Can students be ANA members?

[ital91]

When I first started, my school gave us a paper to join the ANA, but I read online now that it's only for RN'S... I'm nearing graduation and I'd like to pad my resume.

Can anyone clear this up ? Thanks

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

You aren't eligible for membership, but you can become a subscriber. Honestly, I'd say you'd be better off with a specialty organization instead of a general one. Several offer student rates. I'm also not sure that being a member of ANA would be much of a resume pad- it's not specific to a specialty. If I were the hiring manager in my OR, I'd be more interested in someone who has joined and attended meetings of AORN, plus just being a member doesn't mean as much as being an active member who attends meetings and participates. Those meetings also provide an opportunity to network- as a new grad, it's not so much going to be what you know but who you know.

[ital91]

it might have been the NSNA for students..