Introduction

Emergency nursing is a specialty that deals with providing prompt medical care to patients to avoid negative long term effects on their health. Emergencies can also include care of acute drug overdose patients, rape victims, and psychiatric victims. This paper will look at the Emergency Nurses Association which is a professional association for nurses practicing at emergency departments of health facilities.

The Emergency Nurses Association (ENA) was founded in 1970 with its headquarters in Illinois. The association has set its mission as the need to advance excellence in the field of emergency nursing and its vision is targeted towards attaining the premier position among other organization in the field of emergency nursing globally (ENA, 2020). ENA has emphasized to its approximately 40,000 members that safe practice is safe care to both the nurses and the patients. The purpose of the association is to create and publish professional guidelines for its members, create avenues for further education and networking for its members, to represent its member’s needs in legislative and legal considerations, to address issues relating to emergency care reforms and to publish research on the field of emergency medicine.

There are general benefits of being a member of a labor union and ENA provides some of these benefits like negotiating for better working conditions, collective bargaining and especially for wages and salaries, providing for job security from massive layoffs and negotiating for additional benefits like pension plans and paid leaves and holidays. However my interest in the organization is for specific reasons relating to the practice of nursing.

The first benefit of being in this association is that it is present in thirty-five countries creating a wide pool of networking opportunities for its members. The ENA organizes chapter and state meetings for networking opportunities for their members. The organization even offers financial assistance for members to attend such networking meetings to as not to bar anyone from attending (Carlson, 2016). They also visit nursing schools to talk to students on the opportunities in the emergency nursing field which would be an avenue for networking. The association also promotes social networking through social media. Due to the nature of their jobs, the members are encouraged to create online communities where they can share ideas, knowledge and skills in the profession and also meet new members without from across countries without having to take up too much of their time (ENA, 2018). The ENA is present on social member platforms like Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter among others to reach its members.

The second advantage of being a member of ENA is being constantly informed of changes around the practice of emergency care. The association publishes a journal with different practices, research, safety measures and other topics of concern to emergency nurses that helps to keep its members informed. The organization also uses its social media platforms to disperse any information that is relevant to its members. This is the quickest way to reach all its members worldwide.During the Covid-19 pandemic, the organization has set out a web page with all information on the disease and for its members; it has established information for their safety purposes(ENA 2020).

The third and most important benefit of being affiliated to ENA is that the organization creates numerous opportunities for its members to advance their education, trainings and professional development. A report by the Institute of Medicine in 2010 stated that the future of all nurses lay in constant training and education to match the changing needs of the medical sector (IOM, 2010). ENA offers various courses for emergency nurses like the trauma Nursing Core Course, Geriatric Education, Triage Education, and the Emergency Nursing Pediatric Education. Someof these courses are taught online which makes it easy for nurses to increase their education(ENA, 2020).

ENA also offers conference educationThe organization organizes annual education conferences where nurses can attend or follow virtually using the internet at the comfort of their hospitals or homes. The last learning package form ENA is the bundled education option. The bundled option offers trainings on opioid education and behavioral health. The opioid education is based on the need for nurses to understand and better manage the consequences of opioids which are crisis in America. Behavioral behavior is a new frontier in the nursing field as a tool to help nurses interact better with their patients for better health outcomes. The bundle education is offered online and the ENA provides all the tools required for understanding the topics (ENA 2020).For registered nurses who are seeking a master’s degree in nursing, the organization awards six scholarships every year to such causes. Each scholarship is worth five thousand US dollars and is available to any of its members.

Conclusion

Most states havetheir respective organizations that cater to emergency nurses. However, ENA provides more benefits and its very active globally hence its attractiveness to future nurses.  The organization has clearly stipulated policies for the advancement of the well-being of nurses.  The biggest benefit is the educational benefits the organization offers its members and the fact that the education can be done online.

Bibliography

Emergency Nursing Association. (2018, March). Social Networking by Emergency Nurses. Retrieved July 12, 2020, from Emergency Nurses Association: https://www.ena.org/docs/default-source/resource-library/practice-resources/position-statements/socialnetworkingbyernurses.pdf?sfvrsn=5e069b1a_6

Emergency Nursing Association. (2020). 2020 – 2025 Emergency Nurses Asssociation Strategic Plan. Illinois: Emergency Nurses Association .

Emergency Nursing Association. (2020, April). Covid-19 Information. Retrieved July 12, 2020, from Emergency Nurses Association: https://www.ena.org/practice-resources/covid-19

Emergency Nursing Association. (2020, February). ENA Education. Retrieved July 12, 2020, from Emergency Nurses Association: https://www.ena.org/docs/default-source/membership-recruitment/membership/ena-education-brochure_02-2020_web.pdf?sfvrsn=5d905359_2

Institute of Medicine. (2010). The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancng Health. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

Carlson, K. (2016). Building Relationships: The Power of Networking. Journal of Emergency Nursing. 42 (40, 295.