Goals and Objectives of the Organizations
The Emergency Nursing Association
The objective of the ENA is to enhance excellence in emergency nursing. ENA aims to be the world’s leading organization for the emergency nursing community.
Priorities of the association:
- Inclusion and contribution of nursing in conjunction with healthcare partners worldwide to seek new solutions to acute care concerns.
- Compassion is essential in the emergency nursing profession.
- To promote the importance of varied viewpoints and experiences in acute care, we must encourage inclusion, diversity, and mutual respect in all interactions and efforts.
- Visit ENA’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion homepage to learn more about how we work to establish a healthy and inviting workplace for ENA staff and members.
- Team delivery of resources that satisfy the highest quality requirements for patients and emergency nurses.
- Emergency care grows using lifelong learning and research culture to uncover and incorporate evidence-based research into emergency care practice (Brim, 2022).
The International Council of Nurses
The ICN aims to represent nursing globally, enhance the nursing profession, promote nurse well-being, and advocate for health in all strategies. The International Council of Nurses’ Vision is that the global community acknowledges, supports, and invests in nurses and nursing to provide health for everyone.
ICN’s ever-expanding networks and interactions with individuals highlight the value of strong relationships with national, regional, and worldwide nursing and non-nursing organizations. The ICN was founded in 1899 and is the world’s first and largest international association of health professionals (Wills et al., 2020). Building profitable international partnerships helps ICNs and nurses position themselves for the present and future.
The organization also collaborates with several international nonprofit organizations and other partners. The International Council of Nurses (ICN) is a federation of over 130 National Nurses Associations (NNAs), representing 28 million nurses worldwide (Wills et al., 2020). The organization’s collaboration with the United Nations system’s specialized organizations, particularly the World Health Organization, the International Labor Organization, and the World Bank, is critical to nurses worldwide.
Sigma
The goal is for connected and empowered nurse leaders to impact global health. The mission is to train nurse leaders worldwide to enhance global health.
The organization’s board of directors has established four strategic goals:
- To provide value to members and all nurses throughout the world who strive for excellence.
- Encourage and honor nursing scholarship, leadership, and service worldwide.
- Establish collaborations and collaborative efforts to achieve the society’s goal.
- Protect and promote society’s resources.
Six nurses created the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing, today known as Sigma, at Indiana University School of Nursing in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, in 1922 (Sensor et al., 2021). The Greek words storgé, thárros, and time inspired the name, representing love, courage, and honor.
Membership
The Emergency Nursing Association
ENA provides many memberships based on the potential member’s career level; all are shown below.
- National and International Member: 1 year – $115
- Senior, Digital International, Affiliate Member: 1 year – $60
- Military Member: 1 year – $104
- Student Membership: 1 year – $20-$25 (Brim, 2022).
The International Council of Nurses
Membership dues for the International Council of Nurses are based on World Bank classifications, which define whether a country is high, middle, or low-income. A member association receives a fee based on the number of nurses who are members. The charges per member range from CHF 1.0 to CHF 2.6 per year (Wills et al., 2020). Furthermore, the ICN limits dues, so each member organization pays at most 10%.
Sigma
Sigma membership dues are divided into worldwide and chapter dues:
- $80 is a high income.
- $32 is a good starting point.
- $16 is a low-income amount (Sensor et al., 2021).
Individual chapters choose chapter fees. Members needing assistance paying their membership dues may fill out the Edith Anderson Membership Subsidy Request Form.
Resources Provided
The Emergency Nursing Association
The ENA Foundation is a valuable resource for emergency nurses worldwide who want to progress their careers and improve their practices. Since 1991, the ENA Foundation has provided grants and scholarships totaling more than $5 million to emergency nurses worldwide (Brim, 2022). Help the Foundation make a difference in the lives of nurses and those they serve. ENA’s triage options have also been enhanced with the Triage Curriculum and the freshly redesigned ESI Handbook and ESI course.
The International Council of Nurses
The ICN, managed by nurses and prominent nursing professionals worldwide, aims to provide quality nursing care, solid global health policies, promote nursing knowledge, and ensure the global existence of a respected nursing profession and competent and contented nurses. On May 12, the anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth, the globe celebrates International Nurses’ Day (IND) (Wills et al., 2020). ICN marks this day every year by releasing and spreading IND materials and proof. “Nurses: A Voice of Leadership,” the overall topic, emphasizes the need for nurses to become more active and outspoken in policy formation and implementation (Wills et al., 2020). The materials and evidence address current concerns and showcase how nurses make a difference.
Sigma
Sigma assists nurse researchers in disseminating critical information to put knowledge into practice through a wide range of tools, scholarly publications, funding, continuous professional development for nurses (NCPD) courses, and initiatives. The Sigma Repository is a free online library for nurses, nursing students, nursing organizations, nursing schools, and hospitals/health systems. While keeping copyright, authors can contribute a wide range of research resources and proof (Sensor et al., 2021). Additional research materials are accessible in the Sigma Repository’s external nursing resource area.
Journal of Nursing Scholarship and Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing are two peer-reviewed, evidence-based publications by Sigma. Wiley’s bimonthly publications cover the most recent research and trends in nursing. At the Sigma International Nursing Research Congress and Biennial Convention, nursing researchers worldwide share their most recent results. Panel discussions, plenary sessions, and oral and poster presentations provide attendees with information on various topics.
How the Organizations Support Ethical or Legal Nursing Issues
Emergency Nursing Association
ENA is an important voice on emergency care and healthcare legislative and regulatory concerns. ENA is a tireless champion on federal legislative and regulatory matters impacting emergency nurses and patients, just as emergency nurses are for safety and patient care. Government Relations at ENA:
- Meets with elected representatives on Capitol Hill regularly.
- Monitors federal legislation that affects emergency nurses.
- Participates in the regulation process for emergency nurses’ programs and policies.
- The EN411 Action Network spearheads grassroots lobbying initiatives (Brim, 2022).
The association has created rules for registered nurses in nursing communities worldwide. The recommendations are profoundly anchored in ethical practice and stress providing better services that ensure patients’ well-being. The growing number of deaths in emergency departments sparked the formation of the association, and concerned nursing leaders organized local organizations to study methods to enhance patient safety.
The International Council of Nurses
The International Council of Nurses provides a resource highlighting the organization’s ethical side. The ICN Nursing Code of Ethics is a declaration of nurses’ and nursing students’ ethical ideals, obligations, and professional responsibilities that define and direct ethical nursing practice in the nurses’ numerous roles. It is not a rule of conduct, but it can serve as a framework for ethical nursing practice and decision-making to fulfill regulatory authorities’ professional requirements (Wills et al., 2020).
The ICN Nursing Code of Ethics establishes ethical rules for roles, tasks, and obligations, as well as nursing behavior, professional judgment, interactions with patients, other individuals receiving nursing care or services, coworkers, and associated professions (Wills et al., 2020). The Code is foundational and should be combined with the nation’s laws, regulations, and professional standards that regulate nursing practice. The Code’s ideals and commitments apply to nurses in all contexts, positions, and areas of practice.
Sigma
Sigma was formed to improve knowledge, learning, and service by promoting nursing scholarship and leadership based on academic performance and a social and ethical commitment to the ideals and qualities of love, honor, and bravery. Sigma has a social duty to solve public health and nursing issues affecting health and healthcare worldwide. The rate and magnitude of change in global health care are significant. When considering health care, it is critical to address the requirements of the people (Sensor et al., 2021). While this provides potential for organizational and system rearrangement, more equitable healthcare delivery, and the creation of new paradigms of thinking, execution, and assessment, it also needs nursing leadership.
Sigma’s new title, Ethical Examples for Advanced Practice Nurses, assists APRNs in all healthcare settings in overcoming ethical quandaries. The newest publication from the Sigma Theta Tau (Sigma) International Honor Society of Nursing, Ethical Examples for Advanced Practice Nurses, assists nurses in dealing with ethical quandaries that might emerge in any healthcare environment.
ANA Standards 12, 13, 16
A nurse is a professional with a secondary or higher education who is trained and educated in nursing. Such workers belong to the nursing staff and are subordinate to physicians. In the ambulance team, paramedics carry out the paramedic’s instructions. The activities of nurses and nursing staff are aimed at caring for patients, independently performing therapeutic and diagnostic procedures, organizing the work of medical facilities, and maintaining documentation.
Treatment of patients in any medical organization is only possible with the participation of junior or mid-level medical staff. There are always more such specialists than doctors because their duties are related to the direct performance of various manipulations. This is a complex activity accompanied by constant stress. Therefore, for quality care, workers must develop, be leaders, and compare and evaluate their work and the work of other healthcare workers. Each organization tries to improve the professional level of nurses and take medical practice to the next level.
Joining the Organizations
To become a highly skilled worker, I need to develop my skills constantly. I intend to provide the best possible care to patients and contribute to medical practices. To have constant access to the latest medical news, scientific journals, and other resources, I will join one of the nursing organizations. This will help me stay motivated during my professional journey, keep abreast of the smallest changes in practice, and improve my skills. I want to choose the Sigma organization because it reflects my values as a healthcare professional. Membership will deepen my knowledge and increase my experience and qualifications.
References
About Us. Sigma Foundation for Nursing About Us. (n.d.). Web.
Brim, C. B. (2022). Emergency Nurse Certification. Journal of Emergency Nursing, 48(3), 299-302. Web.
C, iG. P. (2021, May 19). Sigma Nursing IG Publishing. IG Publishing. Web.
Emergency Nurses Association (ENA). enaorg. (2023). Web.
International Council of Nurses offers condolences and support to Lebanon’s nurses following the devastating explosion. ICN. (2023). Web.
Sensor, C. S., Branden, P. S., Clary-Muronda, V., Hawkins, J. E., Fitzgerald, D., Shimek, A. M.,… & Rosa, W. E. (2021). Nurses Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals: The United Nations and Sigma: Concrete plans that translate the goals into action are critical. The American journal of nursing, 121(4), 65.
Wills, J., Hancock, C., & Nuttall, M. (2020). The health of the nursing workforce. A survey of National Nurse Associations. International Nursing Review, 67(2), 294-299. Web.