Midyear! Happy June to all! I am excited to welcome the summer season this month — the best season of the year!
This month, I want to share an update on a topic many members may be hearing and talking about: The recent determination by the Department of Education to not include nursing in the definition of a “professional degree.“ This determination caps federal student loan limits at a lower amount for nursing. This has caused great disappointment and frustration in the nursing community. On Feb. 16, AMSN released an organizational statement regarding this decision and has signed on to several Nursing Community Coalition letters supporting the inclusion of nursing in this revised definition.
Most recently, the American Nurses Association (ANA), with nine other nursing groups that are mostly advanced practice-focused, have chosen to address the issue through litigation. This is a strong and bold move by ANA and one that AMSN’s Advocacy Committee will support though information distribution and other participation. Read more about that litigation here.
As of this writing, two other lawsuits have been filed: One a broad coalition representing nursing and other excluded professions such as educators, counselors, and public health professionals, and one filed in Maryland by 25 different state attorney generals. The AGs are arguing that congress has a definition of what constitutes professional degrees and that the Department of Education cannot create their own. As we look ahead to the coming months, I encourage each of you to stay informed as to how things develop, and we will release updates as available.
With this, it is important for members to understand what our relationship with ANA means. AMSN is an organizational affiliate of ANA, which means we share a formal relationship as an organizational member. An affiliate relationship reflects collaboration, not direction. Organizational Affiliates (OA) maintain autonomy; it is not a hierarchal relationship. AMSN is an OA of ANA (so many acronyms there!), because we believe that there are many opportunities to work together on issues that matter to nurses, but we remain two separate entities.
That same belief guides many of our mutually beneficial partnerships across the nursing profession. AMSN collaborates with several nursing organizations whose missions align with ours. This month, I want to highlight the American Association of Men in Nursing (AAMN), who led the path of the recent formal recognition of men’s health nursing as a specialty. We are excited to promote their work through an article published on the Medical-Surgical Monitor — Strengthening Men’s Health Outcomes at the Bedside — and an upcoming webinar.
This is what I continue to appreciate most about AMSN: Our ability to stay grounded in our own mission to promote the specialty of medical-surgical nursing, while building meaningful partnerships that advance the profession. Nursing is strongest when we learn from one another and collaborate to the benefit of the profession.
With that, I hope you can enjoy some sunshine this month, and don’t forget to wear sunscreen! Speaking of sunscreen, bring some to Palm Springs, as registration for the 2026 AMSN Convention is now open! Join me there, Sept. 24–26, for a fast-paced, innovation focused, and celebratory 35th anniversary convention!
As always, please reach out with any comments or questions at President@amsn.org.