Importance of Professional Associations in Nursing Development

This essay examines the critical role of professional associations in nursing, with a specific focus on the Association for Nursing Professional Development (ANPD). It highlights the importance of professional development as a continuous process throughout a nurse's career, emphasizing how these associations enhance competency, skill development, and career progression. The essay provides an overview of the ANPD's mission, strategic goals, and the benefits of membership, such as access to leadership, marketing opportunities, webinars, and savings. It further explores how the ANPD keeps its members informed of healthcare changes and nursing practice updates through newsletters and journals. The essay concludes by reiterating the significance of professional associations in fostering nursing practice and professional competency, particularly in the context of continuous learning and networking within the field.

Running Head: IMPORTANCE OF PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS IN NURSING 1.
Importance of Professional Associations in Nursing
Name
Institution

IMPORTANCE OF PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS IN NURSING 2.
Introduction
Professional development is an ongoing and continuous process throughout an individual
professional career. Professional development as a specialty of nursing practice enhances or
promotes competency and skill development through networking with various professionals in a
particular occupation or profession (Doss-McQuitty, 2016). Belonging to a professional
development association is critical in enhancing one's competency and career progression and
especially in nursing where skill is a core value for the nurse practitioners. The purpose of this
essay is to provide an understanding of the importance of the Association for Nursing Profession
Development (ANPD).
The Association for Nursing Professional Development is a professional association in
nursing that serves the purpose of advancing the specialty practice of nursing professional
development for the enhancement of the healthcare outcomes or services. In nursing practice, the
specialty of nursing professional development is defined by nursing standards which are based
on research, quality patient and organization outcomes (ANPD Website). The mission of the
association is to advance quality healthcare by defining as well as promoting the nursing
professional development. The primary goal of the organization is to be acknowledged as the
expert voice, in advocacy as well as the leading resource for nursing professional development
practices. The association in its strategic plan is focused on nursing professional development
role delineation, managing transitions into nursing practice, promoting leadership as well as
ANPD value proposition (ANPD Website). Currently, it has over 4500 members who registered
nurses who play a critical role in influencing the development of professional competence as
well as professional growth for nursing practitioners and learners in an inter-professional
environment for healthcare teams. It is also responsible for the orientation, competency

IMPORTANCE OF PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS IN NURSING 3.
management, role development, research, evidence-based practice, quality improvement as well
as the development of collaborative partnerships and education.
Being a member of the association brings about increased benefits such as access to
leadership throughout the membership period, development of in-person and online marketing
opportunities, access to free webinars, access to the 12 issues of trend lines electronic association
newsletter annually. Most importantly it pays to be a member of the organization through
savings whereby the members can save $ 800 savings on ten webinars, $ 27 on annual
convention registrations and $ 136 on the Journal of Nursing development digital subscription
annually among other savings (ANPD Website). The association is essential for a nurse in
professional development specialty as it provides the nurses or the leaners to improve on their
competency which is critical for their professional development. Through the in-person and the
online marketing opportunities, it offers an opportunity to the nursing practitioners in the
occupational development specialty to network with different people who are rich in experience
as well as connected with opportunities for growth in the profession. Through its education
strategy, it provides an opportunity for promoting nursing professional development practice.
One of the critical aspect or role of the association is to keep its members updated or
informed of the healthcare changes as well as the changes in nursing practice which affect their
area of specialty in this case professional development. This is achieved through the issuance of
electronic association newsletter annually on the 12 primary trend lines or issues in practice. It
provides its members with journals for nurses in professional development highlighting six
significant problems or changes in their professional training (Harper & Maloney, 2017).
Through leadership programs from the association, the members can be educated on the various
issues affecting their area of specialty and especially on the scope, the standards as well as the

IMPORTANCE OF PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS IN NURSING 4.
core curriculum changes. Membership with the association provides increased opportunities for
continuing education and professional development through research and development, through
collaborative partnerships with other professions in the specialty, through quality improvement
which is achieved through increased competency, opportunities in competency management as
well as role development in professional development (Harper & Maloney, 2018). The
association also provides increased opportunities for education which is the best platform for
informing the member son any events or healthcare changes to practice that affect their specialty
area. With the increased networking opportunities it is possible for the members to learn of the
various changes from different groups who are experienced and most importantly through
research development on the critical issues affecting their specialty area.
In conclusion, therefore, professional development specialty is critical in enhancing
nursing practice and professional competency. It is essential for every professional because it is a
continuous process which occurs throughout an individual career or professional path. Belong to
a professional association and mainly being a member of the Association for Nursing
Professional Development (ANPD) provides an opportunity to develop competency in
occupational development specialty as well as an opportunity for networking for the nurses.

IMPORTANCE OF PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS IN NURSING 5.
References
America Nurses Credentialing Center website; http://www.nursecredentialing.org/
ANPD : External Home Page; www.anpd.org/
Chapter 5 in Dynamics in Nursing: Art and Science of Professional Practice.
https://www.gcumedia.com/digital-resources/grand-canyon-university/2018/dynamics-in-
nursing_art-and-science-of-professional-practice_1e.php
Doss-McQuitty, S. J. (2016). Professional development: It is our responsibility. Nephrology
Nursing Journal, 43(2), 97-98.
Explore the "List of Nursing Organizations," located on the Nurse.org website.
https://nurse.org/orgs.shtml
Harper, M. G., & Maloney, P. (2018). Relationship Between Nursing Professional Development
and the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Primary Accreditation Framework. The
Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, 49(9), 390-393.
Harper, M. G., & Maloney, P. (Eds.). (2016). Nursing professional development: Scope and
standards of practice. Association for Nursing Professional Development.
Harper, M., & Maloney, P. (2017). The updated nursing professional development scope and
standards of practice. The Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, 48(1), 5-7.
Masters, K. (2018). Role Development Professional Nursing Practice. Jones & Bartlett Learning.