UNA PHILOSOPHY

The Utah Nurses Association (UNA) and its membership singularly and collectively hold to the following:

1) We respect the unique characteristics and individuality of all nurses. We recognize and promote the value of the nursing profession and appreciate the worth of individual professional practice. We believe that the practice of nursing takes many forms and that each area and specialty contributes to the promotion of health care services for all people.

2) We believe that UNA serves our membership and the State of Utah as the central agency for the collection, analysis and dissemination of information relevant to nursing. We acknowledge the contributions and expertise of constituent groups and specialty organizations serving this function. We further believe that UNA represents the nursing profession within the state and speaks on behalf of all Utah nurses when interacting with allied health groups, state organizations, other governmental bodies and the public.

3) We believe the UNA should maintain communications with nurses throughout the state by providing services and assistance at both the state and district level. We further believe that the Association serves as an advocate for the nursing profession by representing nurses’ interests, establishing standards for the profession and providing information on trends and issues in nursing and health care.

4) We believe that the nursing profession constitutes a vital part of the professional health care team and are therefore obligated to play an active role in assessing and speaking to issues that affect nursing and health care. We believe this includes implementing a strong government relations program, including dynamic lobbying efforts, to initiate and influence social policy relative to health care and health care delivery. We also believe that through these efforts we assume an active role and responsibility as consumer advocates.

5) We believe in promoting high-quality continuing education opportunities to stimulate and advance the professional development of all nurses. We believe that continuing education programs should be approved and accredited according to American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) guidelines to ensure high standards in program offerings. We further believe that individuals are ultimately responsible for their own educational growth and professional competence, and therefore endorse professional certification programs developed by ANCC.