Established in 1903, the PA State Nurses Association is the professional organization for nurses in Pennsylvania. The organization has been through many interesting developments and changes since its beginning.
The Pennsylvania State Nurses Association began as PSNA, developed to meet the very definite need of supporting the state’s nurses. The organization operated for 23 years without any state headquarters. In 1926, when the headquarters were developed, the organization really began to flourish. PSNA recruited many new members and began the publication of the quarterly bulletin Penn Points. The association began to work on the “History of Nursing in Pennsylvania.” Because they had a headquarters, PSNA was able to enlarge their board of directors and to solidify the duties of each committee. All of these things were then put into a handbook for easy access.
Clearly, PSNA has been through many changes since those early years. Their headquarters have been moved from Front Street in Harrisburg to its current location off Progress Avenue. PSNA became the Pennsylvania Nurses Association (PNA), and operated for many years as a union for nurses in Pennsylvania. But because nursing is constantly changing, so did the organization. In April of 1998, the members of PNA voted to form two separate and distinct organizations for nurses in the state. July 1, 1998, marked the day that PSNA evolved again and operated solely as a professional organization for nurses with no collective bargaining services.
In 1999, the association adopted the tagline “Leadership and Advocacy for Today’s Nurses.” The PA State Nurses Association continues to act as the professional organization and voice for registered nurses in the state, and will do so well into the next millennium. In 2003, the association celebrated its 100th year anniversary!
In 2004, the association evolved into its new and more aggressive leadership role by making additional changes to better meet the changing needs of registered nurses. The PA State Nurses Association no longer refers to itself as “PSNA” and now uses the short version of its name as PA Nurses — moving away from the acronym for increased recognition among the nursing community.
The association’s new tagline for its second century of leadership is “The Constant In Your Nursing Career.”
In continuing to evolve with the nursing community, the association has also made great strides in delivering timely and relevant information to its membership through increased use of technology and outreach.
The purpose of the PA State Nurses Association is to preserve and advance the identity, integrity and continuity of the profession of nursing, and to serve as the professional organization and the official voice for registered professional nurses in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. In order to advance the nursing profession, PA Nurses must strive to help support the nurses in the state. Becoming non-union has given PA Nurses more resources so that they can become a stronger voice for nurses.
