The American Nurses' Association: its relevance to the membership of the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists.

I am extremely pleased to have the opportunity to examine the relationship between the programs of the American Nurses' Association (ANA) and the objectives of your own organization. I would like to share with you, (1) how the work of the American Nurses' Association relates to all nurses, and (2) how the American Nurses' Association attempts to work with all specialty nursing organizations, including the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists. The nursing profession is held accountable for: * providing input into the development of the nation's health care system, * improving and expanding nursing practice to meet consumer needs, * upgrading nursing education to insure provision of qualified nursing personnel, * encouraging the most efficient utilization of nursing resources, and * increasing basic and applied nursing research. The fulfillment of these and other basic responsibilities are totally dependent upon the ability of nurses as a unified body to effect necessary changes and innovations. Very early in nursing's history, nursing leaders recognized the need to create an organization which would serve as the vehicle through which nurses collectively could influence factors affecting the delivery of nursing care. As a result, the American Nurses' Association was established in 1896 as the national professional association of nurses. Today, the American Nurses' Association, with a membership approaching 200,000 registered nurses, is the official voice of the nursing profession. More than 100 elected and appointed officials, representing more than 20 structural units, are responsible for developing policies and statements which reflect the concerns and interests of the profession. The 170 member staff at ANA headquarters facilitates the implementation of these directives at the national level, while 53 constituent state and territorial associations and more than 900 district associations implement them at the state and local levels. ANA operates on basic premises which are consistent with the expectation of society that professional disciplines need to be unified and organized in order to carry out effectively their social responsibilities. As a multipurpose organization, the association performs a wide range of functions, each of which impacts on your nursing career. For example, ANA works to: