Introduction
The Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses (AMSN) is an association of professional nursing specialists who operate in a subfield of medical surgeries. The assessment of the organization reveals that it is a large institution uniquely representing medical surgical nurses across the United States. Its community focuses on a wide range of areas, which primarily include advocacy, scholarship, certification, professional development, and quality of care. AMSN’s purpose is to provide leadership, sponsorship, structure, and equity to the subfield, where it organizes the activities through certifications and enhances professionalism by setting standards.
Mission and Members
It is important to note that AMSN has a strong, comprehensive, and direct mission. Its mission statement is about commitment to advocacy, scholarship, certification, professional development, and quality of care among medical surgical nursing professionals (AMSN, 2022c). AMSN’s vision is to become a source of leadership for the subfield through values such as advocacy, collaboration, transformation, and dedication (AMSN, 2022c). The shared interest is manifested in its strategic plan comprised of three core elements, which include leadership and influence, professional development, and the health practice environment (AMSN, 2022c). The focus of AMSN is mostly professional with some aspects of clinical standards.
There are a number of groups and parties eligible for membership. These include licensed practical nurses (LPNs), licensed vocational nurses (LVNs), registered nurses (RNs), and students (AMSN, 2022c). RNs, LPNs, and LVNs need to be engaged in the first two years of practice to be eligible for the New to Practice membership, whereas Senior Associate or Member categories require them to be older than 60 (AMSN, 2022c). AMSN membership is additionally available for nursing students, which means non-nurses and non-RNs can become the organization’s members as well (AMSN, 2022c). International nursing professionals working in the subfield can apply and obtain membership as an International Member (AMSN, 2022c). AMSN hosts a range of events, but the most important one includes the AMSN Annual Convention, which will take place in San Antonio, Texas, this year (AMSN, 2022c). Some states, such as Chicago, have local meetings, but many do not have such events (AMSN, 2022c). Therefore, the organization does not meet locally across all states but has an annual convention every year.
Organizational Activities
AMSN provides a number of services, activities, and support measures for its members. These include a professional journal subscription, database access, nurse education credits, webinar discounts, toolkit access, professional development, grants and scholarships, career centers, certification assistance, competency framework, mentoring, and partnerships (AMSN, 2022b). The organization’s legislative priorities involve nursing safety, especially during COVID-19, workforce development, and workplace professional respect (AMSN, 2022b). AMSN is a strongly left-leaning organization that supports equity, inclusion, representation, and gender-affirming care (AMSN, 2022b). AMSN offers Certified Medical-Surgical Registered Nurse (CMSRN), which promises to make nurses more appealing to employers due to higher quality of care and patient safety (AMSN, 2022b). A publication sponsored by AMSN is a journal titled MEDSURG Nursing. An example article is Morton et al. (2019) “The Effect of High-Fidelity Simulation on Medical-Surgical Nurses’ Mock Code Performance and Self-Confidence.”
Professionalism
AMSN works to promote the professional stature of nursing by voicing its political and professional positions, advocating for mutual respect of nurses in the workplace, and addressing the key concerns among medical-surgical nurses. The president of AMSN is Dr. Summer Bryant, who currently works as a senior consultant at Berkeley Research Group (BRG). She has almost 20 years of clinical and nursing experience, specifically in the subfield. The president is CMSRN, RN, Certified in Executive Nursing Practice or CENP, as well as Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) (AMSN, 2022a). Professionally, she is a proficient and expert manager of medical surgical nursing.
Summer Bryant conveys the image of the nurses positively by being a multidisciplinary expert in management, consulting, nursing, and leadership. The organization could additionally address workplace violence affecting nurses by voicing it louder and clearer. I would join AMSN and encourage others to do so. The key reason for joining is the fact that its package of benefits is exceptional and comprehensive. I am not a member of any organization at the moment due to the lack of time to attend its meetings and fully utilize its resources. In other words, I would not get my money’s worth within the professional situation I am currently operating. However, I am willing to become an AMSN member as soon as I have an opportunity to properly use the organizational resources.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is important to note that AMSN is an outstanding professional association specializing in supporting medical-surgical nurses. It offers a wide range of services and benefits for its members through advocacy, scholarship, certification, professional development, and quality of care. In addition, it has a strong political and legislative stance well-represented through its highly competent and experienced leadership team led by Dr. Summer Bryant.
References
AMSN. (2022a). AMSN board of directors.
AMSN. (2022b). Advocacy.
AMSN. (2022c). Membership.
Morton, S. B., Powers, K., Jordan, K., & Hatley, A. (2019). The effect of high-fidelity simulation on medical-surgical nurses’ mock code performance and self-confidence. MEDSURG Nursing, 28(3), 177-182.