Running Head: Professional Meeting Paper 1

Professional Meeting Paper

NUR 3140

Brooke Gilland

11-16-17

Dr. Mikealitis
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The Emergency Nurses Association held a meeting on September 26th, 2017,

which included a presentation from VCU called “When to call the chopper”. The

meeting also consisted of a few pieces of business including elections for officers,

fundraising, promoting the organization to future members, and information

regarding the Emergency Nurses Conference that was coming up. The presentation

piece of the meeting took up majority of the time while the business piece was

mentioned in the last half hour. The presenters explained when it would be

necessary to call a chopper versus when an ambulance is called and they explained

their role after the chopper is called specifically the things they can do medically in

the chopper and life as this type of nursing role. The Vice President of the ENA ran

the meeting in regards to the business piece by bringing up topics and then asking

for input.

Application of Course Material

Module one included learning about the difference between the mission,

values, and vision of a particular organization. The ENA’s mission, or purpose

statement, is “to advocate for patient safety and excellence in emergency nursing

practice. We envision our self to be the global emergency nursing resource and

advocate for Safe Practice and Safe Care”(ENA, 2017). A couple of their values

include “compassion as an essential element of the emergency nursing profession”,

“the team-based delivery of resources that meet the highest quality standards of

excellence for patients and emergency nurses”, and “lifelong learning and a culture

of inquiry for the discovery, translation and integration of evidenced-based research

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into emergency nursing practice” (ENA, 2017). The vision, or philosophy statement,

of the ENA is composed around five pillars that include “community, knowledge,

quality and safety, advocacy, and infrastructure” (ENA, 2017).

Module two included a discussion on how healthcare policy impacts nursing.

The policy making process includes defining the problem, specifying the criteria,

generating and selecting solution options, implementing, and

monitoring/evaluating. In the meeting the vice president spoke about how the ENA

tries to influence policy making. They have a day where they “march on the hill” in

Washington D.C. where they can influence policy making and stand for bills they

believe in while trying to get others to support the bill. This is the chance that

nurses get to influence policy and stand up for what they see needs to be changed in

healthcare. In the Code of Ethics for nursing it states the nurse’s duty in regards to

this topic. “The profession of nursing, as represented by associations and their

members, is responsible for articulating nursing values, for maintaining the

integrity of the profession and its practice and for shaping social policy” (Badzek et.

al, 2001).

Module three included patient safety and a key factor was additional

education for nurses. Keeping patients safe included examining quality issues from

perspective of work environment so that safer care can be provided. The ENA talks

about issues that members that are nurses see in their everyday workday that pose

a safety threat to either the patient or the work place. This organization identifies

these areas of weakness and has educational opportunities for its members that can

include guest speakers or work shops.

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Application to Profession of Nursing

The nursing world is always changing and being innovated so it is

organizations, like the ENA, that come together to talk of ideas and bettering the

profession. “Professional organizations and associations in nursing are critical for

generating the energy, flow of ideas, and proactive work needed to maintain a

healthy profession that advocates for the needs of its clients and nurses, and the

trust of society” (Matthews, 2012). Healthcare workers are always finding better,

safer practices in the workplace and then bringing these ideas into their meetings in

order to better the profession and better the hospital environment. These meetings

are also a place of additional education for nurses. The ENA provides emergency

room nurses with education that is specialized to their field of nursing and things

that they encounter in their workplace.

Reflection

I think all nurses should be involved in some type of organization. There is a

need for continued education as things in the healthcare field are so rapidly evolving

and this is the perfect place to get it. I also believe that everyone should be an active

participant in bettering their workplace and proposing legislation. Part of a nurse’s

role is to be an advocate for their patient and this is a prime way to exercise that

role and make the changes that need to happen to provide safer practice. I have

learned that as a professional nurse there is so much knowledge beyond just your

degree. These nurses that are part of the ENA have taken all of these extra classes

and certifications after their degree to better their knowledge of their specific field

of nursing and to better provide safe practice to their patients. I also learned how
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much of an impact we as nurses can have on legislation and how being part of a

professional organization could help make the changes that are needed.
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References

Emergency Nurses Association (2017). Join ENA Today!. Retrieved November 19, 2017,
from
http://www.ena.org/

Badzek, L., White, G., Thompson, A. (2001). Code of Ethics for Nurses with Interpretive
Statements Washington, D.C.: American Nurses Association.

Matthews, J. H. (2012). Organizations and Advocating. Role of Professional

Organizations in Advocating for the Nursing Profession,17. Retrieved November 17,
2017, from
http://nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/ANAMarketplace/ANAPeriodicals/OJIN/T
ableofContents/Vol-17-2012/No1-Jan-2012/Professional-Organizations-and-
Advocating.html