Professional Organizations and Their Role in Nursing

Historical Foundations of Professional Nursing Organizations

In the past, individuals within every society began delivering care and nutrition to those who were unable to look after themselves. As these people became "care specialists," they began sharing with others the practices that proved effective, and training apprentices who would eventually continue their work. The advancement of contemporary nursing — from a vocation to a recognized profession and discipline — began in the latter part of the 1800s, when Florence Nightingale articulated her views on how nurses ought to be educated and how patient care ought to be delivered (Hegge, 2011).

The first nursing education institution in the United States was established in 1873. Two decades later, nursing school administrators felt the time had come to collaborate and share best practices related to educating practitioners in this newly formed field. These nursing leaders established the American Superintendents Society for Training Nurses to define and maintain a general standard for nursing education; this society eventually became the National League for Nursing (NLN). In 1896, graduate nurse practitioners began seeking greater uniformity, particularly regarding standards in nursing education and competency in nursing practice. Nursing institution alumni united and established a national organization designed to raise the benchmarks of nursing education, develop a code of ethics, and promote the welfare of nursing (Fowler, 2008; Pinch and Haddad, 2008). This organization, originally known as the Associated Alumnae of Educated Nurses, was renamed the American Nurses Association (ANA) in 1911 (ANA, 2009; 2010). With this, the formal foundations were laid for the discipline of nursing, for the welfare of professional nurse practitioners, and for the benefit of contemporary society as a whole.

Informing Nurse Practitioners

The ability of professional organizations to communicate promptly with their members is among the many advantages of integrating multiple organizations through collaborative endeavors. Newsletters and bulletin notifications keep members informed about current issues and help clarify developments that may affect nurse practitioners and patient care delivery. Issue-specific communication with members frequently calls on nurse practitioners to respond to late-breaking changes. In this era of digital correspondence, nurses can engage in a number of ways — including telephone calls, email, social media posts, and messaging platforms — to urge decision-makers to support and advocate for nurses, helping them understand how a specific proposal will affect those who deliver as well as those who receive medical care. Of the more than 3 million nurse practitioners in the United States, 2.6 million are actively engaged in the workforce (Bureau of Health Professionals, 2011); the majority of these nurses have access to digital communications. These nurse practitioners have the capability to evaluate the information presented and to respond promptly. The collective power of more than 2 million voices at the federal level can be remarkable — it could considerably influence the development of policy and legislation.

Today, professional organizations include listservs and networked data-sharing features that strengthen a nurse's ability to support both individual practitioners and the nursing profession as a whole. The opportunity to participate in association advocacy is a significant advantage of membership in one's professional organization. As associations continue to strengthen their communication networks, professional membership grows in importance by providing a platform for engagement through secure, intra-member social networking channels (Matthews, 2012).