The Academy serves the public and the nursing profession by advancing health policy and practice through the generation, synthesis, and dissemination of nursing knowledge. Every day across America, the Academy and its members create and execute knowledge-driven and policy-related initiatives to drive reform of America's health care system.

AAN's 1,500 members - known as Fellows - are nursing's most accomplished leaders in education, management, practice and research. They have been recognized for their extraordinary nursing careers and are among the nation's most highly-educated citizens; more than 80 percent hold doctoral degrees, and the rest have completed masters programs. Sixty-four percent of the Fellowship work in academic settings, 30 percent work in service and practice settings, and about 3 percent work in state and federal government agencies.

The Academy is governed by a 10-member Board of Directors, elected by the Fellows. Learn more about the AAN Board of Directors.

Headquartered in Washington, DC since 2008, the Academy is positioned to identifying key policy issues and mobilizes its Fellows - along with allied individuals and organizations - to support the Academy's policy agenda and affect change.

The Academy's Annual Meeting & Conference, held each November, offers Fellows and other interested parties an opportunity to share ideas.

Nursing Outlook, a bi-monthly journal, provides innovative ideas for leaders in the nursing profession through peer-reviewed articles and timely reports. Each issue examines current issues and trends in nursing practice, education and research, offering progressive solutions to the challenges facing the profession. Nursing Outlook is included in MEDLINE, CINAHL and the Journal Citation Reports Social Science Edition.

AAN was founded in 1973 under the aegis of the American Nurses Association; the Academy now is an independent affiliate of the ANA.

• How to Find an Academy Expert
• Annual Fund