Dear Washington State ARNP,

ARNPs United of Washington State (AUWS) is a state-wide professional organization which advocates for all Washington nurse practitioners and their clients. We communicate and lobby with the state legislature regarding practice and access to care issues, publish a monthly newsletter with articles and listings of interest to nurse practitioners, and offer other useful information and services for ARNPs through our website, www.auws.org.

Over the last few years we have accomplished the following:

• Full prescriptive authority without a Joint Practice Agreement
• Authority to sign death certificates
• Authority to sign handicapped parking permits
• Recognition of ARNP prescription in schools
• Labor and Industries “Attending Provider” status
• Collaboration with WSNA and the Nurse Practitioner Coalition to sound the “Voice of Reason” in medical malpractice/tort reform debate and legislation
• Revisions to our website with many useful links — an NP directory, prescriptive authority information, and employment services
• The revamping of our monthly newsletter, ARNP Care

Need a few more reasons to join? No single ARNP can accomplish as much as a state organization in advocating for our profession. In order to succeed in making a difference in health care in the United States, we need to be united as ARNPs at the state level¹. We have accomplished a lot, but we still have a full agenda of ways we would like to further the nurse practitioner profession in Washington State. Maintaining and expanding our scope of practice is an important, on-going challenge that will continue to require collaborative energy, commitment, and financing through AUWS membership.

Therefore, we invite all nurse practitioners to join AUWS in support of our efforts to improve our collective practice environment. Please do so by completing our membership application online or printing a copy of our application in PDF format to send in. We invite your ideas, energy, and yes, membership dollars toward our ongoing work. Our funds are largely directed toward lobbying in Olympia. The bulk of our work is donated by volunteers, including legislative committee members and the Board of Directors.

It is easier than ever to join AUWS. Upon joining, you will receive a membership packet and certificate. Annual ARNP memberships are now renewed in September, to coincide with the AUWS annual meeting.

You qualify for a reduced membership fee if you belong to an Affiliate Group (AG) of NPs. Examples of existing affiliate groups are the WA Chapters of ACNM and NAPNAP, AAPPN, WANA, PSNPA, NPGS, AENP and WSNA. These are groups of 6 or more NPs who are organized around common ground, such as specialty, geography, or practice issues. We support the formation of AGs as a way to foster networking among NPs. (If you would like to create a new AG, please contact the Board of Directors and we will help you get started).

For student ARNPs, membership is free!

So please consider becoming a member by completing our membership application online or printing a copy of our application in PDF format to send in.

We truly appreciate your participation in AUWS. Please contact us by email with any questions or concerns relating to professional issues, regarding your membership status, and/or your ideas for our ongoing work.

Sincerely,

The AUWS Board of Directors

¹ Bartol, T., The best investment you can make, The American Journal for Nurse Practitioners, 2007, 11, 68-69.

Printable 2-page membership brochure with application.