Why Membership Matters
As the new school year unfolds, we find ourselves looking to the resources that NASN provides for guidance and to updates that might be available for our practice. School nurses have many roles to fulfill and help build the foundation for student health and education.
There are approximately 16,000 NASN members. Imagine how we can expand the
sphere influence of school nursing, like the stone in the water, if each one of
us recruited one new member.
Just as the healthcare climate is evolving, so is NASN as the credible source for information for school nurses. The NASN
Back-to-School Toolkit is
a tool that school nurses can use to help support the health and well-being of children and families. The toolkit is loaded with checklists for school nurses and parents, clinical practice guidelines, and information about advocating for students and their families.
Through NASN and its partner relationships, you have access to journal article podcasts
(The
Journal of School Nursing and
NASN School Nurse),
Sight for Students gift certificates,
NASN Radio broadcasts,
SchoolNurseNet community website, discounts for
professional
liability insurance,
webinars, and current
position documents, just to name a few
benefits. Browse
NASN.org and see for yourself.
Remember that the
School Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice (2011) Standard 12, Leadership, “promotes advancement of the profession through participation in professional school nursing and school health organizations.” [p. 60]
Reasons Why Some
Do Not Belong to NASN:
-
What does membership do for me?
-
My employer no longer reimburses my membership.
-
I do not have time to read the journals or access the website.
-
I do not think that membership is worth the cost.
-
I can find resources that I need by searching online.
What Can NASN Members Do?
If you are an NASN member, share your journals with non members, share the benefits and explain how
your membership contributes to your practice and how it helps you to foster better health and better learning in
your school. What prompted you to join NASN? What keeps you here? Whether it is the guidance on best practice, support from other members when faced with adversity, or the collegiality, tell your story!
NASN affiliate school nurse organizations can take action too. Reach out to those in their state
or area.
When a new member joins and names a referring member, the referring member receives a $10 NASN e-commerce credit through the
Strength in Numbers
member-to-member campaign.
Show your NASN membership pride during the month
of October. Use the "I am NASN Strong" graphic
as your PROFILE PICTURE on SchoolNurseNet! Here's how:
Download or save the graphic.
Go to your SchoolNurseNet
profile and add or change your profile picture.
Watch a brief video tutorial if you need instruction on changing your profile
picture.
Login and leave a comment about your NASN experience.
Be sure to TWEET, INSTAGRAM, FACEBOOK or BLOG about your NASN experience too.
#NASNstrong #schoolnurses #NASN2015
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This blog post submitted by Susan Zacharski on behalf of the NASN Membership Committee.