The American Academy of Nursing serves the public and the nursing profession by advancing health policy and practice through the generation, synthesis, and dissemination of nursing knowledge. The Academy and its members create and execute knowledge-driven and policy related initiatives to drive reform of America’s health care system.
The Academy is comprised of 1800 members, referred to as Fellows, which include nursings most accomplished leaders in education, management, practice and research. They have been recognized for their extraordinary nursing careers and are among the nation’s most highly-educated citizens; more than 80 percent hold doctoral degrees and the rest have completed masters programs. An annual meeting and conference, held each fall, offers Fellows an opportunity to share their work and ideas on how to implement and effect change.
In order to effect change, the Academy is comprised of a number of initiatives. Within the Academy, the Building Academic Geriatric Nursing Capacity (www.geriatricnursing.org) , the Council for the Advancement of Nursing Science (www.nursingscience.org) , and the Geropsychiatric Nursing Collaborative find their homes. Additionally, the Academy’s Raise the Voice initiative seeks out and recognizes Edge Runners. Edge Runners are nurse-led models of care throughout the country that improve health care and empower patients.
