"athna" columbus free clinic patient portal

When will the ATHNA membership be extended?

The ATHNA Board of Directors is pleased to extend all Annual Memberships through January 2022. During the Covid pandemic, all current members do not need to renew their memberships. Please encourage your colleagues to join ATHNA! Thank you for your ongoing support of ATHNA as we strive to become 3000 Members Strong.

What is the ATHNA?

As a professional organization, ATHNA serves to represent and support the interests of North American nurses who have a professional interest in travel health. With that goal in mind, in March 2020 ATHNA achieved official recognition for the specialty through the American Nurses Association.

When was the ATHNA founded?

ATHNA was founded in 2004 as a professional organization and during our ATHNA 3000 Strong Campaign we are offering FREE membership through June 2021 for any nurse who currently counsels patients who travel OR any nurse interested in learning more about travel health nursing.

When did the ATHNA 3000 start?

Now is a great time for you to join our professional association. ATHNA was founded in 2004 as a professional organization and during our ATHNA 3000 Strong Campaign we are offering FREE membership through January 2022 for any nurse who currently counsels patients who travel OR any nurse interested in learning more about travel health nursing. International nurses who practice travel health nursing and nursing students are welcome, too!

How many members does the ATHNA have?

ATHNA establishes, maintains, and promotes the standards for professional travel health nursing practice. Now in its 15th year, ATHNA has over 1500 members and provides resources for professional development and advocacy for quality travel health nursing care. ATHNA also sponsors a unique, yearly CE accredited NED: Networking, ...

Who are Travel Health Nurses (THNs)?

THNs represent the myriad of specially educated and trained registered nurses, advanced practice registered nurses, and graduate-level prepared nurses who acquire the additional knowledge and skills to care for travelers pre-travel, during travel, and post-travel. THNs provide most of the pre-travel care in the U.S., seeing patients in preparation for trips domestically and around the world. THNs come from any number of nursing backgrounds and then choose to specialize in the care of all travelers of every age who make any journey. In addition to the delivery of direct patient care services, THNs also function as consultants to businesses, organizations, and governments. They are researchers, faculty members, and nursing leaders. Some are entrepreneurs, serving as owners and operators of their own travel health centers. In the U.S. there are an estimated 25,000 nurses who provide travel health services.

What is Travel Health Nursing?

As defined in Travel Health Nursing: Scope and Standard of Practice 3rd edition, travel health nursing is defined as "the specialized nursing practice that advances the well-being of all travelers in all phases/stages of travel and in all settings." This specialty focuses on the health and safety of travelers through continuous surveillance and assessment of the multiple determinants of health with the intent to promote health & wellness, prevent disease, disability and premature death. Travel health nursing is a highly complex nursing specialty that draws on knowledge from nursing, pharmacology, epidemiology, tropical medicine, primary care, and behavioral psychology to provide evidence based interventions that ensure the health and safety of travelers and the communities they impact. Travel health nurses care for travelers at every stage of their trip: pre-travel, in-transit, and post-travel.

How Can a Consumer Locate a Travel Health Nurse?

Consumers find travel health nurses in a number of different ways, THNs work in occupational health units, so corporate and government employees find them at their worksite. THNs work at colleges and universities and students, faculty and administrators locate their services at those institutions. County and public health organizations maintain listings of travel health nursing services in their region. The VNA and the military offer travel health nursing services. CDC publishes a list of all travel health clinics that offer the yellow fever vaccine in the United States. Healthmap Vaccine Finder and the CDC Flu Finder list travel health clinics according to zip code. Both the International Society of Travel Medicine and IAMAT list travel health clinics around the world by country. In addition to these listings other health professionals in a community, such as primary care providers and various specialists, often refer their patients to travel health nurses for pre and post travel care.

Is ATHNA a CE accredited organization?

ATHNA also sponsors a unique, yearly CE accredited NED: Networking, Education and Development day that is free to members and provides important travel health nursing updates at regional locations around the country. To learn more about ATHNA and membership, please see the "ATHNA Fact Sheet.".

Is there a nursing certification for ANA?

While at present there is no U.S. nursing certification for this specialty, once ANA recognition has been achieved, AT HNA plans to explore options for U.S. certification that align with other ANCC nursing certifications.

Does Travel Health Nursing Have a Professional Organization? ANA Specialty Recognition? U.S. Certification?

The American Association of Travel Health Nurses (ATHNA) is the professional organization that works on behalf of U.S. travel health nurses and their patients. ATHNA establishes, maintains, and promotes the standards for professional travel health nursing practice.

Officers

Sandy Weinberg, RN BSN MA, FATHNA Certificate in Travel Health TM Interim President - 2020 Former president 2009-2011 ATHNA Member since 2006 Home: Bethel, Connecticut Employment: Public Health Nurse, Pomperaug Health District, Southbury, CT Nursing Education: SUNY Albany (BSN); The Graduate Institute (MA in Integrative Health and Healing) How did you get involved in travel health: A previous employer asked if I was interested in learning about Travel Health and offering this service to the community.

Directors

Jane Chiodini , MSc (Travel Medicine), RN, RM, FFTM RCPS (Glasg), QN, FISTM, FATHNA. Certificate in Travel Health TM ATHNA member since 2018 Home: London UK Employment: Founder and Director of Travel Health Training Ltd.