December 4, 2004

CONTACT:
Cindy Price, 301-628-5038
Carol Cooke, 301-628-5027
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ANA Launches Nationwide Educational Seminar Series Targeting Individual Nurses, Broadens Professional Membership Options

Washington, DC - In an effort to better reach individual registered nurses (RNs) at the local level, the American Nurses Association (ANA) will be taking the organization's message on the road through one-day, single-topic educational seminars focusing on pressing nursing-related issues beginning in 2005.

Titled "ANA is Coming to You," the series will be offered at various locations around the country with seminars focusing on two to three "hot topics" in nursing. Potential seminar topics include health and safety issues, ethical behavior in the workplace, political activism and staffing issues. The seminars will be held in cooperation with ANA's state affiliates.

"ANA recognizes that nearly 80 percent of nurses do not belong to any professional nursing organization - mainly because of time and budget constraints," said ANA President Barbara Blakeney, MS, RN. "That's why we are introducing this series - to make sure all nurses have an opportunity to become familiar with and get involved in important national nursing issues through direct interactions with the nation's largest and most powerful nursing organization, and to discover new ways to become active in the profession."

In addition to educating nurses regarding pertinent professional issues, the seminar series will provide ANA an opportunity to assess individual nurses' concerns and needs, and to ensure that nurses are more involved in ANA's advocacy efforts at a more direct and local level.

And finally, the seminars will provide nurses with exposure to ANA's membership options, which are designed to cater to the changing needs of today's nurses. These membership categories, which offer several new options, include:

• Full ANA/Constituent Member Association (CMA) membership - which offers full voting rights and includes access to valuable products and benefits, discounts on professional development tools and opportunities, free subscriptions to ANA publications, and members-only access to ANA's Web site, www.nursingworld.org, among many other benefits.
• Direct individual membership - currently including only RNs who live or practice in Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Utah, this category offers full benefits at the national level (nurses in these states may join the CMA directly as well);
• Individual affiliate membership - a limited membership opportunity, which includes access to the Members Only area of ANA's web site, and some discounts (voting rights in ANA are not included); and
• Subscriber membership - an Internet-only option aimed at students and supporters of nursing who want members-only access to ANA's Web site but who are not eligible for regular membership.

"ANA created these options because we recognize that many nurses may not be able to afford or have time for full membership in ANA, but they still want to be involved on some level," said Blakeney. "These new offerings allow nurses the opportunity to select an ANA membership category that best suits their needs, while also fostering enhanced opportunities for participation and interaction."

"Through the seminar series and new membership options, it is ANA's goal to continue to give priority focus to the five 'core issues' deemed relevant to all nurses. Those core issues include the nursing shortage, appropriate staffing, workplace health and safety; workplace rights, and patient safety and advocacy (including continuing competence)," Blakeney added.

Details regarding the seminar series will be posted on ANA's Web site, www.nursingworld.org, in early 2005. For more on ANA's membership options, see http://nursingworld.org/affil/ or call 1-800-274-4262.

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