Leadership in Health Policy

This article discusses the benefits of joining professional organizations such as the American Nursing Association (ANA) for nurses. It also highlights the ANA's efforts to address the nursing shortage and advocate for nurses' workplace rights and healthcare issues. The author shares their personal experience as a member of the ANA and the Alabama State Nurses Association (ASNA).

Running head: LEADERSHIP IN HEALTH POLICY
LEADERSHIP IN HEALTH POLICY
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Joining associations such as the American nursing association (ANA) helps in building
several career opportunities according to my point of view. Such associations evidently provides
encounter with the several professional and scholarly collaborators (Pierce Wilkinson, 2014). As
a nurse I have experienced that one can connect with others across the country who are involved
in doing similar kind of work. There are also possibilities to attend conferences and workshops,
one you are part of such organizations. These associations also play the role of lifelong learning
where competency is received in terms of better patient care and personal career outcomes. The
American Nurses Association (ANA) has successfully projected that about 1,100,000 nurses will
be required by 2022 in order to overcome a nursing shortage. The ANA is thriving implement
new changes for avoiding the negative impact of this nursing shortage (ANA, 2014). In order to
increase membership the ANA is trying to implement changes like paying incentives in order to
demand quality, making healthcare more accessible and elevating the opportunities of education.
Additionally in order to reinforce the number off the nurses, that too in the areas that are
medically underserved, steps have been taken to increase federal funding (Camicia et al., 2013 ).
I differ to believe in such assertions since from my point of view, professional
organizations such as the ANA, has managed to offer a strong voice for the professional nurses.
American Nurses Association (ANA) is one of the most recognized professional organizations in
nursing, which is involved in advocating rights for the workplace rights of the nurses as well the
lobby for the issue related to healthcare. There are more than a 300 nursing associations on the
national level for the registered nurses alone which are involved in voicing the rights of the
nurses (Esmaeili, Dehghan-Nayeri & Negarandeh, 2013). I have been a part of the American

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nursing association as well as the Alabama State Nurses Association (ASNA) for more than a
year now, and have never felt that these associations play a role in fragmenting us.

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References
American Nurses Association [ANA]. (2014). Increased Investment Needed to Produce 1.1
Million RNs, Head Off Nursing Shortage. (2014). Georgia Nursing, 74(4), 1, 11.
Retrieved from: https://www.nursingworld.org/
Camicia, M., Chamberlain, B., Finnie, R. R., Nalle, M., Lindeke, L. L., Lorenz, L., ... & Jones,
T. (2013). The value of nursing care coordination: A white paper of the American Nurses
Association. Nursing outlook, 61(6), 490-501.
Esmaeili, M., Dehghan‐Nayeri, N., & Negarandeh, R. (2013). Factors impacting membership
and non‐membership in nursing associations: A qualitative study. Nursing & health
sciences, 15(3), 265-272.
Go, A. S., Mozaffarian, D., Roger, V. L., Benjamin, E. J., Berry, J. D., Blaha, M. J., ... &
Fullerton, H. J. (2013). Heart disease and stroke statistics—2014 update: a report from
the American Heart Association. Circulation, 01-cir.