Professional nursing organizations are vital for the nursing profession as they maintain a healthy profession by advocating for nurses and clients (Matthews, 2012). According to the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary, a profession is defined as any kind of work, specially one that requires a higher level of education or specific skills (Cambridge University Press, 2015). A professional organization is defined as a group of individuals in a learned occupation, who are assigned with preserving control or oversight of the legal practice of the the profession (Harvey 2004). Members of the profession provide support to their professional organizations, as these organizations provide resources such as regulations for the ethical practice of the profession, verification of credentials and gate keeping for …show more content…
It represents both baccalaureates as well as higher degrees in nursing programs (Blais, 2011). Its mission includes establishing standards of quality for nursing education, helping nursing schools in implementing these standards & improving health care through the influence of nursing. It also works to promote public support for nursing education, practice & research (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2015).
AACN has published standards for baccalaureate, master’s and doctorates of nursing (DNP) programs. These standards outline the competency expectations to which nursing schools can follow in order to achieve higher standards for their educational programs and meet accreditation guidelines. The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), an independent arm of AACN, provides accreditation for nursing programs that are following effective educational practices. Through the process of accreditation, CCNE ensures the quality of nursing programs (American Association of Colleges of Nursing,