The American Academy of Nursing

AORN Journal, Feb, 2001 by Brenda C. Ulmer

Recently, I was honored to attend the American Academy of Nursing meeting in San Diego. It was a very special occasion for AORN. Four of our members were inducted as fellows of the American Academy of Nursing (FAANs). I have long known about the Academy, but my knowledge was vague. I knew it was a prestigious group and that nurses who were designated as fellows were very honored.

One of the first thrills for me upon arrival in San Diego was meeting all the "footnotes" I have used throughout my nursing career--literally legends in nursing. It was humbling to talk with noted theorist Imogene M. King, RN, MS, EdD, PhD, FAAN. I often have quoted Norma Lang, RN, PhD, FAAN, FRCN, and it was a pleasure to be able to tell her this. Leah Curtin, RN, MS, MA, DSc, FAAN, is another nurse whom great numbers of nurses across the country recognize and respect. I decided in San Diego that I would share the meeting and what I learned about the Academy with you.

EARLY DAYS

A nursing academy was discussed within the American Nurses Association (ANA) as early as 1946. The Rich Study of 1946 determined that a successful future for the profession of nursing rested on quality and recognition.

   The higher the quality as expressed in standards of practice, better
   education, and better nursing, the greater the recognition of its status as
   a profession and the greater its support by the public it serves.(1)

It was not until 1964, however, that action was taken by the ANA house of delegates to form the foundation of what would become the Academy. In January 1973, the ANA board of directors appointed 36 charter fellows, many of whom are nursing legends. The 1974 bylaws established the purpose of the Academy as

* to advance new concepts in nursing and health care;

* to identity and explore issues in health, in the professions, and in society as they affect and are affected by nurses and nursing;

* to examine the dynamics within nursing, the interrelationships among the segments within nursing, and the interaction among nurses as all these affect the development of the nursing profession; and

* to identify and propose resolutions to issues and problems confronting nursing and health, including alternative plans for implementation.(2)

Those early bylaws evolved into the current statement:

   The purpose of the Academy shall be to provide visionary leadership to the
   nursing profession and the public in shaping future health care policy and
   practice that optimizes the well-being of the American people through
   synthesis of scientific and philosophical knowledge as the basis for
   effective health care policy and practice.(3)

ADVANCING THE CAUSE OF NURSING

Throughout its existence, the Academy has worked with national and governmental organizations to advance the cause of nursing and quality patient care. One of the most successful endeavors was in 1981 when a task force was appointed to examine the characteristics of hospitals and health care systems that were identified as good places to work. The result was the report, "Magnet Hospitals: Attraction and Retention of Professional Nurses," which identified facilities where management is supportive of professional nursing practice within a teaching and learning environment, where the process is open to change, and where staff members have some say in planning change.(4) A hospital in the Atlanta area that has gained this designation frequently uses it in television advertisements to inform the public about its high quality nursing care.

Today's American Academy of Nursing is an organization of distinguished leaders in nursing. It is composed of 1,350 nursing leaders in education, management, research, and practice. The invitation to become a fellow is a much sought after accomplishment within the nursing profession. Membership in the Academy results in an opportunity for networking with leaders in health care while also addressing current nursing issues. The Academy facilitates work through expert panels and senior scholar-in-residence programs with the National Institute for Nursing Research, the Association for Health Care Policy and Research, and the Institute of Medicine. It also works to facilitate the appointment of nurses to public policy positions.

AORN'S PRESENCE

AORN was very visible at the 2000 Academy meeting. Suzanne Beyea, RN, PhD, CS, AORN director of research, presented a poster session on the Perioperative Nursing Data Set (PNDS) and the Perioperative Patient Focused Model. All AORN members can be proud of both of these accomplishments. We are the first specialty nursing organization to develop its own data set. Many participants were interested in this work and were especially delighted to learn that AORN is actively working to have the PNDS embedded into perioperative nursing records by software vendors.

Eileen Ullmann, RN, MN, professional education specialist, presented a program on AORN's Perioperative Nursing Course 101. She did an excellent job of relating AORN's commitment to further the cause of perioperative nursing by offering a module to train perioperative nurses. I was personally pleased when a nursing leader from a major institution in the Northeast asked how her facility could acquire the module.