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SARAH C. PAULSEN, MARY I. HALL, KATE CREEDON, THERESA EARLES McCARTHY, HELEN P. CRISWELL, KATHERINE FITCH. Initially incorporated in February, 1904. State of California } } ss. County of Alameda } iii On this 6th day of August, 1907, before me, C.K. Marshall, a notary public in and for said County of Alameda, residing therein, duly commissioned and sworn, personally appeared Miss M.I. Hall, Miss Sarah Paulsen, Miss Kate Creedon, Miss Katherine Brown, Mrs. Florence B. Downing, Mrs. Helen P. Criswell, Mrs. Harriet W. Pahl, Miss Katherine Fitch, Miss Theresa Earles McCarthy, Miss Lucy B. Fisher and Miss Margaret Pepoon, personally known to me to be the persons whose names are subscribed to the within instrument, and that they each acknowledge to me that they executed the same. C. K. MARSHALL, Notary Public in and for the County of Alameda, State of California iv PART I THE CALIFORNIA NURSES ASSOCIATION BYLAWS ARTICLE I Title and Relationships The name of this association shall be the CALIFORNIA NURSES ASSOCI- ATION, hereinafter called CNA. The CNA is an independent nurses' associ- ation dedicated to organizing and representing the interests of registered nurses, and protecting and advocating for patients and health care consumers on a state, national and international basis in conjunction with other nurses' and health care associations and unions, other health care professionals, and health advocacy organizations, and other organizations engaged in compati- ble social and economic justice program activities . ARTICLE II Purposes, and Objectives and Affiliations Section 1. Purposes The purpose of the CNA shall be to foster high standards of nursing practice, promote the professional and educational advancement of nurses, and pro- mote the welfare of nurses to the end that all people may have better health care services. These purposes shall be unrestricted by considerations of age, color, creed, disability, gender, health status, lifestyle, nationality, race, reli- gion, or sexual orientation. Section 2. Objectives The objectives of CNA shall include the following: A. To establish and promote implementation of standards of nursing prac- tice, nursing education, and nursing services, as defined by CNA. B. To encourage members to adhere to the ethical obligations of nurses as patient advocates. C. To promote and protect the economic and general welfare of nurses. D. To continually review and clarify the role of the nurse in the delivery of healthcare services. E. To interpret the aims of the various educational programs and career opportunities in nursing to nurses, prospective nurses, and the public. F. To identify the educational needs of practitioners and to work with appropriate groups to provide programs to ensure currency of practice. G. To recruit and involve nursing students in education and patient advo- cacy activities.To interpret to members of the California Nursing Students' Association, hereinafter called CNSA, the philosophy, objec- tives, and activities of this association and to undertake collaborative activities with CNSA to promote the purposes of the profession. H. To initiate legislation and proposals for governmental regulations and take stands supporting or opposing those which affect the health of the people of the state, nursing, or nurses. I. To speak for the nursing profession in relationships with professional, community, and governmental groups, and with the public. J. To provide for representation of California nursing interests statewide, nationally and internationally and to present CNA policies and posi- tions on issues that may have statewide, nationwide or international implications. K. CNA recognizes the importance of a code for registered nurses that will foster high standards of nursing practice and promote quality patient care. The CNA Code for Registered Nurses reflects the principles inherent in the Florence Nightingale Pledge. 1. The nurse participates in the profession's efforts to implement and further the nurse's role of patient and consumer advocate; 2. The nurse provides services with respect for human dignity and the uniqueness of the patient unrestricted by considerations of social or economic status, nature of health problems, age, color, creed, dis- ability, gender, lifestyle, nationality, race, religion, or sexual orien- tation; 3. The nurse safeguards the patients right to privacy by judiciously protecting information of a confidential nature; 4. The nurse acts to safeguard the patient and the public when health care and safety are affected by the incompetent, unethical, illegal or inappropriate practice of any person; 5. The nurse assumes responsibility and accountability for individual nursing judgments and actions; 6. The nurse assumes responsibility and accountability for competent and appropriate performance of the RN Duty of Patient Advocacy, acting in the exclusive interests of the patient, as the patient's advo- cate, by initiating action to improve health care or to change deci- sions or activities which are against the interests or wishes of the patient, as circumstances may require, and by disclosing informa- tion and providing patient education as necessary for informed patient decisions about health care before care is provided to the patient. 7. The nurse recognizes the importance of collective patient advocacy to the public health and the integrity of professional nursing stan- dards of care, and participates in necessary and appropriate actions and exercises of collective patient advocacy to protect the public health and safe patient care standards against erosion, restructuring, degradation, deregulation, and abolition by the large health care corporations, hospital chains, HMOs, insurance companies, phar- maceutical corporations, and other powerful economic institutions C A L I F O R N I A N U R S E J U L Y / A U G U S T 2 0 0 5 23