The American Nurses Association (ANA)

Created by: Katie Lewandowski, Charles Dietrich, Brianna Hall, and Elizabeth Mitchell

What is the American Nurses Association?

The American Nurses Association (ANA) is the only full-service professional organization representing the interests of the nation's 3.1 million registered nurses through its constituent and state nurses associations and its organizational affiliates (ANA, 2012).

The ANA is a national organization open to all graduate nurses.

What is the ANA cont.

The ANA is an example of a broad-purpose association. Individual nurses who belong to the ANA

typically become members of their state’s constituent member association (Chitty & Black, 2012).

The ANA’s main focuses are standards of care, code of ethics, continuing education, and collective action around workplace issues (Chitty & Black, 2011).

Who created the ANA?

In 1893 at the Chicago Worlds Fair there were conferences and conventions held at the expo.

One of the conferences included nursing topics.

Ultimately what came out of that conference, chaired by Isabel Hampton Robb was to find a way to create a separation between educated nurses and the uneducated.

Who created the ANA cont.

After the 1893 World Fair conference there was talk among nurses to form a professional association and unite other nurses and set a goal towards licensure.

That first step towards an association began with the Nurses Associated Alumnae of the United States and Canada.

Who created the ANA cont.

There was a split from the organization in 1911 by the Canadians who ended up forming their own association.

It was at this time that the association changed its name to the American Nurses Association.

Who created the ANA cont.

Isabel Hampton Robb, 1883 graduate of Bellevue Hospital’s nursing school, was a brilliant leader.

She helped organize and became the first president in 1897 of the American Nurses Association.

Values and Beliefs

The ANA is a organization dedicated to advancing the nursing profession. The organization works to promote their values and beliefs by: Lobbying congress on behalf of nurses. Promoting economic and general welfare

of nurses. Maintaining high standards in nursing.

Values and Beliefs cont.

The ANA acts as the “voice” of the nursing profession by lobbying at both state and national levels to: Promote legislature affecting health care

reform. Expand the role of the RN and the

advanced practice nurse. Obtain funding to promote nursing

education. Implement changes that improve the

health care environment.

Values and Beliefs cont.

The ANA works with regulatory agencies in each state to promote the general welfare of nursing. Some of the areas the ANA advocates for in regards to the workplace include: appropriate staffing whistleblower protection sexual harassment

Values and Beliefs cont.

The ANA is committed to high standards within nursing by encouraging well-educated and highly skilled nurses.

The ANA has a set of six Standards of Practice and ten Standards of Professional Performance that represent the minimum skill level each RN should be practicing.

The ANA also works to protect nursing by advocating for expansion of the scope of practice for both RN’s and advance practice nurses.

Values and Beliefs cont.

A complete list of the current ANA position statements can be found at:

http://nursingworld.org/positionstatements

ANA’s Definition of Nursing

“Nursing is the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and abilities, prevention of illness and injury, alleviation of suffering through the diagnosis and treatment of human response, and advocacy in the care of individuals, families, communities, and populations” (ANA, 2012).

What does this mean?

The definition has many different components…1. Nurses help nurse patients back to health.2. Nurses can teach to promote a healthy

lifestyle and prevention of disease processes.

3. Nurses can use the nursing process to treat a patient holistically.

4. Nurses treat not only a single patient, but also the family and community.

What are Nurses responsible for?

Nursing assessment and treatment. Collaborating with a team to establish

care. Give all types of medications. Provide care to wounded areas. Make judgments and contact needed

team members. Promote health in the community. Conduct research and follow evidence

based practice (ANA, 2012).

Nurses are…

Continually learning, researching and growing

Developing new skill sets Developing more autonomy in different

areas Being asked to do more

All of the previous statements can beaccomplished and done well because of

ANA’spractice standards.

Summary

The ANA was founded by Isabel Hampton Robb.

The ANA advances the nursing profession by… Fostering high standards of nursing practice. Promoting the rights of nurses in the workplace. Projecting a positive and realistic view of

nursing. Lobbying the Congress and regulatory agencies

on health care issues affecting nurses and the public (ANA, 2012).

Elizabeth’s Practice Influence Currently, working on a cardiac unit in the

hospital, the ANA practice standards guide many things in her nursing practice.

Most significant at this point as a new nurse is the education portion.

The ANA recommends a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing in this field. It also recommends certification.

The hospital Elizabeth nurse works for requires ECG certification and ACLS completion along with a Bachelor’s Degree because of the ANA recommendations.

Elizabeth’s Practice Influence cont.

Elizabeth is currently pursuing certifications and furthering her education to increase her knowledge and skills in cardiac health.

She uses the nursing process, assessment, diagnosis, planning, and evaluation, which are considered standards of nursing through the ANA.

Ethically Elizabeth is learning about her scope of practice and ethics standards through the ANA as well (Anderson, 2010, pp. 8-9).

Brianna’s Practice Influence In her current practice area as a

medical/surgical nurse, ANA practice standards influence her nursing practice by providing a framework for the care she delivers.

The ANA practice standards are benchmark criteria for the minimum level of nursing care.

Through best evidence research the ANA has developed positions on each practice standard statement.

By reading and reflecting on each practice standard competency she can organize her nursing care to both be safe and effective.

Charles’s Practice Influence The Michigan Public health code for nursing is very

general in his opinion. The paragraph about using our knowledge to help the “individuals who are experiencing changes in the normal health processes ……..” This to him is just common sense being in the field that he chose.

He has personally taken a step farther by finding ways to further educate himself to help people in safer ways.

His goal is to expand his practice to many areas of nursing.

In another paragraph within the Michigan code, he does have to say that the responsibility of LPN’s and Na’s is a constant reminder that they also work under his license. Which makes him accountable that they do their job in the end.

Katie’s Practice Influence In Katie’s current practice area of medical/surgical

nursing, ANA practice standards influence her nursing practice by staffing and documentation principles.

The 2012 ANA Principles for Nurse Staffing identify the major elements needed to achieve optimal staffing, which enhances the delivery of safe, quality care (ANA, 2012).

Clear, accurate, and accessible documentation is an essential element of safe, quality, evidence-based nursing practice. The RN and the APRN are responsible and accountable for the nursing documentation that is used throughout her organization (ANA, 2012).

References

American Nurses Association [ANA]. (2012). Official ANA Position Statements. Retrieved from http://nursingworld.org/positionstatements

American Nurses Association [ANA]. (2012). Statement of Purpose. Retrieved from http://nursingworld.org/FunctionalMenuCategories/ AboutANA/ANAsStatementofPurpose.html

American Nurses Association [ANA]. (2012). What is nursing? Retrieved from: http://www.nursingworld.org/EspeciallyForYou/What-is- Nursing

American Nurses Association [ANA]. (2010). Nursing: Scope and standards of practice (2nd ed). Silver Spring, MD: Author

American Nurses Association. (2012). ANA History. In Nursing World. Retrieved November 28, 2012, from http://nursingworld.org/FunctionalMenuCategories/AboutANA/History

References Cont.

Anderson, T. (2010). Cardiovascular nursing: scope and standards of practice (2008). Nebraska Nurse, 43(2), 8-9.

Chitty, K.K., & Black, B.P.  (2011). Professional nursing: Concepts and challenges (6th ed.) Maryland Heights, MO: Saunders

Egenes, K. (n.d.). History of Nursing (p. 13). N.p.: Jones and Bartlett. Retrieved November 28, 2012, from http://www.jblearning.com/samples/0763752258/52258_ch01_roux.pdf

Michigan Legislative Website. (2009). Public Health code Act 368 of 1978. Retrieved November 28, 2012, from http://www.legislature.mi.gov/%28S%28tevzkamzgkamzwydxa3tt555%29%29/mileg.aspx?page=getObject&objectName=mcl-333-17201