notify members if group action is needed.

The NLN

Another important national nursing organization in the U.S. is the National League for Nursing (NLN)^[9]. The NLN also focuses on building and strengthening the nursing profession, specifically through its focus on education. Like other organizations, the NLN publishes a yearly public policy agenda. In the NLN, members can also sign up to receive alerts about national policies that may affect nursing and, therefore, require their member’s action.

International Nursing Organizations

It is also important to note that several international nursing organizations exist. One of the major international nursing organizations is the International Council of Nurses (ICN)^[10]; many other international organizations are specialty-specific. Many of these organizations exist to support nurses in countries where nursing organizations do not yet exist or are in their infancy.

Benefits of Membership

Membership in professional organizations offers nurses opportunities to advance the profession. Members also benefit from opportunities the organization provides for professional growth. Some ideas of ways nurses can get involved are listed below:

• Advocate for healthcare consumers’ rights, health, and safety
• Influence healthcare delivery by participating in, promoting, and using evidence-based knowledge and research findings to guide practice and decision-making
• Promote the ethical principles of research
• Identify barriers and opportunities to improve healthcare safety, equitability, and efficiency
• Critically review policies, procedures, and guidelines to improve quality
• Influence organizational policies and procedures to guide practice and promote interprofessional, evidence-based practices
• Advocate for resources that promote and support nursing practice ^[11].

In addition to serving the profession and improving the healthcare system, membership offers nurses many other professional benefits, including:

• Continuing education
• Specialty certification
• Best practices for nursing care
• Promoting the rights of nurses
• Synchronous and asynchronous webinars
• Face-to-face seminars and conferences
• Journal access
• Career resources, job boards
• Discounts on conferences and certification fees
• Personal benefits, such as discounts on car rentals, life insurance, professional liability insurance, and more^[12]

Nurses can also benefit from serving within their organizations. Service helps nurses develop leadership skills that can benefit their careers in many ways. Some volunteer opportunities that nurses may find beneficial include:

• Participating on committees and task forces
• Holding a board position (see NOBC narrative below)
• Assisting with organization-sponsored conferences and community events
• Working on regional and national projects:
  • Item-writing
  • Review certification exams
  • Work on legislative issues
  • Serving as a regional director
  • Working on an education committee ^[13]

Summary

Professional organization membership benefits everyone: patients, nurses, the nursing profession, and the entire healthcare delivery system. The professional growth and career opportunities associated with membership are endless. Membership offers networking opportunities with other healthcare professionals at conferences, involvement in Lobby Days and community events, serving on a board of trustees, and more. In addition, through organization membership, nurses can fulfill lifelong learning requirements to meet various needs and requirements, such as license and certification renewal, and incorporating evidence into practice. It is important to note that some membership dues can be costly, though some offer a student discount. However, nurses unable to join an organization can still benefit from visiting professional organization websites because many organizations offer resources that can be used regardless of membership status.^[14]