Role of Nursing Associations - Assignment Example

The first nursing association that is showing commitment is the American Nursing Association (ANA). The ANA is a professional body that represents the interests of over 3 million nurses in the United States (Mahlin, 2010). To make this an easier task, the ANA has incepted constituent and state associations. To begin with, the ANA is destined to foster high standards in nursing practice and promote the rights of nurses at their workplace. Similarly, it provides a realistic view of nursing positively. It extends its determination to improve the sector by engaging Congress and other regulatory bodies to achieve its mission (Naylor & Kurtzman, 2010). Its mission states that it is determined to advance nursing as a profession to improve the health of those that need it.

The second association is the International Council of Nurses (ICN). This is an international body that aims to bring together all the registered nurses in many countries. The organization has embedded more than 130 nursing associations. The organization has a limited number of member organizations in each country, which is equivalent to one. It has incorporated the all-inclusive structure that permits other domestic groups in nursing to become members (Carter et al., 2010). Its mission is to improve the nursing structure and service delivery from all aspects of the sector. The leadership of ICN is in the hands of the President and three Vice Presidents who act as the executive committee. Comparatively, the ICN is similar to the ANA only that the ICN operates in a wider geographical region.

The third nursing group that is proving to be instrumental is the National Association of Neonatal Nurses (NANN). The NANN addresses the educational needs and practices within neonatal nursing and specialty. Therefore, members benefit from the representation given by the organization. The NANN is similar to other associations only in that it is committed to improving the educational needs and specialty of neonatal nurses. Similarly, it explores other means of educating neonatal nurses by focusing on peer-reviewed publications, educational conferences, books, and other informative materials in neonatal practice.

The managers of these associations are instrumental driving forces in achieving the goals and missions of the group. For example, the managers ensure they hold annual meetings to evaluate the progress. As such, they can forge a way forward in implementing all the discussions. Secondly, there are negotiations with governing bodies which include Congress and governments in implementing the stated claims. Thirdly, these associations gather information through research to ensure the practice is being improved with time. Without such aspects, the nursing associations are not likely to mark an improvement in their respective work groups. To reach a collective bargain, various elements are influential. First, workers are allowed to join any association of their choice as long as it does not affect their service delivery (Carter et al., 2010). This is constitutional, and nurses are allowed to join any group that will foster them to achieve their goals. Secondly, most of the nurses feel the urge to join these associations since they add value to the nurses. For example, the need to improve service delivery pushes the nurses to join these groups for additional education. Thirdly, the nursing associations enhance the rights of nurses at their workplace. Therefore, nurses join these associations since they are better prepared to advocate for the rights of nurses. When the institution does not improve the situations at the workplace, the association will step in to advocate for a better working environment.

Consequentially, cultural sensitivity has implications for nursing associations. Firstly, the associations attract people from different cultures. As such, the nursing associations have people from different cultures with various cultural practices. Therefore, there is a need to have an all-inclusive environment that will be acceptable to all the members. Secondly, the associations engage people from different religions with various cultural practices. Therefore, the members have to get a way of dealing with this divergence. This could cause uproar especially when their cultural practices are not dealt with amicably. In many instances, managers have to find a better way of dealing with these inconsistencies. For example, they have to find a neutral way of dealing with these cultural inconsistencies. Secondly, they may find it appropriate to engage all the cultural practices in the association. This will provide an all-inclusive environment that will be welcoming to all the members. This will be satisfactory to all the members as they feel they are respected, though they are from different cultural backgrounds.