Today the American Nurses Association (ANA) announced the recipients of the prestigious 2026 ANA National Awards, which recognize outstanding nurses and nurse champions for their vital contributions to the nursing profession and within the healthcare landscape.

The American Nurses Association (ANA) is deeply concerned that the U.S. Department of Education has moved forward with the proposal from the negotiated rulemaking consensus process that excludes nursing from the definition of “professional degree” programs tied to federal graduate student loan limits.

  ANA has officially adopted The Men’s Health Nursing Scope and Standards of Practice along with formal recognition of Men’s Health Nursing as a specialty within the nursing profession.  

TIME has named Jennifer Mensik Kennedy, PhD, MBA, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, president of the American Nurses Association (ANA), to the 2026 TIME100 Health List of the World’s Most Influential Leaders in Health. Dr. Mensik Kennedy was honored in the list’s Titan category.

The legislation is a step in the right direction to combat the national opioid crisis and recognizes nurses’ critical role in solving this public health issue. 

ANA, along with our partner organizations strongly support the Improving Care and Access to Nurses (ICAN) Act (H.R. 2713).

The American Nurses Association (ANA) is proud to announce the launch of its new Innovation Advisory Board. This board is composed of a select group of leaders with significant expertise in health care innovation.

In a 5-4 landmark decision, the U.S. Supreme Court  ruled that employees who are represented by a public sector union but elect not to join the union can no longer be compelled to pay “fair share” fees. (Getty Images)

SILVER SPRING, MD – Today, the American Nurses Association (ANA) announced it has been recognized by ASAE with a 2026 Gold Circle Award in the Advocacy category. ANA earned this award because of its advocacy around the Department of Education’s student loan eligibility criteria for professional degrees for nursing students, generating more than 250,000 signatures on ANA’s petition, over 14,000 comments submitted, 140 Congressional signatories, and over 6 billion media impressions in under 5 months. 

In support of National Nurses Week 2024, the American Nurses Foundation (the Foundation) is teaming up with Chipotle, Skechers, and Create Amor to bring exclusive deals and opportunities that give back to nurses for the month of May. All proceeds raised through their support will go directly to the Foundation’s work to undertake vital research, support nurses, and improve health care for all.

ANA leaders inspire and call for action at Membership Assembly 

Following the declaration of Monkeypox (mpox) as a public health emergency of international concern earlier this month, the World Health Organization (WHO) has launched a global Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan to stop outbreaks of human-to-human transmission of mpox through coordinated efforts.