Joining an Association/Organization as a Student?

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I've been considering joining the organization tied to my specialty of choice lately. They have student nurse rates, as I'm pretty sure all of the specialty organizations do, and I've been thinking lately that not only will it look good to a future employer that I went beyond school with my education... but it'll also be a wealth of knowledge to prepare me for the area of nursing I want to end up in some day.

Has anyone here joined an association or organization? Did you think it was helpful? Did you think it was just a waste of money? Really, I want honest opinions!

Thanks guys. :)

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Specializes in L&D.

Do you mean the Student Nurses Association?

If so, yes I have joined and love it! We do all sorts of community service and you also get a cord at graduation...It also looks great on your resume. I think the cost was 70$ for 2 years.

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Specializes in Nursing Assistant.
Do you mean the Student Nurses Association?

If so, yes I have joined and love it! We do all sorts of community service and you also get a cord at graduation...It also looks great on your resume. I think the cost was 70$ for 2 years.

I am a member of my schools SNA as well!

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I actually don't mean SNA. I mean organizations that are geared towards a specific specialty. Most of them have student membership options.

(My area does not offer an SNA chapter, so there are no meetings/community service/cords at graduation/anything at all.)

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Specializes in ICU.

Not a student anymore, but I would recommend it if it's not too expensive. The journals you get have tons of great info, and are really interesting since it's specific to the specialty you are interested in. There's also possibly some networking opportunities!

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Specializes in Peds PACU & Peds Psych.
Do you mean the Student Nurses Association?

If so, yes I have joined and love it! We do all sorts of community service and you also get a cord at graduation...It also looks great on your resume. I think the cost was 70$ for 2 years.

Do you know if you can join SNA if your specific school does not have a chapter?

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Check your local health systems. Depending on your specialty of choice, you will have several resources available. But do you really know what specialty you want?

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It's my specialty of choice. I'm keeping an open mind about other areas, but I really "clicked" with one in particular. Everything fell into place, I could problem solve easier, I understood everything better, it just felt right. It's the best way I can explain it. It was almost like falling in love - like when you're with the one you love and you just know. Does that make any sense?

Anyway. Yes, I believe you can technically be a member of NSNA without a chapter in the area, but there is a lot less going on with it. Like, a lot of the benefits of NSNA are related to the group. If there's no group, it's less involved.

Mostly, I'm just trying to find out if anyone has ever used a student membership in a professional organization, and if they thought it was good for educational purposes/networking/maybe it looks good/that sort of thing.

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Specializes in critical care, Med-Surg.

Do it!

You will learn a LOT, and you can put it on your resume as a reflection of your dedication and passion to your area of interest.

DO IT DO IT DO IT. It will also help you speak eloquently at interviews. You will get CEU opportunities directly to your interest.It will fuel your passion and interest and give you GREAT insight as to what is going on in field. You can get on website anytime and learn.

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Thanks for your input!! I really appreciate it.

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Specializes in Peds PACU & Peds Psych.
It's my specialty of choice. I'm keeping an open mind about other areas, but I really "clicked" with one in particular. Everything fell into place, I could problem solve easier, I understood everything better, it just felt right. It's the best way I can explain it. It was almost like falling in love - like when you're with the one you love and you just know. Does that make any sense?

Anyway. Yes, I believe you can technically be a member of NSNA without a chapter in the area, but there is a lot less going on with it. Like, a lot of the benefits of NSNA are related to the group. If there's no group, it's less involved.

Mostly, I'm just trying to find out if anyone has ever used a student membership in a professional organization, and if they thought it was good for educational purposes/networking/maybe it looks good/that sort of thing.

My school is currently working on starting its own chapter for SNA. Hopefully it goes into effect soon! I'd love to join.

I have also looked into joining two local associations for nurses with a focus in neonatal care (what I want to focus on). Here is a link I found helpful in locating these specialty-focused associations:

Advancing Your Career - Find Nursing Organizations and Links for Nursing Careers on NurseZone.comI also found that browsing through the NICU forum on here led me to a lot of great resources. I would recommend doing the same for whatever specialty it is you're interested in. I would also recommend calling your local hospitals or speaking to your nursing professors to see if they have any good references.

Good luck!

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