Editor's
Note
A place
at the table
RN
leaders are needed in key positions to ensure nursing's voice
is heard
Carol Bradley, MSN,
RN, California Editor
March
26 , 2001
Do you
belong to a state, national or specialty nursing organization?
If not, this is a critical time for you to join.
Now,
there are those who believe that the professional association
is an old social model, no longer relevant in today’s workplace.
It’s true that membership numbers have declined in recent
years. Most national organizations represent only a small
percentage of their target membership. It is difficult for
anyone to claim to be the "voice of nursing" when
membership is not representative. It is fair to say that
member expectations are high for value received in exchange
for membership dues.
Many
organizations also are experiencing internal strife and
external competition for membership dollars. These battles
serve only to drain necessary energy and important resources
away from our larger needs as a profession. It is time to
be united under a big tent, not divisive.
Depending
on the location of nursing education and the philosophy
of the faculty, nursing students often have been indoctrinated
into the world of professional associations. I was taught
that to join one’s professional nursing association was
an important expectation of being a member of the profession.
Today, many universities and colleges have students involved
in the National Student Nurses’ Association as a grooming
tool for future membership in the American Nurses Association
or other specialty associations.
If you
search the Internet, you will find that literally hundreds
of associations attempt to represent the whole or various
subsets of the nursing profession. Most of the broader-based
organizations are headquartered in the East, principally
Washington, D.C., for legislative and policy reasons. The
Tri-Council is a long-standing coalition of the ANA, the
American Organization of Nurse Executives, the National
League for Nursing and the American Association of Colleges
of Nursing.
Combined
legislative efforts from these four organizations often
are required to demonstrate a strong voice of nursing on
Capitol Hill. Many of the specialty organizations also are
strong on the legislative front and have helped with legislative
efforts, especially to further the scope of practice for
nursing at the advanced practice level.
Today,
although nursing has a lengthy and important legislative
agenda, our No.1 priority at the state and national levels
is funding nursing education. Your voice (and membership
dollar) is needed to support and elevate nursing on the
political front. If you belong to a nursing organization
that is active in Washington, make sure you are actively
involved in its work. If you are not, join the organization
that best meets your needs, and become an active member.
While
nursing has long bemoaned that we do not have a single,
united voice, it is more important that each member of our
profession simply finds the place where he or she can be
actively engaged in creating the future of nursing. This
may be different for each of us.
Since
1990, I have been an active volunteer for my professional
association, first at the state level and then the national
level. I not only have gained a much broader perspective
on the needs of our profession, but have developed wonderful
friendships and an important network of resources.
My association
experiences have made me a more committed nurse and have
given me far more than I have given the organization.
It has
never been more important for our voice to be heard. Like
it or not, the best vehicle for your voice is the professional
association of your choice. So get out your checkbook and
join.
