Official ANA Position Statements

A position statement is an explanation, a justification or a recommendation for a course of action that reflects ANA’s stance regarding the concern. The development process for position statements initially involves internal deliberation by the Congress on Nursing Practice and Economics. A draft of the proposed position statement is then posted on ANA’s Web site, for public comment. Following public comment, the statement is revised if necessary and approved by the ANA Board of Directors. This process allows each and every nurse to voice their views and opinions on the various dimensions of the issue at hand.  Position statements expire or are retired by the organization when appropriate.

Current ANA Position Statements:

Bloodborne and Airborne Diseases
Needle Exchange and HIV
HIV Exposure from Rape/Sexual Assault
HIV Disease and Correctional Inmates
HIV Infection and Nursing Students
Education and Barrier Use for Sexually Transmitted Diseases and HIV Infection
Equipment/Safety Procedures to Prevent Transmission of Bloodborne Diseases
Personnel Policies and HIV in the Workplace
Post-Exposure Programs in the Event of Occupational Exposure to HIV/HBV
HIV Testing

Consumer Advocacy
Mercury in Vaccines

Drug and Alcohol Abuse
Drug Testing for Health Care Workers
Abuse of Prescription Drugs

Environmental Health
Pharmaceutical Waste

Ethics and Human Rights
Foregoing Nutrition and Hydration
Protecting and Promoting Individual Worth, Dignity, and Human Rights in Practice Settings
In Support of Patients' Safe Access to Therapeutic Marijuana
Stem Cell Research
Privacy and Confidentiality
Assuring Patient Safety: The Employers' Role in Promoting Healthy Nursing Work Hours
Assuring Patient Safety: Registered Nurses' Responsibility to Guard Against Working When Fatigued
Risk and Responsibility in Providing Nursing Care
Reduction of Patient Restraint and Seclusion in Health Care Settings
Nursing Care and Do-Not-Resuscitate Decisions
Discrimination and Racism in Health Care
Assisted Suicide
Cultural Diversity in Nursing Practice
Nursing and the Patient Self-Determination Acts
Active Euthanasia
The Nonnegotiable Nature of the ANA Code of Ethics for Nurses
Nurses' Role in Capital Punishment

Nursing Practice
Competencies for Nurse Practitioners in Emergency Care
The Doctor of Nursing Practice: Advancing the Nursing Profession
Emergency Care Psychiatric Clinical Framework
Association of Operating Room Nurses Official Statement on RN First Assistants
Electronic Health Record
Additional Access to Care: Supporting Nurse Practitioners in Retail-Based Health Clinics
Determining a Standard Order of Credentials for the Professional Nurse
Establishing a Culturally Competent Master's and Doctorally Prepared Nursing Workforce
The Mayday Fund Report: A Call to Revolutionize Chronic Pain Care in America
Promoting Safe Medication Use in the Older Adult
Safe Practices for Needle and Syringe Use
Professional Role Competence
Procedural Sedation Consensus Statement
Elimination of Manual Patient Handling to Prevent Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders
Safety Issues Related to Tubing and Catheter Misconnections
Principles of Fatigue that Impact Safe Nursing Practice (Members Only)
Assuring Safe, High Quality Health Care in Pre-K Through 12 Educational Setting
Credentialing of Advanced Practice Registered Nurses

Social Causes and Health Care
Reproductive Health
NAPNAP Position Statement on Immunizations (Members Only)
Nursing Leaderhsip in Global and Domestic Tobacco Control
Elimination of Violence in Advertising Directed Toward Children, Adolescents and Families
Violence Against Women
Adolescent Health
Uses of Placebos for Pain Management in Patients with Cancer
Promotion and Disease Prevention
Lead Poisoning and Screening

Unlicensed Personnel
Registered Nurses Utilization of Nursing Assistive Personnel in All Settings
Registered Nurse Education Relating to the Utilization of Unlicensed Assistive Personnel
Joint Statement on Delegation

Workplace Advocacy
Just Culture
Patient Safety: Rights of Registered Nurses When Considering a Patient Assignment
Employers Guidelines for Work Release During a Disaster
Registered Nurses' Rights and Responsibilities Related to Work Release During a Disaster
Sexual Harassment