The American Nurses Association (ANA) is a

501(c)(6) A 501(c) organization is a nonprofit organization in the federal law of the United States according to Internal Revenue Code (26 U.S.C. § 501(c)) and is one of over 29 types of nonprofit organizations exempt from some federal income taxes ...

professional organization to advance and protect the profession of

nursing Nursing is a profession within the health care sector focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life. Nurses may be differentiated from other health ...

. It started in 1896 as the Nurses Associated Alumnae and was renamed the American Nurses Association in 1911. It is based in

Silver Spring, Maryland Silver Spring is a census-designated place (CDP) in southeastern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, near Washington, D.C. Although officially unincorporated, in practice it is an edge city, with a population of 81,015 at the 2020 ce ...

and

Ernest Grant, PhD, RN, FAAN Ernest Grant is an American nurse and educator living in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. In 2018, he began serving as the 36th president of the American Nurses Association (ANA). Notably, he is the first male to serve in this position. One of his g ...

is the current president. The ANA states 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.

History

Initial organizational plans were made for the Nurses Associated Alumnae of the United States of America on September 2, 1896 at Manhattan Beach Hotel near

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. On February 11–12, 1897 those plans were ratified in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore wa ...

at a meeting that coincided with the annual conference of the American Society of Superintendents of Training Schools for Nurses. Isabel Hampton Robb served as the first president. A major early goal of the organization was the enhancement of nursing care for American soldiers. ICN was founded in 1899 by nursing organizations from Great Britain, the ANA for the United States, and Germany as charter members. The first ever ICN Congress was held in Buffalo New York in 1901. The next congress to take place in the United States was the Ninth ICN Quadrennial Congress in 1947, hosted by the ANA, at

Atlantic City Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020, the city had a population of 38,497.

. Attended by over 5,000 delegates representing 250,000 nurses in 32 countries, it was a major step forward in re-establishing international peacetime relations in the healthcare community. ANA leadership made all arrangements including locating lodgings for attendees among local residents, and raising funds to cover travel costs. In 1970, Mattiedna Johnson spoke at an ANA convention on the lack of representation of African American nurses. She believed it was a major issue which led to the founding of National Black Nurses Association in 1971.

Primary mission

The association is a professional organization representing

registered nurse A registered nurse (RN) is a nurse who has graduated or successfully passed a nursing program from a recognized nursing school and met the requirements outlined by a country, state, province or similar government-authorized licensing body to o ...

s (RNs) in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

through its 54 constituent member associations. The ANA is involved in establishing standards of nursing practice, promoting the rights of nurses in the workplace, advancing the economic and general welfare of nurses. ANA also has three subsidiary organizations: (1)

American Academy of Nursing The American Academy of Nursing (AAN) is a professional organization that generates, synthesizes, and disseminates nursing knowledge to contribute to health policy and practice for the benefit of the public and the nursing profession. Founded in ...

, to serve the public and nursing profession by advancing health policy and practice through the generation, synthesis, and dissemination of nursing knowledge,(2) American Nurses Foundation, the charitable and philanthropic arm, and (3)

American Nurses Credentialing Center The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), a subsidiary of the American Nurses Association (ANA), is a certification body for nursing board certification and the largest certification body for advanced practice registered nurses in the U ...

, which credentials nurses in their specialty and credentials facilities that exhibit nursing excellence.

Publications

*''American Nurse Today'' *''The American Nurse'' *''OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing''

Notable members

Katharine Jane Densford Katharine Jane Densford (1890–1978) was an American nurse who made important contributions to nursing education and to nursing services during World War II. Densford was Director of the University of Minnesota School of Nursing, serving in that ...

, president 1944-48. Densford testified before Congress during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

regarding wartime nursing recruitment. *

Mary Keys Gibson Mary Keys Gibson (also Gipson, 1854–1952) was an American nurse. Gibson, a former enslaved person, worked as a midwife for many years and later earned her degree in nursing in 1907 at age 53. Gibson was the first African American to earn an ...

, involved in desegregation efforts in 1948 * Helen Maria Roser, nursing educator, worked for ANA's Professional Counseling & Placement Service, 1945 to 1953 *

M. Elizabeth Shellabarger Mary Elizabeth Shellabarger (October 16, 1879 – June 25, 1967) was a Registered Nurse, army nurse overseas during World War I, and director of American Red Cross Nursing Service in Albania and Montenegro. Early life M. Elizabeth Shellabarger w ...

, Wyoming State Nurses' Association, president *

Vera Blanche Thomas Vera Blanche Thomas (born March 19, 1903) was a graduate registered nurse. Early life Vera Blanche Thomas was born in Omaha, Nebraska, on March 19, 1903. Career Thomas confined exclusively to Professional Nursing; she was president of the Dis ...

, Arizona State Nurses' Association, president 1927-28

Notes

References

External links

* {{Authority control Nursing organizations in the United States International Council of Nurses 1896 establishments in the United States Non-profit organizations based in Maryland