How does forking over $179 for ANA membership benefit me?

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Specializes in Acute Care.

I will (hopefully) finally be an RN in about two weeks- and I'm looking into getting my ANA membership. There was no exposure to the association at anytime during school, and nearly everyone at work portrays it as a pointless, powerless organization. From the state that nursing is in today, I'm tempted to agree with them...

Anyway, I'm just wanting to feedback from more people on the ANA. Is it actually worth becoming a member? Or is it just one more nursing-related thing taking my money?

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Specializes in ICU/Critical Care.

DON"T WASTE YOUR MONEY. ANA is useless.

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Specializes in Med Surg, LTC, Home Health.

They have accomplished nothing in all the years i have been watching. They should be recommending ratios that resemble those of California, and instead it seems like they are basically recommending the continuation of what we are doing already, while admitting that 73% of us are not happy with the way things are. Nurse to pt ratios have been an issue to me for my entire career that only seems to be getting worse. Meanwhile the CNA (California Nurses Association) has gotten actual results! They are the ones we should all be supporting!

Here is a thread started a few days ago about this topic...

https://allnurses.com/forums/f8/ana-worth-314850.html

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Specializes in LTC, Med/Surg, Peds, ICU, Tele.

I haven't seen any results from my ANA membership. I'm forced to join because I'm employed at a closed shop. I haven't seen anything other than token appearences at meetings, and the main union reps seem awfully cozy with management.

I may be wrong, but from my point of view they appear to be mainly serving the interests of their well paid leadership by collecting union dues to go into their coffers. I'm very cynical, at this point, about the ANA.

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Specializes in Staff nurse.

I am thankful I don't have to be a member where I work because I do not agree with some of their political views...

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Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

Perhaps join your specialty organization once you get a job? To me that makes more sense. In IL, the membership for ANA is $512/year!

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Specializes in ER, Medicine.

That's a good question that no one seems to know the answer to. Out of the nurses I've talked to at work, not one has a membership. Several of them have never even considered joining. For myself, it's never been an issue, as I also can't come up with 2 reasons why I should pay to join.

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Specializes in Tele, Home Health, MICU, CTICU, LTC.

I wouldn't waste your money on an ANA membership. However, joining a speciality organization is a great idea. I joined AACN last year. For $78 a year I get a subscription to two excellent critical care journals, monthly newsletters, free continuing ed, and discounts on certification and conferences.

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I have been an RN for many, many years. Last time I was a member of ANA was when I was in nursing school back in the 1970s. There was a student discount, and we were "stronglly advised" to join from our professor. I think professionally it is probably positive to be a member of your professional organization, and is good to show on your resume if/when you apply for a nursing job in the higher ranks of an organization. However those are the only positives that I am aware of. The large cost for little impact is why I do not join as well. I have been a member of speciality organizations, like AACN, and the association of neuro-science nurses, etc over the years. I have gotten a lot out of local meetings, inservices, journals, etc from those speciality groups. (And those also are good for a resume).

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Specializes in ER/ICU, CCL, EP.

I joined ANA because I believed in supporting my professional organization. I also wanted to believe in the 'Safe Staffing Saves Lives' initiative. Their political standpoint does not jibe with my own, and they have accomplished nothing, as far as I can tell. I will not renew.

The fact that the Michigan Nurses Association dropped them like a bad blind date says something.

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Specializes in ICU.

i haven't heard of a single thing the ANA has done to make my professional life any better, save your money and go out to a nice dinner, at least you can reap mental health benefits from that and you don't have to do the dishes! :smokin:

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Specializes in oncology, trauma, home health.

They have been calling me at home lately, last night I talked with one of them for quite a while. I heard all of the great things they have done for the nurses who have worked for my company since before the buy-out, but I am happy with the way things are for me, personally.

The rep told me that our dues are $240 PER QUARTER. I can't do that.

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