I was wondering if anyone could give me advice on all of these associations out there. For example, if I were interested in trauma would it be in my interest to become a member of the emergency nurses association? Is it money well spent?

i was a member of the intravenous nurses society (ins - now the infusion nurses society) for many years. with the yearly membership we got a subscription to their journal and national newsletter as well as access to many parts of their online website that the general public cannot get into. also, if you are a member, you get a lower rate when you have to pay the money to take the national certification exam in iv therapy. you also get discounted rates for their conventions and workshops. if you aren't taking advantage of any of those kinds of things then the membership isn't much use to you. i'm am sure the trauma nurses group has the same sort of discounts, conventions, workshops and publications going on as well for their members. many of these activities offer continuing education credit hours, something that becomes important when you become licensed and certified. if you have never been to a nursing convention you should plan to go to one. they are worth every penny. you will come away rejuvenated and full of all kinds of new ideas and memories of networking with lots of other nurses with the same interests. besides learning about the latest things going on in that particular field of nursing, the convention planners also bring in all kinds of nursing and healthcare related vendors to showcase and demonstrate their latest products for you. your state student nurses association convention and/or workshops are a great place to attend your first one. when i went to the national ins conventions i was often able to actually speak with iv nurses who are leaders in the field, writers of articles you see in the nursing journals and leading textbooks. what a kick it was to put a face with a name. these people are so knowledgeable! and, they can often answer questions that have been burning in the back of your mind. i always felt a very, very special feeling of professionlism when ever i attended these conventions and workshops.

Ok, so if you take advantage of the membership benefits, such as conventions, magazines and discounts it's worth it. Allright, good to know. Thanks for the info!