NCNA Leaders for the 2006-2007 biennium met at Leadership Day on December 2 in Chapel Hill. NCNA President Dennis Sherrod led the participants through an exercise to identify their NCNA Value Proposition on an annual basis. The NCNA Value Proposition chart is the consensus reached by the members present, but possibly would not represent the value that each member placed on a particular benefit. For example, participants gave NCNA lobbying a value of $5,000. However, for an individual member that may be much higher.
• For nurses who were able to attend nursing school or receive advanced degrees because of the creation of the NC Nurse Scholars Program (1991) have increased their earning potential over a lifetime.
• For all those nurses in any employment setting who are now clearly identified as RNs on their name badges (1999) rather than just another member of the health care team.
• For a nurse practitioner, nurse midwife or psych CNS, the value is much higher because NCNA was able to get reimbursement (1993) for those three groups which greatly increased their earning potential.
• For a school nurse employed by the Department of Public Instruction, NCNA was able to get them placed on the certified employee salary schedule (1998) for an $8,000 annual increase in salary.

Participants were able to put dollar values on 20 different benefits. There were many they could not quantify and an equal number they considered “priceless.” Once the dollar values were agreed upon, participants estimated how much they spent on NCNA dues and activities on an annual basis and came up with an average of $1,000. This figure included such things as dues, attending convention or NP Spring Symposium, traveling to continuing education offerings sponsored by their region or structural unit, hotel costs, etc. And guess what? They discovered that for every $1 they invested, they received $17.80 worth of benefits. As Sandy Walton, Member-at-Large of the Council of Psychiatric Mental Health Nurses in Advanced Practice, said following the exercise “How can I not belong to NCNA for all I have received from the association - mentoring, coaching and consulting with my peers; discounts on liability insurance and certification; and the opportunity to have my own practice which alone I estimate to be worth $5,000 annually.”

Description of the Identified Value Propositions

Professional Growth/Leadership Development: Offers opportunities to serve the nursing profession and their patients in various ways; career development, self-actualization, opportunity to serve as Nurse of the Day and develop personal connections with legislators, provides growth and professional vision from local to state to national arenas.

Networking: Participation in meetings, sharing diversity of experiences, ability to meet and interact with members of specialty nurses associations and other health care organizations.

Consulting: Access to NCNA resources, ideas, tips and consulting from staff and colleagues, and professional coaching.

Mentoring: Provides a collegial support system, grooming/positioning advice, and building lasting relationships.

Lobbying: The General Assembly controls nursing practice. For over three decades NCNA has lobbied to make your practice safer for you and your patients more rewarding. If any of the following apply to you, estimate its annual value.
• The ability to practice as a nurse practitioner having met the requirements of the law defining the scope of nurse practitioner practice (beginning in 1975).
• The ability to practice as a certified nurse midwife having met the requirements of the law defining the scope of certified nurse midwife practice (1983).
• The ability to attend nursing school or seek advanced degrees because of scholarships offered by the NC Nurse Scholars Commission (1991).
• The ability to be reimbursed for your services as a nurse practitioner, certified nurse midwife or psych CNS (1993).
• The ability, as an advanced practice registered nurse, to practice collaboratively with other health care providers rather than to be employed by others (1995).
• The ability to be financially reimbursed for your educational preparation and certification as a school nurse within the Department of Public Instruction (1998).
• The ability to be identified as a registered nurse on your name badge so patients and their families will know who is caring for them (1999).
• The ability of school children to have access to more school nurses with the goal of one school nurse in every school by 2010 (2001-2005).
• The ability of certified registered nurse anesthetists to remain solely regulated by the NC Board of Nursing (2005 and ongoing).
• The ability to assure the public that registered nurses will maintain their competency (2005).
• And in future sessions of the General Assembly, NCNA will be there to try to create a Faculty Fellows Program to increase the number of nursing faculty, continue to protect the scope of APRN practice, and to ensure that the practice of nursing is defined by nursing rather than some other discipline. What is that worth to each of you?

Discounts: Reduced member registration fees with savings of $100 to $275 on conferences and conventions; professional liability insurance discounts, ANCC certification discounts, publication discounts, etc.

Publications: Tar Heel Nurse, NP News and the NC Journal of Medicine (NCNA) and the American Nurse Today and the American Nurse (ANA).

Travel Opportunities: Attend conferences and conventions in various parts of the state and if representing NCNA at the national level, attending meetings in all areas of the country.

Fun, Entertainment: Nurses Day celebrations, unforgettable stories, NCNA PAC reverse raffle party, networking dinners, national conventions, etc.

Certification: In some hospitals, registered nurses with ANCC certification receive a salary supplement.

Scholarships: Many nurses have benefited by the NC Nurse Scholars Program which was passed by the General Assembly in 1989 and remains one of the largest in the country. In addition, the NC Foundation for Nursing offers $1,000, $2,000 and $5,000 scholarships to registered nurses pursuing additional degrees (with NCNA members given preference).

Continuing Education: NCNA offers over 450 continuing education contact hours annually with many of these at no additional cost to the member. In addition, speakers at major NCNA events are willing to speak at districts and regions at reduced rates. With the new requirements regarding continuing competency, NCNA CE will play an increased role.

Structural Unit CE: Hospitals, AHECs, etc. which are approved providers through NCNA and ANCC are able to offer continuing education credit to nurses at their institutions and organizations. In addition, NCNA structural units at the state and local area receive free CE processing for their educational programs.

First in Nursing License Plate: This not only promotes the image of nursing, but anecdotally at least a couple of our members stated they did not receive a traffic ticket or fine because the officer recognized they were a nurse.

Hallmarks of Healthy Workplaces: This new NCNA program will enhance the work environment for nurses in all work settings. In addition, NCNA will continue to support and recognize those hospitals which have achieved Magnet status within the state.

Recognition and Awards: Recognized for achievements within the practice setting (NCNA Nurse of the Year awards) and within the organization (Board of Directors Awards), election or appointment to serve at the local, state and national level,

Professional Recognition: In some facilities, active NCNA membership and participation is preferred in the job interview process as well as considered an integral part of the career ladder.

Information: Members-Only websites (NCNA, ANA, Center for American Nurses), email updates, publications, legislative updates, innovative workplace initiatives, etc., ability to convey basic knowledge of nursing issues.

NCNA Directory: Provides mechanism to reach out to other NCNA leaders.

Energizing: All of the above

Member Benefit Average Value per Member per Year
Professional Growth/Leadership Development: $2,000
Networking: $1,750
Consulting: $1,500
Mentoring: $1,000
Lobbying: $5,000
Discounts: $ 500
Publications: $ 200
Travel Opportunities: $ 500
Fun, Entertainment: $ 100
Certification: $1,000
Scholarships: $ 400
Continuing Education: $ 300
Structural Unit CE: $1,000
First in Nursing License Plate: $ 250
Hallmarks of Healthy Workplaces: $ 500
Recognition and Awards: $ 250
Name Recognition: $ 250
Information: $1,000
NCNA Directory: $ 50
Energizing: $ 250

Total Value $17,800

$17,800 Divided by $1000 = $17.80
Total Value Actual Expenditure Return on Investment

And as Sandy says, “How can you afford not to be a member of NCNA?”

What is Your NCNA Value Proposition? Use the linked Microsoft Excel worksheet to do your own assessment. And then ask your friends and colleagues to take the assessment and become an active part of the professional association which makes a difference in their lives every day.