ABSTRACT
The terms "professional" and "collective bargaining" traditionally have been considered mutually exclusive. The American Nurses Association (ANA) was broadened in purpose to become "a professional association of nurses, in which nurse’s work for the continuing improvement of professional practice, the economic and general welfare of nurses, and the health needs of the American public." The ANA membership consists solely of registered professional nurses employed in all occupational subdivisions within the nursing profession. The economic status of the nursing profession traditionally has been considered rather low. The ANA's Economic Security Program was formulated as a means of eliminating employment conditions felt to be inconsistent with the professional responsibilities of nurses. The ANA has undergone major changes in philosophy and operation in 1958, 1962, 1964, and most recently in 1966. On the basis of past performance one may question the appropriateness of present ANA structure for generating an organization in which a majority of nurses participates.
