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Who We Are: Frequently Asked Questions
About ANA
Q - What is the ANA address?
8515 Georgia Avenue, Suite 400, Silver Spring, MD 20910-3492
Q - What is the history of ANA?
The first 100 years of ANA can be found at http://www.nursingworld.org/centenn/index.htm.
Q - What is the History of Nursing?
Information about the history of nursing is maintained by the American
Association for the History of Nursing, Inc. Go to http://www.aahn.org/.
Q - What does ANA do for me?
To learn what ANA has done on behalf of the nation' s nurses and the
nursing profession, go to www.nursingworld.org/about/lately/ceohome.htm.
To learn about the benefits of ANA membership, go to www.nursingworld.org/member2.htm.
Q - Is ANA for all nurses?
The American Nurses Association is a full-service professional organization
representing the nation's 2.9 million Registered Nurses through its 54
constituent state associations. ANA advances the nursing profession by
fostering high standards of nursing practice, promoting the economic and
general welfare of nurses in the workplace, projecting a positive and
realistic view of nursing, and by lobbying the Congress and regulatory
agencies on health care issues affecting nurses and the public.
Q - How do the state nurses association relate
to ANA?
The American Nurses Association is a full-service professional organization
representing the nation's 2.9 million Registered Nurses through its 54
constituent member associations(CMAs). The CMAs determine much of the
direction of the ANA through the ANA House of Delegates, which comprises
delegates sent be each state, apportioned according to each state membership
count.
Q - Is the American Academy of Nursing part
of the ANA?
The American Academy of Nursing (AAN) is a related entity of the ANA.
AAN, established in 1973, is an organization of distinguished leaders
who have been recognized for their outstanding contributions in nursing
education, management, practice, and research. An invitation to fellowship
affords members an opportunity to serve the public and nursing profession
by advancing health policy and practice through the generation, synthesis,
and dissemination of nursing knowledge. For more information about the
Academy, go to www.nursingworld.org/aan/.
Q - Is the American Nurses Foundation part
of the ANA?
The American Nurses Foundation (ANF) is a related entity of the
ANA. ANF is the national philanthropic organization that promotes the
continued growth and development of nurses and services to advance the
work of the nursing profession. As a non-profit organization, ANF relies
on support from individuals, corporations, foundations, and government
agencies that possess a strong interest in advancing nursing’s future.
Contributions to ANF are tax-deductible. The ANF also works to
increase public understanding of nursing and to improve access to, and
quality of, health care. ANF also provides research grants to nurses and
initiates, supports, and manages selected intramural health care projects.
For more information about the ANF, go to www.nursingworld.org/anf/.
Q - Is the American Nurses Credentialing Center
part of the ANA?
The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) is a related entity of
the ANA. ANCC’s mission is to promote excellence in nursing and
health care globally through credentialing programs and related services.
To accomplish this, the ANCC certifies health care providers; accredits
educational providers, approvers and programs; recognizes excellence in
nursing and health care services; educates the public and collaborates
with organizations to advance the understanding of credentialing services;
and supports credentialing through research, education and consultative
services. For more information about the ANCC, go to www.nursingworld.org/ancc/.
Membership
Q - How many members does the ANA have? What
is the membership of ANA?
ANA has 54 constituent member associations and through those CMAs, it
has approximately 150,000 individual registered nurse members. In addition,
it has two Associate Organizational Members (AOMs) – United American Nurses
(www.nursingworld.org/uan) and the Center for American
Nurses (www.centerforamericannurses.org).
ANA also has organizational affiliate members (www.nursingworld.org/affil/index.htm#affils).
Q - Is this association only for RNs?
Yes, the American Nurses Association represents the interests of the
nation' s 2.9 million registered nurses and only RNs are eligible to join.
Q - What are the membership benefits?
To learn about the benefits of ANA membership, go to www.nursingworld.org/member2.htm.
Q - How do I become a member?
Go to www.nursingworld.org/member2.htm
and click on the Membership Application or call (800)274-4ANA.
Q - What are the dues?
Membership dues vary based on specific membership categories and the
state in which you reside. Contact memberinfo@ana.org
or call (800) 274-4ANA to learn what your dues will be or go to the Online Membership Application on this Web site.
Q - Why are the dues so high?
Dues support the work of both the ANA and the constituent member association
in your states. The national association - ANA - speaks for all nurses
in national and international forums. ANA is a recognized and respected
voice - with considerable clout - in Washington, DC, where the national
association has taken the lead in pushing for reforms such as the RN Safe
Staffing Act of 2003 and Quality Nurse Care Act of 2004, which both mandate
the development of staffing systems that require the input of direct-care
RNs, provide whistle-blower protections for RNs who speak out about patient
care issues, including inadequate levels of nurse, and establish a requirement
for minimum staffing ratios based on ANA’s Principles of Nurse Staffing.
ANA also was responsible for laws providing Medicare reimbursement to
advanced practice registered nurses and mandating the use of safer needles,
to name a few. Additionally, ANA, calling on its volunteer members, shapes
practice standards and defines the code of ethics for the profession.
ANA also keeps the interests of nurses in the forefront of national debate
through its very active media relations work with national and regional
reporters.
More tangibly, members receive a subscription to The American Nurse,
the bimonthly publication of the ANA, as well as a subscription to the
monthly American Journal of Nursing (AJN). Members receive discounts
on various credentialing and conference fees and discounts on insurance
if they choose to purchase disability and life insurance through ANA.
Individual members can apply for an MBNA credit card with a discounted
annual service fee. Additionally, ANA maintains the Web site, NursingWorld.org.
Coupling these benefits with the CMA benefits offered makes membership
in ANA a strong value for the cost.
Q - I am looking for information on my great
aunt twice removed who was a nurse in World War I. Can you help me? Was
she a member?
The American Nurses Association does not keep information on past nurses
and does not provide information on its members.
Definition of Nursing
Nursing is the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and abilities, prevention of illness and injury, alleviation of suffering through the diagnosis and treatment of human response, and advocacy in the care of individuals, families, communities, and populations.
(Nursing's Social Policy Statement, Second Edition, 2003, p. 6 & Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice, 2004, p. 7)
General Nursing Information
Q - Is contact information available for nurses?
ANA does not maintain contact information for any nurses other than its
members and does not provide information on its members.
Q - When and what is Nurses Week? How do I
get a catalog of products? Are there special events or programs established
anywhere celebrating nurses week? How do I get permission to use the Nurses
Week logo at my hospital?
For information on National Nurses Week, go to www.nursingworld.org/pressrel/nnw/
Q - How do I contact specialty nursing organization?
Most specialty organizations can be found at www.nursingworld.org/affil/index.htm.
For other groups, try an Internet search.
Q - Where do I get standards?
All ANA standards publication are available for purchase through www.nursesbooks.org.
Q - I need clinical information on....
ANA advances the nursing profession by fostering high standards of nursing
practice, promoting the economic and general welfare of nurses in the
workplace, projecting a positive and realistic view of nursing, and by
lobbying the Congress and regulatory agencies on health care issues affecting
nurses and the public. For clinical information, contact the specialty
nurses organization that addresses your particular clinical concern. All
specialty organizations that the ANA is affiliated with can be found at www.nursingworld.org/affil/. For other groups, try an
Internet search.
Q - What is ICN?
ICN is the International Council of Nurses, a federation of national
nurses' associations representing nurses in more than 120 countries. The
American Nurses Association represents the interests of American Nurses
in the ICN. To learn more about the ANA' s work in international nursing,
go to www.nursingworld.org/inc/. To
learn more about the ICN, go to www.icn.ch/
Q - How many registered nurses are there? What
is the racial/ethnic/gender breakdown? What are the educational preparations
employment settings, average salary, etc?
All current statistical information available can be found through the
Division of Nursing' s 2000 sample Survey of Registered Nurses at www.bhpr.hrsa.gov.
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Who We Are 
