What in the world does the ANA do?

anonymurse · Mar 27, 2007

The entire group, along with the State BON's, need to be dismantled, and taken over by nurses who are looking out for the nursing profession, and our patients.

Tell us what ya got and maybe we'll start something new.

Let's do this on a national basis. The weakness of the ANA is that it's a support system for bargaining units in some states and it's in a perpetual search for itself in others.

Let's make it dirt cheap so everyone can afford to join, say $15/year, with $10 going back to the local chapters. $9/year for associate members, with $6 going back to the local chapters.

Let's admit RNs and LPNs as equal voting members--the issues facing both groups are identical. The role differences in some places are nearly nonexistent.

Let the political pragmatists consider that RNs alone aren't a big enough voting bloc to get the desired changes--barely. They're just enough in California. So how much of a numerical nudge would it take in other states?

Let's agree that RNs and LPNs need each other. Let each group consider what a day at the hospital would be like without the other.

And about those associate members: I'm thinking we should target CNAs, RTs, PTs. If we're suffering from staffing probs, aren't they? Pay probs? Worker and pt safety probs?

So tell us what ya got there.

smartynurse · Apr 3, 2007

many of the active participants in state nursing organizations are nurse executives (read chief nursing officers, directors of nursing, etc.). There is a lot of politics in the ANA/state orgs. They really are much more enthusiastic about educating more nurses, not keeping the ones they have at the bedside. The ANA doesn't endorse nurse-patient ratios as the answer to staffing issues, as it doesn't allow for individual judgment of staffing issues, pt. acuity. The ANA doesn't have anywhere near the power of the AHA , because of money/membership. The ANA has never really embraced bedside nurses due to the BSN vs. ADN issue, etc. Go to a state meeting. All the members usually work in public health or are administrators in the hospital. The ANA aligns itself with democrats because the dems are the only ones that will consider legislation for safe staffing. Just so you know, the American Assoc. of Nurse executives (all the nsg. administrators, chiefs, directors) is an arm of the American Hospital Assoc., not the ANA. So, our own administrators are not on our side (no kidding).

boztc · Aug 30, 2007

ANA and their state affiliates are nothing but political whores bowing to the highest bidder.

lindarn · Aug 30, 2007

In a word: NOTHING.

As we say in Brooklyn, they are about as useful as tits on a bull!!

Lindarn, RN, BSN, CCRN

Spokane, Washington

Home Health Columnist / Guide · Aug 31, 2007

ANA is ME

...................working on issues that affect entire profession and my workplace

1. Setting professional standards

2. Working on issues recruitment AND retention

3. Responding to assaults on licensure

4. Working with legislators to modernize/expand/protect state nurse practice act

5. Promoting workplace safety and ergonomics

6. Developing nursing resources to assist in everyday practice

7. Identifying and monitoring trends/educational standards/nursing activities due to healthcare advances and issuing warnings when problems perceived

8. Keeping current in profession by attending/ developing continuing education programs

9. Developing and promoting nursing's quality indicators

10. Promoting the profession of nursing

some "Talk the Talk" others "Walk the Walk"

SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN · Aug 31, 2007

As an LPN all I can see is that the ANA tries to further marginalize us.

When I obtain my RN I will not be joining. They promote divisiveness.

boztc · Aug 31, 2007

ANA is ME
...................working on issues that affect entire profession and my workplace
1. Setting professional standards
2. Working on issues recruitment AND retention
3. Responding to assaults on licensure
4. Working with legislators to modernize/expand/protect state nurse practice act
5. Promoting workplace safety and ergonomics
6. Developing nursing resources to assist in everyday practice
7. Identifying and monitoring trends/educational standards/nursing activities due to healthcare advances and issuing warnings when problems perceived
8. Keeping current in profession by attending/ developing continuing education programs
9. Developing and promoting nursing's quality indicators
10. Promoting the profession of nursing
some "Talk the Talk" others "Walk the Walk"

And all for $550/year! Add another $100 for each specialty organization (ANA affiliate) you wish to join.

Tell me how my state organization was promoting nursing while they stood by and allowed the Governor(s) to raid Nursing and Healthcare Special Purpose Funds to balance the budget. ($4 million form Nursing and $10 million from Trauma just last year, and it's been going on for years.)

Then, they not only endorse the re-election of this thief but condone a 50% increase in registration fees so he has more money to steal. The registration application form actually stated that the fees were raised "with the full support of" the state association.

Sorry, I don't like the way they walk and talk.

BillEDRN · Sep 1, 2007

To the poster who stated that the AMA doctors don't "snipe" at each other about their education. That may not necessarily be true, as I do know that there is some division between the MDs and DOs. However, that being said, the reason that you have that perception, is that all of the educational requirements are basically the same, they need a BS before they get into med school.

Nursing has a long and distinguished history, and much like medicine, and it's educational process has evolved thru the years. The original surgeons were barbers and there was a time that you really didn't need to go to medical school to become a doctor. Similarily, nursing education was once mainly an "on the job" affair. And while it has, in some respects, progressed, the vestiges of it's former educational processes remain and, in my humble opinion, cause more harm to the profession than good. And before you start calling me a BSN elitist, or whatever else, realize that I am an ADN graduate. I think we should grandfather in the older nurses(I am getting my MSN, so that's not a self serving attitude) with diplomas and ADNs, and at some point make the BSN the entry level. I know this is not necessarily a popular view with some nurses, but if you look at other healthcare professions (and even non-healthcare professions) the usual entry level degree is a BS. It is, IMHO, difficult to loudly vocalize how "professional" we are to other healthcare professionals (and the public) who almost universally hold higher degrees than we do.

More on target with the topic though, I have just one quick comment, well maybe two, regarding some of the comments on ANA "not doing anything" - Like voting, if you aren't participating in the process, don't bi**h about not getting what you want; and, if you aren't part of the solution, you're part of the problem.

boztc · Sep 1, 2007

How long to you have to contribute to "the solution" before the problems are addressed? 10, 20, 30 years? I was a member of ANA and on the professional comittee that worked with the bargaining unit for my facility. They took the money and ran. We were trying to discuss issues like staffing ratios, floating, mandatory overtime, etc. The ANA reps response was, "But you can wear colored tops now."

deeDawntee, RN · Sep 1, 2007

It obviously depends greatly on your own local chapter and your responsibility in the matter. A Union is only as powerful as its membership.

I know for a fact that my wages wouldn't be as good, I wouldn't have such great patient ratios and floating guidelines. My benefits and my pension plan would be nil without all the work the Union has done in my area. Generations of nurses before have fought hard for my rights and although I am not as involved in the Union as much as I would like to be, I am truly grateful for all they have fought and won for all the nurses in my area.

There is not much you can do until the next contract negotiations at your hospital, but if you really want things to change, perhaps you should see what the Union needs from its members to be successful? Change will not happen overnight, but it will happen. By staying at a hospital where there is not much Union support and then actually dropping your membership is going to guarentee that nothing changes.

I realize that I am speaking from a perspective where Unionization works...and I can imagine one feels powerless in the face of an entire system that is not working. But I KNOW that Unions can and do work, if they have a strong and involved membership.

boztc · Sep 1, 2007

You misunderstand. It wasn't a Union that screwed us. It was the bargaining unit composed of our local/state ANA representatives. We didn't have a Union, but we paid to have the ANA represent us in contract negotiations.

I have come to realize that the State has these people in their back pockets. They bend to the wishes of of the Administration in vogue to protect their own financial interests.

BillEDRN · Sep 1, 2007

How long to you have to contribute to "the solution" before the problems are addressed? 10, 20, 30 years? I was a member of ANA and on the professional comittee that worked with the bargaining unit for my facility. They took the money and ran. We were trying to discuss issues like staffing ratios, floating, mandatory overtime, etc. The ANA reps response was, "But you can wear colored tops now."

You obviously have some legitimate concerns about the past practices of ANA (giving you the benefit of the doubt about how accurately you relate the circumstances of the events you describe) and I understand your frustration. The wheels of government, and any bureaucracy (and ANA is a bureaucracy) move slowly and are greased with money and influence. As I said, I don't necessarily agree with ANA all the time - for example, I think they should support patient ratios because they offer concrete numbers the bedside nurse can use and aren't subject to the influence of managers who might want to nudge acuities down for staffing purposes. However, just because they don't, I don't presume that they are universally bad and worthless. Maybe not going in the direction I would want, but not bad.

I think an appropriate analogy is that of a rude, unhelpful, possibly even "bad" cop. Although your interaction with him (or her) might leave a bad feeling in your mouth, would you go so far as to say all cops, and by inference, the police force in general, are bad, and unneeded?

As one of the previous posters noted, the AHA is a stong and effective represenative of it's member's needs, in part because of money, but also because they know that it's important to utilize the strength of collective action. Nurses will continue to be left out of the process unless we realize that only as a collective force will we be able to affect change that is in our interest. And like any democracy, there is bound to be opposing views within the organization. And while it is important to encourage that debate, it is also equally important to support the outcome of those discussions (and the democratic process that hopefully is used to arrive at various positions) instead of storming home with your toys when you don't get your way.

So it comes down to this: do we as nurses sit on the political sidelines and complain and whine about how we are treated? Or do we work with each other, within whatever organizational frame work or association we choose, to effect change? Will it be difficult - most certainly. Will it take time and energy - you bet. Does it have to be ANA - nope, but it has to be some type of organization of nurses. So which is easier -creating a new, more effective organization, or working to model the current one more to your (our) needs? In either senario, it will require much hard work, dedication, patience, and tolerence. Until nursing can work collectively together, we will continue to be viewed as the laughing stock of the healthcare industry. A "profession" rife with complainers and whiners who despite their talk of being professional, either cannot, or will not, work together effectively to counter whatever efforts folks like the AHA and their member hospitals want to push down our throats.