Factors Influencing Utah Nurse Practitioners' Decisions to Join Nurse Practitioner Associations

While the benefits of professional associations to its members' personal development and ultimately patients are well-established, professional association membership is declining among health professions, including nurse practitioners. Research is available on factors that influence registered nurses' (RN) decisions to join professional associations, but little is known regarding factors influencing the decisions of nurse practitioners (NP). Using the Professional Association Membership Questionnaire (PAMQ), this project surveyed 537 advanced practice registered nurses (APRN); 328 (61.1%) had a current membership in a professional association, and 209 (38.9%) were non-members. While both members and non-members expressed a desire for professional programs, improvement in the profession, and personal development, current members scored significantly higher in each of these factors (professional programs, p <0.001; ef 0.55; improvement of the profession, p