ATHNA
The American Association of Travel Health Nurses (ATHNA) celebrated its 15th anniversary as a not-for-profit nursing professional organization in June 2019. In 2022 ATHNA comprises almost 3000 members representing every U.S. state, many Canadian provinces, and some international nations, ATHNA members practice in a multitude of clinical settings to provide care to travelers during all stages of trips to all destinations.
The purpose of this Fact Sheet is to provide some quick answers to Frequently Asked Questions about ATHNA.
To learn more about the history of ATHNA, please refer to the document History of the American Travel Health Nurses Association on the ATHNA website.
To learn more about travel health nursing as a specialty, please refer to the document Travel Health Nursing Fact Sheet on the ATHNA website.
What is ATHNA?
ATHNA is the officially recognized organization for U.S. nursing professionals who provide care to travelers for international or domestic journeys. It is a 501 c 3 nonprofit association incorporated in New York State. Currently, ATHNA offers free membership to any professional who wishes to join. ATHNA advocates for nurses in this specialty and promotes professional development and customized, evidence-based, quality care for every traveler on every journey. ATHNA provides its members with several special benefits including an annual Networking Education and Development Day (NED) and the ATHNA educational blog TravelBytes.
ATHNA is not the organization for “travel nurses”, individuals who travel between hospitals to meet acute staffing shortages.
What is a NED?
ATHNA sponsors a unique and free networking, educational, and development opportunity for its members every year either via Zoom or in multiple locations simultaneously across the United States. Providing up to five continuing education credits, this popular alternative to traditional, annual large conferences is called a NED. Meeting content focuses on updates in important travel health nursing topics as well as opportunities for the discussion of clinical, administrative, and professional issues. Regional and Zoom NEDs reduce time away from work, limits travel costs, and promotes local networking among our members. In June 2019, ATHNA hosted a very well-received national meeting in Washington DC in conjunction with its 15th anniversary as a professional association. Unfortunately, the Covid pandemic has sidelined any plans to hold another in-person national meeting, at least for the time being.
What are TravelBytes?
ATHNA offers a peer reviewed blog, TravelBytes, on its website that addresses current topics and challenges in travel health nursing. Members contribute blog content on a wide range of topics and all members are encouraged to read the blog and submit their own content ideas. Look on the ATHNA homepage for this regular feature.
How does ATHNA communicate with our members?
ATHNA's website is updated every four to six weeks to keep our members informed about organizational activities and important developments in travel health nursing. ATHNA also subscribes to Constant Contact and members receive monthly email updates as well. ATHNA routinely posts on Facebook and Twitter. Members are encouraged to contact ATHNA at our email info@athna.org.
How does ATHNA promote professional networking among its members and other travel health professionals?
ATHNA offers members several ways to connect with other nursing professional who provide travel health care. Every year ATHNA presents a NED: Networking, Education and Development clinical conference. These unique day- long gatherings are held via Zoom and in various locations around the country. They provide members with face- to- face contact to increase knowledge and information sharing in travel health nursing. Regularly, ATHNA offers informal networking get-togethers, so-called Meet & Greets, at many of the national and international conferences attended by U.S. travel health nurses including the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, International Society of Travel Medicine, American Association of Nurse Practitioners, American College Health Association, American Association of Ambulatory Care Nurses, and the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses. Many ATHNA members also hold positions in these other professional organizations, strengthening the exchange of up- to- date travel information among the groups. If you attend any of these meetings, be sure to look for ATHNA notices on our website, in your email, and at the conferences.
How do I get in touch with ATHNA?
Contact info@athna.org for questions about the organization. ATHNA will respond to your inquiry within 5 business days. Unfortunately, ATHNA cannot respond to specific inquiries regarding individual patient care. We do frequently address broad clinical issues in our blog TravelBytes.
Does ATHNA have speakers for a travel health presentation?
Speakers are available to present on travel health nursing content. Please use the above email if you are interested in learning about speakers for an educational event.
What is ATHNA's role in entry level education and continuing education for travel health nursing?
ATHNA has addressed both of these important issues. For more information about entry level education for travel health nursing practice or opportunities for travel heath nursing continuing education, please see our Educational Preparation for Travel Health Nursing Fact Sheet on our website and also the ATHNA Model Core Curriculum available on the Members Only Portal.
How does ATHNA benefit employers?
Travel health nurses provide care to domestic and international travelers in many clinical settings including occupational health units, colleges and universities, private travel health clinics, hospitals, the VNA, government offices, public and community health centers, the military, and more. Through its various web publications and CE offerings, ATHNA helps employers to provide more standardized travel health care to all their employees and improve the overall quality of travel health care delivered. This can result in improved patient satisfaction and mitigate health and safety risks.
ATHNA offers employers free job postings in our CareerCenter on the Members Only Portal of this website. Members can also post for desired positions nationwide. In addition, many nurses find travel health nursing positions by contacting public health, academic, and occupational health care employers. Consider seeking employment at one of the travel clinics listed on the CDC yellow fever directory (www.cdc.gov/travel) or the ISTM clinic listing (www.ISTM.org).
How can a professional nurse take an active role in ATHNA?
Each year, ATHNA sends out notices for open positions on its Board of Directors as well as opportunities to join our various committees to work on projects relevant to the development of our specialty and ATHNA goals. Members will receive these announcements in their email and see them posted in the Members Only section of our website.
embers are encouraged to get involved in ways that meet their personal interests and professional and educational needs. We know travel health nurses are all very busy. That said, members are always encouraged to contact info@athna.org to get more involved with ATHNA or to share an idea for a project or ATHNA initiative.
Can I donate to ATHNA?
Yes, we are a 501c3 nonprofit organization, incorporated as a NY State charity - and anyone may donate to our organization. Thank you! Donations are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law and may be sent to ATHNA, c/o Mette Riis, Treasurer 1169 Northridge Court, Golden, CO 80401. Donations can also be made directly on our website.
Is ATHNA affiliated with ISTM, ASTMH, ACHA, or AAOHN?
ATHNA is a stand -alone, non- profit, professional nursing organization incorporated in the United States to support the professional development of travel health nursing and its members. It is independent of other organizations that support travel medicine. However, ATHNA works cooperatively with many travel health, public health, and nursing groups both as an organization and through the activities of its individual members. Some of these groups include the International Society of Travel Medicine, the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, the American College Health Association, the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses and others. ATHNA collaborates on shared travel health research projects, advocates on behalf of common issues and interests, and promotes connections that benefit the specialty, nursing professionals, our members, and travelers. Many ATHNA members choose to belong to more than one association that supports travel health. We encourage all our members to join any professional organization that will support their career goals and increase their professional knowledge and skills for quality travel health nursing care.
Travel Health Nursing- Scope & Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics
In the 21st century, ATHNA has achieved ANA recognition as nursing specialty for travel health nursing and has developed a Scope and Standards and a Code of Ethics based on the ANA Code of Ethics for professional nursing. ATHNA encourages all its members as well as all travel health professionals to adhere to these Standards and this Code. As an organization, ATHNA is an independent voice for the professional development of travel health nurses and for quality care of all travelers.
Additional Questions about ATHNA?
Please write to info@athna.org if you have other questions or comments about our organization and member benefits. We welcome your messages!
Updated: September 2022/ GR
