National Association of Hispanic Nurses: Importance of Involvement

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Table of Contents

Importance of Involvement in Professional Organizations
Professional Organizations and the ANA Code of Ethics
The NAHN and Health Care Policy
The NAHN and Advocacy
NAHN Education
Membership Conditions
Conclusion
References

The National Association of Hispanic Nurses (NAHN) is a non-profit organization that acts within the United States. Its name suggests that the organization draws specific attention to a particular group of nurses. Thus, the NAHN mission is to provide Hispanic nurses with advanced education, professional, and leadership opportunities to allow them to improve the health care industry.

The official website of the organization, stipulates that the primary purpose of the organization is to unite the nurses and make sure that they provide the Hispanic population with adequate care. The official website states that 47 local chapters of the body are “devoted to continuing education, community service, student scholarship programs, networking, and promoting the nursing profession” (National Association of Hispanic Nurses, 2019c, para. 1). That is why numerous medical professionals of Hispanic origin want to become a part of this organization to enjoy its benefits.

Importance of Involvement in Professional Organizations

In the modern world, it is necessary to be involved in professional organizations because they provide their members with a few advantages. Goolsby and DuBois (2017) state that these establishments allow nurses to benefit from “research dissemination, professional development, and volunteerism” (p. 434). In addition to that, being a member of such an organization demonstrates that a person has a commitment to lifelong learning. It is so because organization members share their knowledge with one another, attend special meetings, and have access to scientific information.

Consequently, one can say that students are active members of such an association, and they continuously want to learn and improve their professional qualities. As for improving professionalism, Echevarria (2018) argues that this phenomenon is one of the main advantages here. It relates to the fact that association members are given numerous educational opportunities, including various webinars, self-study programs, face-to-face seminars, and others (Echevarria, 2018). With the help of these means, nurses gain new knowledge that can be applied in practice. As a result, these educational opportunities lead to the fact that nurses become more professional and can successfully solve numerous issues.

The information above could not but influence career opportunities. Since association members can impress with educational and professional excellence, it is not a surprise that they witness improved career possibilities. According to Echevarria (2018), such individuals work on various projects, “including item writing or reviewing certification exams, working on legislative issues, serving as a regional director, or working on an education committee (p. 38). Even though it is not an exhaustive list of career possibilities, it demonstrates that such associations are a good start for professional development.

Professional Organizations and the ANA Code of Ethics

In addition to education and professionalism, professional associations contribute to the moral development of their members. One should emphasize that the ANA Code of Ethics presents ethical duties and obligations to be followed by nurses when providing care to patients. That is why such organizations draw specific attention to meet the requirements of this document. In particular, it refers to Provision 5 that states that “the nurse owes the same duties to self as to others, including the responsibility to preserve integrity and safety” (American Nurses Association, 2001, p. 9).

There is no doubt that every professional organization tries to make the world better by improving the health of its population, which increases safety. At the same time, being involved in an association teaches nurses that they are participants of a broader community where all its members are equal.

In addition to that, one should draw attention to Provision 9. According to the American Nurses Association (2001), it focuses on articulating nursing values and “shaping social policy” (p. 13). As for the first criterion, nurses become familiar with these values with the help of lifelong education and career opportunities that have been described above. At the same time, introducing social change is possible because members of such professional associations do their best to improve the health outcomes of numerous citizens. Consequently, professional associations in the health care industry are essential phenomena that create more educated and skillful specialists who enhance the quality of health care for individuals.

The NAHN and Health Care Policy

The NAHN performs a significant role in formulating health care policy. It is so because the given association tries to address medical issues through initiating a dialogue at the local, state, and national levels. The organization influences health care policy by providing “expertise and perspectives on the social and structural determinants of health impacting the patients and communities” (National Association of Hispanic Nurses, 2019d, para. 1). Consequently, this focus on a policy change and increased professionalism of its members contributes to the fact that the NAHN impresses with decent decision-making approaches that lead to the best patient outcomes.

There is no doubt that the NAHN should cooperate with other organizations to cope with the tasks above. The partners include CVS Health, Pfizer RxPathways, Grand Canyon University, and others (National Association of Hispanic Nurses, 2019a). Even though the NAHN cooperates with these establishments in different ways, they all want to achieve a shared goal that refers to improving the health of the population and providing care to all citizens.

The NAHN and Advocacy

According to its mission above, one can say that the NAHN advocates for the development of professional and moral skills among nurses, which is necessary to provide patients with decent care. In this case, the organization draws specific attention to how an individual can make a difference. As for professional nurses, they should be involved in advocacy because it allows them to influence the health care industry in many ways. For example, Echevarria (2018) stipulates that such advocacy can promote the ethical principles of research, identify and eliminate health care delivery barriers, distribute safety, and others. As a result, the NAHN is a useful example of how nurses can benefit from advocacy opportunities.

NAHN Education

As has been mentioned, the NAHN draws specific attention to the education of its members because it allows individuals to gain knowledge that is necessary for successful practice. That is why the organization creates various platforms that make it possible for researchers to present their ideas to the public. When it comes to the most significant discoveries or other essential information, an annual conference is organized. This event unites medical professionals who comment on the issues that are currently crucial for society.

At the same time, the NAHN offers some opportunities to ordinary members. It refers to Hispanic Health Care International (HHCI), the official resource of the NAHN. This bilingual journal distributes information on clinical practice, medical research, and other fields to provide individuals with necessary knowledge concerning the Hispanic population of the United States.

Membership Conditions

According to the information above, it is not a surprise that numerous nurses and medical students want to become NAHN members. In addition to various benefits, it is also necessary to comment on the conditions that the candidates should meet. In particular, it refers to the cost of membership because it is the main requirement to be met. Thus, the organization implies various membership categories, and the price also depends on the fact whether a member is given chapter membership. For example, students should pay $50 for both national and chapter membership or $40 for national membership only (National Association of Hispanic Nurses, 2019b).

At the same time, if a licensed nurse wants to become a NAHN member, they should pay $125 or $100 annually (National Association of Hispanic Nurses, 2019b). One can say that these membership fees seem to be just paying attention to the possible membership benefits. Thus, the perfect balance between the advantages and the cost makes me consider becoming a NAHN member.

Conclusion

Professional organizations are essential components of the health care industry because they contribute to increased education and professionalism among its members. As for the NAHN, the information above has demonstrated that the association tries to achieve essential goals. It refers to uniting Hispanic nurses and joining their efforts to increase the health of the population. Furthermore, the NAHN draws attention to shaping health care policy and promoting advocacy, which is another positive phenomenon. Finally, the NAHN cooperates with other medical organizations to achieve the best patient outcomes and represents a platform for numerous researchers to present their scientific knowledge. Thus, all these positive aspects explain why various individuals want to become a NAHN member.

References

American Nurses Association (2001). Code of Ethics for nurses with interpretive statements.

Echevarria, I. (2018). Make connections by joining a professional nursing organization. Nursing2019, 48(12), 35-38.

Goolsby, M. J., & DuBois, J. C. (2017). Professional organization membership: Advancing the nurse practitioner role. Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 29(8), 434-440.

National Association of Hispanic Nurses. (2019a). Affiliated organizations. Web.

National Association of Hispanic Nurses. (2019b). Join NAHN. Web.

National Association of Hispanic Nurses. (2019c). NAHN chapters. Web.

National Association of Hispanic Nurses. (2019d). Policy & advocacy. Web.

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