Different Strategies within the ANA Family to Achieve Common Goals

Alabama Nurse,  Sep-Nov 2003  

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The American Nurses Association (ANA) is the oldest, largest and most diverse professional nursing organization. ANA is comprised of 54 Constituent Member Associations (CMAs): including associations in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, the Virgin Islands and FEDNA, representing nurses in the uniformed services. In addition, ANA is a multipurpose organization, embracing two distinct strategies to protect and enhance the workplace rights of registered nurses (RNs). These strategies are implemented through ANA's labor arm, the United American Nurses, AFL-CIO (UAN), and for nurses who do not participate in collective bargaining, through its Commission On Workplace Advocacy (CWPA).

Insufficient nurse staffing is the number one concern of riurses today. Accordingly, securing appropriate staffing to protect nurses and patients has been ANA's priority for a number of years. ANA and its CMAs have developed and implemented a range of strategies with the goal of achieving appropriate nurse staffing. These include: development of the Principles of Nurse Staffing, development of nursing-sensitive quality indicators and collection of hospital data and benchmarking through the National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators and development of both a federal and a nationwide slate legislative agenda. In addition, UAN and CWPA have developed specific strategies to promote appropriate nurse staffing. For example, UAN has negotiated contract language that addresses staffing as it relates to a bargaining unit. WPA CMAs have collaborated with hospital and nurse executive associations to address this issue in their states.

ANA/UAN Pursue Different Strategies to Achieve Appropriate Staffing

To date no enforceable standards exist for nurse staffing in acute-care hospitals and, as a result, health care facilities have engaged in widespread practices that result in nurse/patient ratios that undermine the delivery of safe, quality care. ANA supports the establishment of nurse/patient ratios that ensure appropriate staffing. This goal is shared by UAN and CWPA. ANA has developed a federal legislative proposal that achieves this goal by mandating staffing systems that ensure a number of RNs on each shift and in each unit of the hospital to ensure appropriate staffing levels. These staffing systems reflect the variables outlined in ANA's Principles of Nurse Staffing and require the input of direct-care RNs.

UAN also supports the Principles of Nurse Staffing; however, it has taken a different legislative approach, supporting federal and state legislation developed by a coalition of AFL-CIO nursing unions, to mandate specific numeric ratios.

These different strategies reflect the different constituencies and perspectives of each entity. However, all entities share a common goal of achieving appropriate nurse staffing that protects patients and nurses. Although ANA and UAN are pursuing different strategies, collectively their efforts support the same goal.

Copyright Alabama State Nurses' Association Sep-Nov 2003
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