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A professional association (also called a professional body, professional organization,

or professional society) is a non-profit organization seeking to further a particular
profession, the interests of individuals engaged in that profession, and the public interest.

The roles of these professional associations have been variously defined: "A group of
people in a learned occupation who are entrusted with maintaining control or oversight of
the legitimate practice of the occupation;"[1] also a body acting "to safeguard the public
interest;"[2] organizations which "represent the interest of the professional practitioners,"
and so "act to maintain their own privileged and powerful position as a controlling
body."[3]

Such bodies generally strive to achieve a balance between these two often conflicting
mandates. Though professional bodies often act to protect the public by maintaining and
enforcing standards of training and ethics in their profession, they often also act like a
cartel or a labor union trade union) for the members of the profession, though this
description is commonly rejected by the body concerned.

Therefore, in certain dispute situations the balance between these two aims may get
tipped more in favor of protecting and defending the professionals than in protecting the
public. An example can be used to illustrate this. In a dispute between a lawyer and
his/her client or between a patient and his/her doctor, the Law Society of England and
Wales or the General Medical Council will inevitably find itself plunged into a conflict of
interest in (a) its wish to defend the interests of the client, while also (b) wishing to
defend the interests, status and privileges of the professional. It is clearly a tough call for
it do both.

Many professional bodies are involved in the development and monitoring of

professional educational programs, and the updating of skills, and thus perform
professional certification to indicate that a person possesses qualifications in the subject
area. Sometimes membership of a professional body is synonymous with certification,
though not always. Membership of a professional body, as a legal requirement, can in
some professions form the primary formal basis for gaining entry to and setting up
practice within the profession; see licensure.

Many professional bodies also act as learned societies for the academic disciplines
underlying their professions.
Contents
[hide]

• 1 Legal functions
• 2 Inter-professional associations
• 3 Businesss Organization Type
• 4 References
• 5 See also

• 6 External links

[edit] Legal functions

In countries where the law entitles defendants to a jury by their peers, the general public
may not be considered sufficiently knowledgeable in a field of practice to act as a peer in
some legal cases. For example, the Professional associations do not always concern
themselves with licensure or the equivalent or government regulations. In the United
States, journalists seek to avoid government involvement in their work or "official"
definitions.

[edit] Inter-professional associations

Inter-professional associations have been defined as private organizations, recognized by

the State, that group together participants from all stages of the same agricultural
commodity chain (filière in French), with the objectives of elaborating policies,
guaranteeing equity among the members, facilitating the improvement of the
performance of the chain and defending the interests of the members. [4] There are around
sixty such associations in France and several in Francophone countries of Africa. A
particular feature of inter-professional associations is that the membership is made up of
associations that represent the individual chain professions
Sociological treatments of professional workers use educational requirements and
prestige to distinguish among different types of occupations. The prototypical
professions are medical doctors, lawyers, professors and scientists. Groups with lower
educational requirements and prestige are referred to as “marginal professions”—e.g.,
pharmacists, chiropractors, funeral directors, and engineers. Then come the “female
semi-professions,” which require comparable educational attainment but offer lower pay
and prestige than the male-dominated marginal professions—e.g., librarians, registered
nurses, social workers, and schoolteachers. Finally there are “paraprofessionals” and
technical workers who serve as assistants to professionals or perform work at their
request. There is a further relevant distinction which cuts across many professional and
technical occupations; some are employed in organizations, while others are self-
employed or “free professionals” [Ritzer and Walczak, 1986].
In general, higher status professions have stronger associations, while lower status
professions have weaker associations. Unions are likely to have more to offer to weaker
associations and lower status professionals. Thus, the greatest opportunities for
convergence would seem to lie here. The relatively high rates of unionization among
teachers, registered nurses, librarians, and social workers bear this out. It is also
consistent with the apparent openness to unionization among pharmacists, podiatrists, and
chiropractors. Where paraprofessional and technical occupations have no associations,
unions may be able to attract members by fulfilling a similar role, specifically by serving
as an information source and offering professional development opportunities. Unions
may also be able to step into the void where new professional and technical occupations
evolve, but this will require diligent attention to new industries and to technological
advances.

The role of national nursing associations varies from country to country, state to state.
National nursing associations are the cornerstone of development in the nursing field.
Like any national association with a focus on a profession, they often determine the
direction nursing will take as it evolves throughout history.

By helping nurses understand how to better themselves in their roles, then they can seek
out the education they need to continue their training, move into other specialties, and
seek out higher levels in the nursing profession.
What National Nursing Associations Do

The history of nursing is laden with the influences of national organizations, from the
exclusion of African Americans and men to the ratification of legislation and the
development of new ideals. National nursing associations are comprised of experts in the
medical field and protect the rights of nurses, seek constant improvement to nursing
education, and lobby for constructive nursing policy. They often have a concentration on
a particular facet or branch of nursing in order to accommodate the broad spectrum of
interests in the field due to its current and rising complexity.

In essence, national nursing associations ensure that nurses within a given society have
the capacity to make changes in accordance to their interest

International nursing associations help to inform healthcare professionals.

ICN Intenational Council of Nurses – The International Council of Nurses: this

organization serves as an international platform for nurses worldwide. Included in this
website are pillars and programs, active projects, related publications, International
Council of Nurses networks, a newsroom for current advances in the nursing field, and
special events involving the International Council of Nurses.

International Association for Human Caring – The International Association for Human
Caring: this organization serves as a center for advances and the dissemination of these
advances in “caring science.” This website includes helpful links, information on
continuing education, information on “caring conferences,” an organizational journal, a
list of bylaws, and detailed information about the organization itself.

International Society of Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurses – The International Society of

Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurses, an organization directed toward the advancement of
the practice of psychiatric and mental health nursing. This official website includes
information about the organization, helpful links, conferences by the organization, news
and information relative to the organization’s goals, and related publications.

The Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International – The International Honor
Society of Nursing: has a mission to “improve world health through knowledge.” This
website is rife with information, including a research library, publications, media, a
foundation, career provisions (such as advice, assistance, and links), a meeting place for
volunteers, a discussion forum, and a leadership institute.

International Nurses Society On Addictions (IntNSA) – The International Nurses Society

on Addictions: as suggested by the name, this is a nursing organization that concentrates
on nurses committed to the prevention and treatment of addition-related issues. This
website contains information on certifications, mentoring, related publications, and
related events. There are also helpful links, a journal, and an online store.
International Association of Forensic Nurses – International Association of Forensic
Nurses: this website includes innovations such as a “review and discuss” message board
regarding recent news and publications, a career center, information on certifications, and
a section on corporate support.

IOMSN – The International Organization of MS Nurses: the mission statement of this

organization is to, “address the needs and goals of professional nurses who care for
people with [multiple sclerosis].” While this website does not have the same breadth of
information as other organizational websites have exhibited, it does include necessary
provisions such as assistance with research grants, a speaker’s bureau, and a fellowship
awards program.

International Nursing Association for Clinical Nursing Simulation and Learning

(INACSL) – International Nursing Association for Clinical Nursing Simulation/Learning:
this organization and its website sets clear directives for improving and dissemination
information regarding clinical simulation in the nursing and medical field.

International Childbirth Education Association – The International Childbirth Education

Association: this is an organization that aims to assist professionals and educators with
information and knowledge regarding maternal and newborn care. This website offers a
myriad of useful pages that cover the certification process, information for expectant
parents, and resources for currently certified professionals in the U.S.

University of Michigan – The International Network for Doctoral Education in Nursing:

this organization aims to optimize nursing education in the doctoral level through
international collaboration. Provisions within this website include a database of doctoral
programs, conference papers, and scholarly journal articles.

Joining a nursing organization may be mandatory for some, but they are essential to all
nurses.

Nurses are obligated to join a professional nursing organization by the plank 6, 7, 8, and
9 of the Nursing Code of Ethics (revised in 2001). These planks are summarized below.

Plank 6 of the Nursing Code of Ethics

Plank 6 of the Nursing Code of Ethics dictates that a nurse should influence the ethical
obligations of the nursing environment as well as the healthcare environment as a whole.
These directives can only be followed by joining a professional organization, as it is
nearly impossible (unless one were to create an organization his or herself) to apply such
influences on one’s own.
Plank 7 of the Nursing Code of Ethics

Plank 7 asserts that a nurse should be actively involved in:

• Policy and legislation

• Advancing professional standards
• Advancing clinical and administrative standards
• Advancing educational standards as well as disseminating educational
developments
• Develop knowledge and assist in applying current knowledge to practice

Once again, these goals are best achieved through participation in or the development of
a professional nursing organization. In fact, many of the purposes of a nursing
organization are reflected in the above pursuits.

Plank 8 of the Nursing Code of Ethics

Plank 8 outright establishes the need for nurses to collaborate with other healthcare
professionals to promote community, national, and international initiatives in order to
meet societal health needs as well as nursing safety concerns. In essence, Plank 8 is the
foundational perspective behind a national and international professional nursing
organization.

Plank 9 of the Nursing Code of Ethics

Plank 9 decrees that professional nursing organizations and their constituents are
responsible for disseminating nursing values while maintaining the integrity of their
profession and lobbying for constructive legislation and policy. Thus, according to this
plank, nursing organizations are implicitly expected.

The means by which one must go about in order to join a nursing organization varies by
each organization. Some require a membership fee, while others require a membership
subscription (or, recurring fee). These proceeds are applied to the maintenance of the
organization and the promotion of its initiatives. Often, one can register for one or more
of these organizations online and there are often many opportunities to join them
throughout nursing education as well.

1 Forming a union gives nurses a way to work together with their co-workers… to solve
problems and improve staffing and quality care.
1. …Forming a union gives nurses a voice in hospital policies and decisions
that affect their jobs and their patients.
 2. …Joining together in a union allows nurses to protect patient care and
professional standards
The defining characteristic of professional associations is that they are knowledge based.
Their primary role is to be an information source for members of the profession, which
they accomplish through newsletters and technical publications. They attend to the
professional development needs of their members, offering substantive programs and
often continuing education credits. Many professional associations also maintain
relationships with educational institutions that offer degrees in the field and sponsor
student chapters at many of these institutions.

In addition to their role in information and education, these associations actively promote
the professions they represent. Almost all adopt a code of ethics and help to set
minimum standards for entry into the profession. Some associations participate in
certification directly, and all maintain working relationships with agencies established to
grant certification or licenses to those in the occupation. In this regard, professional
associations monitor relevant legislation at the federal and state levels, and promote
regulations that protect their members’ right to practice and uphold quality standards.

The major difference between unions and professional associations is that unions focus
on relations with the employer, while professional associations cater to individual needs.
Professionals are drawn to associations for access to information, professional
development, and networking. They are often drawn to unions in response to trouble
with the boss.

Table 3
Type of Employee Organization Preferred
(Professional and Technical Survey)

Percent
Union 36
Professional Association 30
Employee Involvement Committee 12
Non-union Workplace Association 9
 None of These 13

, those who prefer a professional association tend to have significantly higher job
satisfaction than those who prefer a union, are more concerned about the ability to
exercise professional judgement, and believe that unionization may threaten individual
freedom at work. Those who prefer unions, on the other hand, are relatively more
concerned about fair treatment and more willing to participate in protests.
Other differences are of particular interest. Those who prefer professional
associations tend to be more interested in professional development and identify “source
of information” as a key reason to join an employee organization. This is clearly
consistent with the profile of professional associations presented by interviews with their
membership directors. In contrast, those who prefer unions are more likely to identify
job security as a reason to join an employee organization; given professional
associations’ aversion to addressing employer-employee issues, unions are in a much
better position to tackle such concerns. Differences in responses to a question about why
co-workers may not support unions are worthy of special attention. Those respondents
who themselves prefer professional associations are more likely to believe that their co-
workers are concerned that unions might bring tension to the workplace—professional
associations do not confront the boss, unions do; employers do not object to employee
involvement with professional associations, but they may be extreme in their opposition
to unionization. Those who themselves prefer unions believe that lack of co-worker
support is mostly due to management opposition.

References
American Nurses Association. 1986. Braving New Frontiers. Kansas City, Kan.: ANA.

Feldman, Sandra. Dec. 5, 1999. “Professionals and Unions,” The New York Times.

Labor Notes. December 1999. “The High Road: SEIU Rethinks Hospital Organizing
Tactics,” pp. 7-10.
McHugh, Patrick and Bodah, Matthew. January 2000. “The Effects of General and Specific
Beliefs about Labor Unions on the Voting Intentions of Professional Pharmacists.”
George Washington University (unpublished).