"International Association of Nurses" - is this legit?

Nurses Professionalism

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Does anyone know what the "International Association of Nurses" is, or if it's legit? During school I got letters three years in a row telling me I was nominated for the "Who's Who in Educators" and suspect this is a bit along the same lines. Google isn't telling me much. I've never heard of their supposed publication "Worldwide Leaders in HealthCare."

Oh, I might also add that I have "been selected as a Top Nurse in" my small town Illinois, and have not yet secured employment after graduating last May. So their offer of this "prestigious tribute to [my] success" is very suspect, though I'd like to think they just anticipated my awesomeness :p

Just because someone "says" you have to do something does not equate to you "actually" having to do so.

I would have been laughing at the salesperson so hard she couldn't get her next words out. I know they need their job, but that does not excuse the upset she caused you.

That said, in my opinion, you've got to foster - in yourself - a bull**** meter that says, "Uh-uh! I don't get treated like that!" I find it helpful to ask 3 questions when something someone else says confuses/ upsets me: Is that true? Is that proveable? Is it helpful? If not, the conversation is over. In this case, as soon as they said you HAD to do something, they failed all 3 questions. I always try once to leave the conversation politely; after that, the longer they talk the less pleasant they find me.

Big hugs!

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MAJOR SCAM! Just off the phone with Susan from the INA. As soon as she asked for money at the end of our 20 min convo I knew something wasn't right. I said I wanted to know how I was nominated- they couldn't tell me who did it just that it came from a hospital, school or organization. I told her I don't remember filling out an application and I wasn't even sure what I was being honored for. Once the money came into play I told her I wanted to research the organization more and that I wouldn't give money. She too went from 879 to 34 sponsor fee with additional 34 a month membership fee. I then hung up and found this forum, I just had a gut feeling once they mentioned money it wasn't legit- I even said to her "wait I didn't nominate myself why would I pay?". I told her I would call back but I am not going to and if they call me again they will hear it. Please avoid these people, they seem nice but it most definitely felt like a scam in my gut with just talking to Susan on the phone.

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.

This needs a bump...they tried to contact me again.... :no:

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Scam is a polite word for them.

never ending. I had to change credit card details as they kept withdrawing One off payments.....ooooh these posts have brought back some bad old memories.....I didn't realise they were still scamming but USA is probably the most difficult country to shut down scams in.

good luck to all and avoid ! Caveat Emptor!

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Specializes in Bloodless Medicine, Hospice, Holistic.

First, Avoid International Nursing Association

Like a previous poster, I do not believe this to be a scam. I do believe what they are doing is unethical and they are taking advantage of the title 'nursing.' But in the end, it comes down to Caveat Emptor [Latin, Let the buyer beware.]

Is it legit? Well, what are they promising? To put your name in a book and publish that book. They claim you can gain access to other leaders. They charge a sign up fee and a monthly fee. Many nursing associations have a membership fee.

The question, do they provide real value? Do they advocate for nurses? (no claim for that). Do they provide any value to you as a nurse with their title or designation? (they do not appear on any lists of nursing associations so have no creditability). This claim is the only area where they could be considered a scam. Bottom line, they are worthless to our career as they do not seem to provide any real value. Saying I am listed among them (and I have to pay at the minimum about $400 a year for being able to say I'm listed) is no real value.

For instance, in another association I belong to, the idea of creating a study came to me. I called and was given a few names of people who were interested. Also, the Association was interested in doing the study. They are a resource for me and others in that field of nursing.

For those who got taken (I have been taken in the past by other such things and fortunately got out), I have a simple policy. Simply say, "Send me the information in writing and let me get back to you."

Good marketers are taught that if you don not sign now, you never will. If they are trying to sell you, they will not want you to leave till they get the sale. My agent went all the way down to free with 4 different offers, each me saying in response to, "Sounds great, let me talk it over with my wife and get back to you."

Then she pulled the Publication Date ploy...in marketing it using time sensitivity. In a company that always has a sale, using it is unethical and dishonest. For a company like Groupon where it is on for only 24 hours, it makes them a lot of money and is a great tool.

The problem, had she not kept lowering the price, I too might have bought into this. But, my "let me think about it for 24 hours" response has always saved me.

Please note, not all things like this are scams. I bought a program on 'selling' and it employed many of the techniques INA used except for the high pressure tactics. The course cost $2000. It produced as it claimed and my sales more than paid for the course in one month.

The interesting thing, the course offered enough of the info for free for me to test it out and see that it would work. So, If INA had the list of top nurses available online where I could preview or contact those nurses, where I could test the value, then it could be more easily tested as to the quality of their product. But, if only those paying for get the publication, then it does not have a wide circulation and its value is reduced.

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Specializes in Hospice / Psych / RNAC.

Bump...

I actually filled out a survey online for them not knowing that this thread had been done concerning their alleged scam status.

Since I entered a nursing leadership video contest run by the ANA a while back, it wasn't a surprise to get something from another organization about nursing leadership. They have called me this morning and said they need to have a little more information about me to proceed...I wonder if that information could be my credit card number :whistling:.

I will call them to see how long it takes them to lower the boom about wanting money. When I entered the ANA leadership in nursing contest there was no money involved. I didn't win but they sent me an ANA t-shirt, and some ANA nursing leader pins.

Anyone else...

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I've gotten this same solicitation, and enjoyed the laugh. My mailing address is in a very small town, so it was quite entertaining to read that I was nominated as "one of the best nurses in XXville" :D LOL, I'm one of the ONLY nurses in XXville!

I get the ones for Who's Who, and this, from time to time. Never was interested in a vanity press where I PAID to get my name printed, never will be.

One of my kids got a solicitation to be in the Who's Who of American High School Students....umm...no thanks. Very easy to glean these names off the Honor roles printed in the local newspapers, so a no-brainer how they get found. My son asked if it wouldn't be a good idea to do it, so that he could list on his resume for college applications that he's in the "Who's Who". Told him NO admissions committee with a COMBINED IQ of 150 would do anything other than laugh at any application that had this on it! Being on Honor role is enough, he doesn't need his name printed in a book ;)

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Ugh I feel sick. Im so glad I didnt actually have enough to get the diamond or whatever membership. I did pay the 34 though...am I gonna have to end up cancelling my credit card?!

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I just received the same letter in the mail and spent 2o minutes on the phone with "Jennifer" being congratulated and how prestigious this invite was, and that I was nominated but they did not have the information to tell me who it was that nominated me. After many minutes of telling me I would be featured in their publications, it was then I was told I would have to pay over $900 for a membership platinum. She didn't mention the other options until I adamantly told her I could not afford that. Then she said I could have a sponsored membership and would only be responsible for $40 a month. I told her I would have to think about it and she advised me I would have to complete the transaction now or it would not be published. Unbelievable. I told her thanks but no thanks, I wasn't interested in spending my money on a membership that no one seems to know anything about. It is a shame that we have such a hard time being recognized or thanked for our work, but now we have people taking advantage of that. I really had my hopes up that someone actually nominated me for all the hard work I have put in the past 12 years. What a let down.

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Specializes in Oncology; medical specialty website.

That scam was around 30 years ago when I graduated from nursing school. I got an invite, and I thought, "What have I done to deserve any recognition? I'm a new grad!" My "invitation" went in the circular file.

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I just received an invitation for this in my linked in account. Having a bad year with all the pressure put on nurses, I hoped for a minute it was true.... that I was actually being appreciated for all the hard work and caring as a nurse of 42 years, 38 in the same place. Oh well, the best I can do is visit a patient and as they cheer me up, I'll cheer them up. I love my job as much as ever, but the dealings with management are becoming more and more confrontational as their goal is money and mine is care. That will not change no matter what they do or say! Someone I have known since she was born just graduated and I told her I didn't know whether to congratulate her or tell her I was sorry. Things sure have changed over all these years!

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