Professional Nursing Organization - Essay Example

Professional Nursing Organization Professional Nursing Organization Introduction Nurses join various professional organizations for various reasons. For instance, they are to those who join to become constantly updated with the market trends in their areas of specialization. Others join since these organizations offer a good platform of networking or for self pride for being part of a reputable organization. There are varieties of professional organizations that nurses may join such as the American Nurses Association (ANA); this is a general organization. Others are more specific such as the Emergency Nurses Association (ENA) or nursing associations at the state level. This essay will look at the professional organization ENA, its role and objectives for nursing practices and process of becoming one of its members. Role and objectives of ENA to nursing practice The vision of ENA states as “ENA is indispensable to the global emergency nursing community” (ENA, 2014). Its mission is “to advocate for patient safety and excellence in emergency nursing practice” (ENA, 2014). To accomplish its vision and mission, the organization has structured its operations to be flexible, so as to adapt to the dynamic environment in the business world and professional practice. It has mechanisms of analyzing and predictions in order to utilize any arising opportunities and to react to challenges that might negatively affect the dissemination of emergency health services. Its high cooperation with its key partners, provision of resource stewardship and transparency of services to its members; the organization has emerged as a reputable destination for many nursing professionals. The main objectives of ENA are as follows: 1) to encourage emergency nursing as a specialty. 2) To champion for its members interests and to use education and public awareness to create a better working environment for the professional emergency nurse. 3) To push for ethical principles in nurse practices according to the ENA and ANA codes of ethics. 4) To create good partnerships with other related health care sectors so as to foster emergency care delivery. 5) To be the upfront provider of education, leadership and research related to emergency nursing. 6) To ensure that education and research in emergency nursing is of top quality and has met the set standards. 7) To enhance good interactions and mentorship programs between the emergency nurses. 8) To discover and circulate information regarding the emerging trends in the emergency nursing profession. 9) Acts like a public advocate on matters regarding emergency care. Becoming a member of ENA In order one to become a member of the Emergency Nurses Association, one needs to log into their website first. Then directly go to the membership section and click on the prompt Join as a new member. There two options of feeling the application form for membership; online and manual. In case a person chooses the online application form; one has to create an account then update his/her own profile. There are various fields that need to be filled such as personal details, type of membership and payment details. After completing all the required fields, the individual is supposed to submit the form. On the other hand, a person that opts for the email sent form, first downloads the form and then fields the required field. The form is the same as the online form. After filling the form one can submit the application form via e-mail or through fax along with the payment to the organization. The online payment method acceptable is use of credit cards. The fees paid vary according to the type of membership. If the application goes through and is accepted, the organization then sends the applicant a membership card (ENA, Emergency Nurses Association, 2014). Membership Benefits of ENA ENA aims at shaping its members careers to the right path; improve their skills and provide valuable networks. Joining ENA means it will be a medium to advocate for issues in the emergency nursing practice such as the safety of patients. There are over 38,000 members of ENA from various sections of the emergency nursing. It offers its members a platform for professional growth, provides leadership and represents them in various matters to foster the development of this nursing profession. The membership benefits ENA offers include: 1) provides an affordable saving platform for members to proceed with their education, in order to advance their careers forward. 2) Provides tools which transform best practices into the usual norm of practice. 3) Provides networking platform with other nurse practitioners across the country, which involve sharing of ideas, discussing the challenges of the profession. 4) Members can also get discounts on various emergency nursing certification exams. 5) It offers scholarships and grants to its members on need basis. 6) Provides a resource center whereby members can search for solutions and share their success stories. 7) Provides free access to literary materials on Emergency nursing and related disciplines. 8) Also, it has the ENA career center where career growth is provided; provides subscriptions to various resources such as Journal of Emergency Nursing (ENA, Emergency Nurses Association, 2014). Discussion of Benefits of being part of a Nursing Professional Organization As a new nurse, the process of joining a professional organization is quite interesting and various incentives provided by the organizations are appealing. There are various attractive incentives such as an expanded network platform, discounts, education, certification, and career assistance. However, the most appealing would be dealing with education. The world is evolving every day, as well as is science and technology. This means as a nurse one has also to be constantly updated on the new developments on health care. A lot of specialty certification boards mandates that every nurse constantly enroll in continuing education (CE) courses. This provides them with upfront information on any new developments in their area of specialization. Furthermore, these boards often offer their members fees discounts for these CE courses (Greggs-McQuilkin, 2005). As a new nurse in this rapidly growing nursing profession education would be key for upcoming opportunities. There are vast resources offered by these organizations to ensure continual career development. One has access to various scholarly articles at subsidized prices, and some are totally free. There will be provision of newsletters regularly which shows the current trends in the profession. One can buy books and journal at a discounted fee. The journals provide a good source of information in the nursing practice that result to the development of skills and knowledge. For instance, the cost of education is high and is somehow strenuous to the average American. Learning while working can be sometimes hectic: these two may collide at some point. That is one may be needed to attend classes but the restrictions of the work prevents that from happening. The workplace and classroom environment may be so far apart hence inhibiting participation in the furthering of education. All these geographical limitations hamper career progression. However, the limitations highlighted above that can hinder career growth may be avoided through the following strategies. The provision of e-learning services will ensure that a nurse that cannot be able to attend classes due to geographical constraints can be able to access the same learning materials (Herrin, 2001). This will also provide flexibility between learning and working. The organizations offer savings for its members; it will enable an individual to save enough for his continued education program. Another advantage is that the conferences offered are quite informative and provides platforms to share new ideas and solutions to challenges facing the nursing profession. For the annual conventions held, members are discounted when they attend. This is a big opportunity to create new professional contacts; one meets various people including those from his specialty (Deleskey, 2003). References Deleskey, K. (2003). Factors Affecting Nurses’ Decisions to Join and Maintain Membership in Professional Associations. Journal of PeriAnesthesia Nursing, 18 (1), 8-17. ENA. (2014). Retrieved from Emergency Nurses Association: Retrieved on March 10th 2014 http://www.ena.org/about/Pages/Default.aspx ENA. (2014). Retrieved from Emergency Nurses Association: Retrieved on March 10th 2014 http://www.ena.org/membership/Pages/Default.aspx ENA. (2014). Retrieved from Emergency Nurses Association: Retrieved on March 10th 2014 http://www.ena.org/membership Greggs-McQuilkin, D. (2005). Why Join a Professional Nursing Organization? Nursing, 35, 19. Herrin, D. (2001). E-learning directions for nurses in executive practice. Nursing Administration, 31, 5-6. Read More