what exactly do people do at those nursing associations?

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I'm just wondering... there are so many associations out there that you can join. Whether it is general nurses association or specialty, what do members do once they join? Any pros & cons ?

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Specializes in Clinicals in Med-Surg., OB, CCU, ICU.

LOL... trips to Hawaii on your dollar... :lol2:

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Specializes in Hospital Education Coordinator.

We hold monthly meetings to network and discuss current legislation or local events & politics, etc. Quarterly we have CNE for all area nurses. The Texas Nurses Asso is heavily involved in legislation pertaining to nurses so we like to stay on top of that. But the networking is really fun & worthwhile. I am not a member of AORN but coordinate meetings for them and know they do much of the same thing. Helps when you are job hunting to know someone.

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Specializes in Holistic and Aesthetic Medicine.

The Board of Nursing is to regulate you. The state and national associations are to ADVOCATE for you. They are crucial in helping us maintain and implement laws that are nurse and patient friendly. While I don't think you need to join 5 different associations, your state association is important!

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Specializes in Oncology/BMT.

I belong to the Oncology Nursing Society... Membership is about $102 per year... You receive subscriptions to the Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing and Oncology Nursing Forum, both are great journals with tons of good information and evidence-based practice stuff... You get unlimited CE for free from the journals... You receive a discount on books and webcourses... And if you decided to take an oncology certification exam, the price is discounted...

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Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.

Also ...

In most cases, it is the work of the professional associations to establish the practice and educational standards that we are all expected to live up to.

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I belong to the national association for my clinical specialty. My membership fee includes a subscription to the official journal (the only one published for my specialty) and my membership qualifies me for discounts on certification exams and renewals and on my professional liability (malpractice) insurance premium. I usually attend the annual national convention, which offers a bunch of CE credits plus the opportunity to meet and interact with the national leaders in my field (I often find that the question/answer periods and informal conversations are even more valuable and productive than the formal presentations). I make useful networking contacts, and get to see and catch up with colleagues and friends in other parts of the country. :) The organization lobbies the government on issues related to our specialty (advocating for our client population as well as for us as providers) and issues position papers on social and clinical issues related to our specialty. We also have a foundation that offers research grants and grad school scholarships, and provides grants for students to attend the national conventions. As llg noted, the organization establishes the professional education and practice standards for the specialty. Perhaps most fundamentally, I know that, by participating actively in the organization, I'm helping further the profession and improve care and quality of life for my client population (more so than I can as an individual).

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Specializes in ED. ICU, PICU, infection prevention, aeromedical e.

I belong to the AACN. They have some amazing people who are major high achievers in there who really advocate for nurses at the bedside.

For me, I get current publications about what is hot in the field. I also went to the national teaching institute conference they put on last year in New Orleans! I learned alot and had a great trip. So I had fun and counted it as a tax deduction. I ended up with about 46 CEU's which are necessary for my CCRN.

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