The Florida Nurses Association (FNA) is a state-level nursing organization, which was initially formed as the Florida Association of Graduate Nurses (FAGN) in 1909. It represents all nursing professionals in Florida irrespective of their area of specialization. Furthermore, it has partnered with several other organizations in the state, with which they have a shared vision. Its vision is based on supporting Nurse Educators, RNs, Nurse Executives, CNSs, and APRNs through advocacy, professional development and the promotion of excellence in all spheres of professional nursing practice (Florida Nurses Association, 2020c). This will be achieved by encouraging all nurses to become involved in the various political processes that aim to improve the Florida community’s health status and the work environment of the nurses.
The goals of FNA’s legislation and advocacy include developing and maintaining a communication network, developing and maintaining educative and informative resources, and promoting and supporting health policy agendas that benefit all registered nurses in Florida. Political agenda is determined by the Florida Nurses Political Action Committee (FNPAC) that comprises of members elected by registered nurses. FNA has a legislative platform that outlines the current legal issues affecting the nursing field and the current endorsements for any current elections (Florida Nurses Association, 2020a). Legal issues revolve around the scope of practice, health policies and legislation, and work environment safety. Overall, examples of these political activities include supporting legislation allowing nurses to fully inculcate their education into practice; protecting the jobs, wages and other benefits for state-employed nurses; advocating for safe practice environments for both nurses and patients; and endorsing health-related initiatives protecting the health of Florida residents. Individual political activities are outlined in the FNA’s legislative tools section (Florida Nurses Association, 2020b). It contains the past and present annual political activities.
References
Florida Nurses Association. (2020a). Florida Nurses Association legislative platform. Web.
Florida Nurses Association. (2020b). Florida Nurses Association legislative tools. Web.
Florida Nurses Association. (2020c). Florida Nurses Association mission and vision. Web.