CEO CORNER
Engagement Is Our Power
A Call to Action for Texas Nurses
Serena Bumpus, DNP, RN, NEA-BC
CEO, Texas Nurses Association
NURSING IS THE LARGEST SEGMENT of the health care workforce, trusted by the public year after year, and essential to every care setting across our state. And yet, as a profession, we face a persistent and critical challenge: low engagement in our professional organizations. This engagement gap directly affects our influence, our working conditions, and the future of our profession.
NURSE PARTICIPATION IN ADVOCACY
National data consistently show that only about 10-15% of registered nurses in the United States belong to a professional nursing organization. This is striking when you consider that nursing represents nearly 5.2 million nationwide. Simply put, most nurses are not participating in the very organizations designed to advocate for them.
PHYSICIAN PARTICIPATION IN ADVOCACY
By comparison, physicians engage at higher rates, particularly through their own professional organizations. While membership in the American Medical Association (AMA) alone accounts for roughly 15–25% of U.S. physicians today, physicians are far more likely than nurses to belong to at least one professional association through their specialty colleges and state medical societies. 98% of Texas physicians belong to the Texas Medical Association. These organizations collectively exert significant and coordinated influence on health policy, reimbursement, education standards, and scope of practice.
THIS CONTRAST MATTERS
Professional engagement is not about paying dues. It is about strength in unity. Nursing is the most trusted profession, yet we are the least influential. When nurses are underrepresented at policy tables, decisions are still made, but without our full voice. Staffing, workplace safety standards, scope of practice protections, reimbursement models, and public health policy all move forward whether nurses are engaged or not. The question is: Whose priorities shape those outcomes?
In Texas, our state is growing rapidly, health systems are under strain, and nurses face unprecedented challenges from burnout and violence in the workplace to regulatory threats and workforce shortages in non-urban areas. No individual nurse, no matter how dedicated, can solve these systemic issues alone.
Engagement also strengthens you as a professional. Nurses who participate in professional organizations report greater access to continuing education, mentoring, networking, and leadership opportunities, all factors known to support career longevity and professional satisfaction. Importantly, engagement increases retention: nurses who feel connected to their profession are more likely to remain in practice and step into leadership roles.
Professional engagement is not about paying dues. It is about strength in unity. Nursing is the most trusted profession, yet we are the least influential.
So why does engagement remain low? Common barriers include time, cost, and a belief that membership does not directly affect day-to-day work. These concerns are real and they are exactly why organizations like the Texas Nurses Association must continue to evolve, demonstrate value, and meet nurses where they are. But they are also why nurses’ voices inside these organizations matter so much. Engagement drives relevance.
History shows us this truth clearly: engaged professions shape their own futures. Our physician colleagues have demonstrated this well! When nurses engage, we move from being the most trusted profession to being one of the most influential.
As CEO of the Texas Nurses Association, my message to you is simple and sincere: Your participation matters. Your voice matters. And our profession depends on it.
Together, engaged and united, Texas nurses can continue to advance our practice and secure a stronger future for nursing. TN
