A Report on the Nursing Profession and the American Nurses Association

This report provides an overview of the nursing profession, emphasizing the role and impact of the American Nurses Association (ANA). It begins with a brief introduction to the nursing profession, highlighting its significance and historical development in the U.S. The report then focuses on the ANA, discussing its establishment, mission to protect and advance the nursing profession, goals, and organizational structure. A key component of the report is a description of the ANA's annual Quality and Innovation Conference, including its objectives, themes, and key areas of focus. The report also touches upon the importance of technology and innovation within nursing practice. The report concludes with a personal reflection on the insights gained and the importance of professional organizations in the nursing field, underscoring the value of continuous learning and engagement with technological advancements. The report references several sources to support its findings and recommendations.

Running head: NURSING PROFESSION REPORT 1
Report on the Nursing Profession
(Author’s name)
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Introduction
The nursing profession is regarded as one of the most noble and rewarding professions in
the world (Mark, Salyer, & Wan, 2003). This is primarily due to the level of selflessness that
nurses are expected to demonstrate as they care for patients (Mark, Salyer, & Wan, 2003). In the
U.S the, history of modern nursing can be traced back to the early 1700’s with the establishment
of the almshouse in Philadelphia (The History of Nursing. 2016). The nursing profession in the
country has developed drastically since then with significant advancements being made after the
Second World War. Most of the advancements within the nursing profession have been made
possible due to the establishment of professional organizations. This report provides a discussion
on one of the biggest professional nursing organizations in the U.S, the American Nurses
Association (ANA).
Professional Organization
The ANA was established in the year 1896 as the Nurses Associated Alumnae (Purdy,
2015). The organization was later renamed to the American Nurses Association in the year 1911
after establishing its headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland (Purdy, 2015). The ANA styles
itself as the voice of nurses and seeks to protect and advance the nursing profession. It defines
nursing as the optimization, promotion, and protection of patients and societal health, alleviation
of pain and suffering through ailment diagnosis and suitable treatment of patient (What is
Nursing?, 2016). The organization continues to define nursing as the prevention of any form of
injury and illness and practicing advocacy in caring for patients (What is Nursing?, 2016).
The ANA is the only full-service professional organization in the U.S that represents the
interest of 3.6 million registered nurses across its 54 constituent member associations (American
Nurses Association-Members and Affiliates, 2015). It strives to enhance and protect nurse’s

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welfare in their respective work places, give a favorable perception of nursing as a profession to
the public and champion on affairs that concern members of the public and nurses.
The foremost goals of the organization during its formation were to establish a code of
ethics for nurses, get licensure for nurses, promote the image of the nursing profession and attend
to the nurse’s financial needs. Due to its advocating for nurse’s licensure, only nurses who fulfill
qualifications defined by the Nurse Practice Act of their state are legible to utilize the title of a
Registered Nurse and join the organization (American Nurses' Association. Ad Hoc Advisory
Committee for Implementation of the Standards of Nursing Practice, & Congress for Nursing
Practice ( U.S) 1975).
Since its formation, the ANA has championed for sufficient professional education and
training of nurses. It started acting on its goals by undertaking significant projects that sought to
make changes to the 1960s standards for nurse-training. In the year1965, the ANA published its
first position paper which was called the "Educational Preparation for Nurse Practitioners and
Assistants to Nurses.” The position paper held that nursing education must be conducted in
University institutions and not hospitals (American Nurses' Association, & American Nurses
Association).
Unlike most of the other professional nursing organizations in the country, the ANA is
managed by the House of Delegates which consists of a board of directors and representatives
drawn from the 54 constituency associations (American Nurses Association-Members and
Affiliates, 2015). Other than the individual members, the organization has two organizational
members namely United American Nurses ( UAN) and the Center for American Nurses (CAN).
Some of its organizational affiliates include the (AAN) American Association of Nurses and
different groups that are dedicated to various nursing subfields like the Association of Nurses in

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AIDS Care (ANAC) and the American Association of Critical-Care Nursing ( AACCN)
(American Nurses Association-Members and Affiliates, 2015). One way through which the ANA
can achieve its objectives is through its Quality and Innovation Conference.
Description of Conference
The ANA Quality and Innovation conference is an annual conference held by the
organization where members get the opportunity to discuss new nursing quality strategies and
nursing innovations. The 2018 ANA Quality and Innovation Conference will be held from
March 21st to March 23rd, 2018 in Orlando Florida (2018 Call for Abstracts, 2017). The Call for
Abstracts for the conference will be open from the 17th of April 2017 to 30th of May 2017, and all
ANA members are welcomed to submit their Abstracts (2018 Call for Abstracts, 2017). The
primary contact for all the submitted abstracts shall be contacted through the mail on the status of
their acceptance.
The goals of the conference align with the theme which is, “safety, quality, and staffing”
(2018 Call for Abstracts, 2017). The 2018 conference seeks to align safety and quality through
attributes of high-performing organizations to enhance nursing and patient outcomes. The second
goal of the conference will be to demonstrate how technology and data can be effectively used to
improve patient outcome and nursing practice. The third goal of the conference will be the
maximization of the use of innovative, safe and quality strategies in driving patient-centered care
(2018 Call for Abstracts, 2017).
The 2018 conference will focus on five key areas namely, the implementation of evidence-
based practice, utilization of quality improvement mechanisms, use of informatics, working with
interdisciplinary teams and provision of patient-centered care. The conference will focus on four

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tracks namely research, technology and innovation, practice (nurse and patient) and working
environment (2018 Call for Abstracts, 2017).
Personal Application
From the conference, it is evident that technology and innovation plays a very significant
role in the nursing profession (Poreddi, Konduru, & Math, 2012). Through the research work
done in developing this report, I have learned that professional organizations have played an
integral role in advancing the nursing practice. Therefore it is important for one to be part of a
nursing organization so that he/she can be able to benefit from the numerous benefits afforded by
these organizations. Through the information, I have learned that by belonging to a professional
nursing organization, I would be exposed to new data that might be able to enhance my practice.
I have also learned that obtaining knowledge on information technology is essential for
securing employment opportunity as a nurse. This is because technological innovations are
significantly shaping the manner in which nursing practice is conducted (American Nurses
Association, 2016). It is also evident from the report that the professional organizations help
nurses to know their rights and be able to advocate for improved welfare and conditions as they
execute their work. The information obtained from the report also makes it evident that one of
the major drivers of innovation within the nursing profession is the interaction between nurses
from different regions and for one to be effective as a nurse he/she needs to engage in this
exchange of ideas.
References

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2018 Call for Abstracts. (2017). Retrieved September 29, 2017, from
https://ana.confex.com/ana/anaconf18/cfp.cgi
American Nurses' Association, & American Nurses Association. Committee on Education.
(2000). Educational preparation for nurse practitioners and assistants to nurses: A
position paper. The Association.
American Nurses Association. (2016). Nursing: Scope and standards of practice. Nursesbooks.
org.
American Nurses' Association. Ad Hoc Advisory Committee for Implementation of the
Standards of Nursing Practice, & Congress for Nursing Practice (US). (1975). A plan for
implementation of the standards of nursing practice: a report of the Congress for
Nursing Practice of the American Nurses' Association. The Association.
American Nurses Association-Members and Affiliates. (2015). Retrieved September 29, 2017,
from http://www.nursingworld.org/affiliates.html
Mark, B. A., Salyer, J., & Wan, T. T. (2003). Professional nursing practice. J Nurs Adm, 33(4),
224-234.
Poreddi, V., Konduru, R., & Math, S. B. (2012). Assessing the attitudes and perceptions towards
nursing profession among nursing students. Nursing Journal of India, 103(1), B15.
Purdy, E. R. (2015, August 21). American Nurses Association (ANA). Retrieved September 29,
2017, from https://www.britannica.com/topic/American-Nurses-Association
The History of Nursing. (2016, April 11). Retrieved September 29, 2017, from
https://www.nursingschoolhub.com/history-nursing/
What is Nursing? (2016). Retrieved September 29, 2017, from
http://www.nursingworld.org/EspeciallyForYou/What-is-Nursing

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