ANACA The Nursing Voice Fall 2019

18  . The Nursing Voice . Fall 2019 ANA Membership Assembly 2019: The Work of the ANA Professional Policy Committee The American Nurses Association (ANA) held their annual Hill Day and 2019 Membership Assembly (MA) in Washington, D.C. on June 21–23, 2019. The MA includes a Professional Policy Committee as one of its standing committees. As a member of the ANA’s Professional Policy Committee (PPC), I am pleased to share information about the work of this committee. The PPC receives, reviews and reports on submitted proposals from members. It then holds hearings on these proposals during the MA and develops the procedures for presenting proposals to the MA. After reviewing a proposal, the PPC may also recom- mend further actions on those to be considered. In addition to working with proposals, the PPC is responsible for addressing any association-related policies. Earlier this year, the PCC requested a Call for Proposals for Forum Discussion Topics from ANA members nationwide. As a response to the call, the PPC received a combined total of about 65 proposals from the members of Constituent/State Nursing Associations (C/SNA) and the Individual Member Division (IMD). After reviewing all proposals, each PCC member prioritized their top 15 with consideration as to whether or not it: Suggested a new policy. Requested a revision to a policy. Aligned with ANA’s strategic goals and/or programmatic priorities. Addressed a nationally relevant issue facing nursing and nursing practice. After numerous conference call discussions, the PPC chose the following four forum discussion topics, at the 2019 Membership Assembly: Human Trafficking (submitted by a Florida member). DACA Recipients Eligibility to take the NCLEX exam (submitted by Alabama members). Removal of outdated ANA language to Increasing Access to Vaccination Compliance (submitted by California members). The Visibility of Nurses in the Media (submitted by Michigan members). ANA/C Representatives Attending ANA Membership 2019 in Washington, DC. Elissa Brown, MSN RN, PMHCNS-BC ANA\C Member, Alternate MA Representative ANA Professional Policy Committee Member At the Membership Assembly, PPC lunch/dinner meetings started on Thursday, in preparation for Friday’s Dialogue Forums and Saturday’s Discussion and Reporting Sessions. On Friday, the Dialogue Forums were held from 1:10–5:15 pm—each for 45–50 minutes for all of the Membership Assembly. Most forums started with a short presentation followed by discussion. An exception to this mix was The Visibility of Nurses Forum, which used a “Hackathon” process to engage participants to brainstorm and share ideas. It started with a table of members discussing an idea, moved to another table, then three or four groups agreed to present on their strongest idea. The results were several very strong ideas that were “pitched” to everyone. On Saturday morning, the PPC session reported on policy proposals: Consideration of Value Pricing and the Revised Membership Assembly Policy: Assessment of ANA Dues from C/SNAs and Direct Members” (“Dues Policy”): led by the Committee on Bylaws (COB) and PPC Chairpersons. Reconsideration of 2018 topics: Consideration of ANA’s Revised Position Statement: The Nurses Role When a Patient Requests Medical Aid in Dying (ANA Center for Ethics and Human Rights Advisory Board). Consideration of ANA’s Presidential Endorsement Process (rescinding the “Endorsement” policy, focus on education, advocacy, etc.). Being on the ANA Professional Policy Committee is a lot of work, learning and great networking. As a long-time ANA member and a previous ANA COB member, it is a privilege to continue to be part of the process. There are many opportunities for ANA\C members to get more involved. Please look for calls for commit- tee appointments and other ways to participate in ANA\C and ANA nationally. ANA Membership Assembly 2019 Highlights