What in the world does the ANA do?

[-jt]

an update for those of you not involved & wondering.......

In the past two years, the ANA has focused its work on core issues of vital concern to the nation's registered nurses - staffing, health and safety, workplace rights, continuing competence and patient safety/advocacy. In this section of NursingWorld, ANA shares with you what it is doing to address these core issues for you and your patients.

Introduction and history are in the beginning. Action updates start on page 13. Excellent report. Lots of info here that answers the question. PDF file. Takes a few minutes to open.

http://www.ana.org/about/lately/stakerep.pdf

[Ginger35]

I have pondered this thought myself. I have to do a paper on the ANA with a presentation in an MBA cirriculum. I have also contemplated thoughts about joining - however, I would like to see some sort of financial report. I see an annual stakeholders report - but it has no financials as to how they are generating their revenues and expenses. Track the $$$ and you track the "activity".....

I believe they are a non-profit organization - yet no financials are posted??? If I send any organization dues - I would like to see where the money is going....

Does anyone have this information???

Thanks,

Ginger

[RN BSN 2009]

I have pondered this thought myself. I have to do a paper on the ANA with a presentation in an MBA cirriculum. I have also contemplated thoughts about joining - however, I would like to see some sort of financial report. I see an annual stakeholders report - but it has no financials as to how they are generating their revenues and expenses. Track the $$$ and you track the "activity".....

I believe they are a non-profit organization - yet no financials are posted??? If I send any organization dues - I would like to see where the money is going....

Does anyone have this information???

Thanks,

Ginger

good point, let me know if you find it!! :trout:

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

Members of the House of Delegates are provided this info yearly at convention. It may be posted in the members only section, but I've not looked.

If you desire this info for a school project, please submit a request to the CEO for a response.

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

ana information for 2006

• ana's letter to ama's call to restrict aprns (pdf: 61kb)
  
• ama hod resolutions 902 and 904
  
• additional resources (www.patientsrights.org)
  
• ana co-hosts briefing on safe patient handling and movement (may 8, 2006)
  
• 2006 aprn legislative summary (pdf: 679 kb)

2006 maps and background information

nationwide legislative trends (2001-2006)

background information mandatory overtime: map

eliminating mercury in health care setting:map

thimerosal position statement

nurse staffing plans and ratios :map

nursing workforce data collection:map

nursing education:map

nursing quality indicators :map

safe patient movement and handling:map

title nurse:map

whistleblower protection:map

[spydercadet]

Wow, from a rant about the uselessness of the ANA to the uselessness of the nurse, plus snuck a little political agenda in there as well.

I do NOT believe that nurses are useless and I am sorry if anyone thought that I was trying to make that kind of a point. Quite the contrary, I believe that nursing is the most necessary part of the healthcare team, especially when it comes to hospitalized patients. We as nurses are the lynch pin of patient care. When you look at acute care hospitals, why are patients really admitted to them??? The ONLY reason comes down to the need for that patient to receive 24 hour nursing care; all other treatments, more or less, can be done on an outpatient basis. I believe that the ANA isn't really supporting our role at the bedside. I hope that we learn to respect and support the nurse at the bedside. It is from that role that so many other professional avenues open up to us. I just want to make sure that we can count on our leadership at both the state and federal level to maintain that role. While I have gone well outside the traditional bedside nursing role and have owned a Home Health Agency, tried my hand at pharmaceutical sales and now have written the curriculum for a LPN program, I will never loose sight of the basis of nursing. As a profession we need to stop sniping at each other and stand firm against those who would like us to destroy us from within

No I do NOT believe in the "uselessness of nurses" and No there isn't a "little political agenda in there as well." And I am sorry if that is what you see. However, this is exactly what I am talking about with differential diagnosis, once we have an idea about someone or something; we see it everywhere instead of seeing what we need to see.

[Ginger35]

Well....I have tried to obtain financials for the ANA. Tried contacting the CEO and no response. We (my group and I) have also tried calling the 1-800 number and even was transferred to their finance department. They acted like they didn't know a darn thing!!!

I don't understand why the ANA is willing to post the ANF (American Nursing Foundation) financials - BUT not their own??? - Very interesting....

[CRNI-ICU20]

Spyder, I am with you on the Illinois Professional Lic. Board of Nursing...

You are absolutely on target with their business agendas that go nowhere.

They do, however, collect a fine paycheck and benefits package which includes retirement benefits that make those of us who work at the bedside look like parking meter money.

I have never been too impressed with national organizations....some may start out with a good vision statement....but along the way, the statement changes and things get lost in translation.

As for political agenda, (ingelien), I don't think spyder was sneaking anything in at all....he was making a point of how things can get slanted one way or another, depending on the audience and source....

I just read something on this very subject....about a well known journalist who made up a mental disorder...and a subsequent medication to cure it...Havidol (Have It All)....people, even doctors were buying into it....and wanting to know how they could get there hands on it!! It shows the sway that others can have on one's opinion and even common sense.

So you see, there is a level of gullibility that some organizations play off of...

And while they may believe they are doing all of us a favor by their existence, there's a large base of evidence that would beg to differ with that belief about themselves. If they are soooo fantastic and beneficial, why do we hear the same problems existing now that existed 20 or 30 years ago? I would hope that we could get more bang for our buck, (ie dues) and see some real movement on things....

To be fair, the AMA has a much larger more financially blessed community....and the drug companies court them right and left.....so they get support....

No one wants to take us out on a date! Plain and simple....we don't have drug companies offering to support our cause....they could care less about us....

So, the ANA has many strikes against it before it ever gets it's collective feet in the door...

The real issues of nursing are overwhelmed by the tidal waves of hospital administrations and associations, and the ANA is really over powered, out numbered, and under sold by them.

I don't think dumping more money into it will solve the problem, either...

I don't think requiring the nursing profession to get entry level master's degrees will make a difference...

We are fighting a system and mindset that was burned into the braincells of medica long ago....we are subordinate beings in their eyes....and to some, not even beings....

You cannot change one hundred years of thinking in even 40 years....

The way to effect change???

Work on the divisions we have created amongst ourselves....(you don't see Drs. who belong to the AMA grousing about the education of the person sitting next to them...)

Work on grass root senators and congressmen and women who have a PERSONAL connection with nurses and the nursing profession....

(Senator Grassley is one....) When you vote for a candidate....consider their voting record for or against big business health care issues, etc...

These are small steps...but they pay off in the end...

I liked what Spyder said, about not making us into little mini-docs....we have our contributions and our knowledge, and we do a skillful and wonderful work....but we still are nurses...not little doctors...

[BillEDRN]

Not everyone has the time or inclinationg to get involved, but they still would like to see some results for their dues.

That statement says a lot about the entitlement attitude so many people have now. It reminds me of someone who doesn't vote, but is constantly critical of the governments actions. Nurses especially, seem to have this weird dicotomy of both wanting an active, involved orginization (ANA, a union, professional association) that represents their views, but they don't really want to waste any of their precious time participating so that their views are known. How come the AMA is so powerful? Because they get a lot of money from their members, and those that choose to participate, get to make the decisions for those that don't. Those decisions are mostly supported by the membership. That's not to say there aren't doctors who disagree with the AMA's decisions. There are! But not many of those are calling for the boycotting or the dis-membering of the AMA because they didn't represent their views. If you are concerned about something that affects your professional practice, do something about it besides blow hot air. If you think you can organize a group of like-minded nurses to represent your views, go for it! If you want another organization to replace ANA, start the process. If you want to change the direction and organizational views of ANA, get involved. Part of being considered a professional is self-governance. If nurses want to be treated as professionals, they need to start acting likes ones.

[Ginger35]

I have just finished this research project on the ANA. You all make some valid points. I do like some of the bills and causes they stand for - not all but I would say about 60-70% of them. Some interesting facts I discovered that were not mentioned were:

They have 150,000 members nationally - however, keep in mind that there are around 2.7 million nurses. They represent only 5% of the nursing workforce - yet they say they are nursing's voice???

I think a lot of this has to do with dues - they vary from state to state - so lets do a comparison.

Indiana - $261

Ohio - $352 - $507

Michigan - $560

Illinois - $523 - $574

Now - considering our yearly wages - this is pretty salty I think. How much do you think the physicians are paying annually to received AMA membership and a "voice" considering their wages???

Anywhere from $210 - $420 :angryfire

The ANA appears to have going through a restructuring back in 2003 and has formed an intricate network of partnerships with many other organizations. Which appears to be a good thing.

Unfortunately, I could not obtain an annual financial report for 2005 or 2006. There doesn't seem to be much transparency as to where all the money is going towards. I did find an abbreviated financial from 2004 - so I used that. It appears they get most of their revenues from the membership dues. As far as expenses, personel expenses were the most costly for them - however, administrative costs were up there too being the 2nd most costly service at about 25% of their expenses.

Bring down the cost of dues a bit and you might just find more membership and more nurses willing to show their power in numbers. They could make more $$$ from the increased volume in membership (it's all about price, supply & demand)...

[CRNI-ICU20]

If the ANA reports themselves to the IRS as a PAC or a non profit, they are REQUIRED BY LAW to disclose all their finances to the public.

hmmmmm.

Why so opaque do you suppose?

This is REALLY interesting....and why does Illinois pay nearly double what everyone else pays?

150,000 members at $500 a pop??? That's 112.5 MILLION DOLLARS.....

I was very involved with the Oregon nurses association, when I lived there...I even testified before the state legislature on a bill being introduced to allow cross trained hospital workers, non-RN's draw blood one day....and maybe work as a janitor the next....(no kidding) It was sponsored by the hospital association in that state....my testimony along with others, kept the bill from passing....so, I don't necessarily think I have any "entitlement" attitude when it comes to joining and then expecting a return on my "investment".....

I think for me, it's all about honesty...and where does the money go...

In Oregon, when our nurses went on strike, and we had paid dues for many years, we were all very disappointed to discover that although we paid over $400 per year in dues, there would be no stipends for those of us who chose to strike. We didn't strike for higher wages, by the way....we struck for better patient safety issues and staffing ratios...

I was out of work the WHOLE summer...and the ONA gave me NOTHING....I had two kids to support and a car payment...

I drove to RENO to work a 24 or 36 hour straight on a weekend to keep food, shelter, and car for myself and kids....

No one in Oregon would hire us as temp nurses, because we were on strike...

When I asked the ONA for an accounting of where does all my money go.....they didn't want to say....but relented...

Interestingly, the attorney they have on full retainer makes over $500K a year....and that was back in the 1990's....I am sure it's well over a million dollars now....

I never recovered financially from that summer....our patients were safer.....but the nurses did it on their backs...the ONA really didn't do much except "bargain" for us at the table....which, was done more by individual delegates within our own hospital than the ONA...

They claimed since they were/are considered a "bargaining unit" and not a union, they do not make provision for strikes for their nurses....

I opted out of the ONA after that....because I felt for $400 per year, there wasn't much that they were personally doing for me....what was done was done by my co-workers.

On a side note....after I testified, I was black balled at that hospital for the next three years...I recieved a series of suddenly bad work performance...and was denied raises because of it...I took it to the ONA, and they did nothing.

I opted out, which they allowed us to do, and donated the $400 to the local medical flight company so someone who may need a flight to a higher tertiary care hospital could get it if their insurance didn't cover....

I felt I was doing more good that way...

Thanks for the thread...it's mind provoking, anyway.

[Ginger35]

I don't know why they do not share their annual financial report on their website freely. Heck, organizations that are for profit have them posted - I really don't understand.

They only way to effect change is either start your own professional non-profit organization that really stands for something in nursing. Or perhaps there is one out there that can take over the ANA because as of this point in time - I really do not see the "value" they add in my career as a nurse by joining. They will not get my money that I work very hard for as a nurse to live all high and mighty yet do nothing to better the nursing industry.

[lindarn]

I don't know why they do not share their annual financial report on their website freely. Heck, organizations that are for profit have them posted - I really don't understand.

They only way to effect change is either start your own professional non-profit organization that really stands for something in nursing. Or perhaps there is one out there that can take over the ANA because as of this point in time - I really do not see the "value" they add in my career as a nurse by joining. They will not get my money that I work very hard for as a nurse to live all high and mighty yet do nothing to better the nursing industry.

I agree wholehearedly. I have always felt that the ANA was, as we say in Brooklyn, are about as useful as tits on a bull. They serve no useful purpose, but to perpetuate themselves, what is wrong in nursing.

Where was the ANA when hospitals instituted all of the, "care redesign" ten years ago? Where were they when nurses were laid off by the hundreds, and replaced with unlicensed HS dropouts? Where are they now, with the continued short staffing, and the de skilling and deprofessionalizing of the nursing profession, that was and is going on with their "good housekeeping seal of approval"?

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. I would vote for the NNOC, an arm if the California Nurses Association, the only State BON, who has done anything noteworthy for the nursing profession. I rest my case, and my NY $0.02.

Lindarn, RN, BSN, CCRN

Spokane, Washington