Professional Nursing Organizations

Running head: PROFESSIONAL NURSING ORGANIZATIONS 1
Professional Nursing Organizations
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Professional Nursing Organizations 2
Professional Nursing Organizations
Professional nursing organizations are bodies in which nurses come together and engage in
order to enhance competencies and increase knowledge. These bodies can be regional, national
or international(Catallo, Spalding, & Haghiri-Vijeh, 2014). They are also vital as they give
nurses an opportunity to enhance professional nursing practice. Nurses can organize for forums
to exchange new knowledge in pursuit of their careers(Catallo et al., 2014). In addition, these
professional organizations form an avenue for addressing and championing for the nurses’ rights.
International Council of Nurses is a federal organization with more than 130 nursing
professional bodies from different countries spread across the world with a limitation of one
membership per nation(International Council of Nurses, 2012). It was founded in 1899 and its
headquarters is in Geneva, Switzerland. The main purpose of its formation is to increase the
socio-economic status of nurses alongside upholding the profession of nursing across the world.
It also aims at increasing global and domestic health policies formulation.(International Council
of Nurses, 2012) It covers a large population as it is spread across the globe.
The American Nurses Association is a full-service nursing professional body founded in
1899 and is based in Silver Spring, Maryland.(American Nurses Association, 2016) This
organization provides for continuing nurses education. It also provides mechanisms for judging
competencies of its practitioners and to evaluate the quality of care(American Nurses
Association, 2016). It is open to all registered American nurses. Unlike the International Nurses
Association, this organization covers a smaller population.
American Psychiatrists Nurses Association is an organization founded in 1986. It is based
in the United States of America. It is open for membership to registered mental health and
psychiatric nurses including students pursuing the same career(Pearlman, 2013). This