Who We are — What We Do

The occupational health nurse is often the only full-time health worker in her place of employment. Compared to nurses in other fields, she is in the greatest danger of professional isolation. The hospital nurse, for example, is in daily contact with other professional workers, nurses, physicians, and technicians. Her co-workers talk her own language; she learns from them and keeps abreast of new developments in her specialty. On the other hand, most of the co-workers of the occupational health nurse are lay people and not professionally concerned with health problems or nursing. Any professional person needs the knowledge, stimulation and critical appraisal of other workers in her field. This need for professional contact is the principal reason for the existence of the American Association of Industrial Nurses. AAIN was founded in 1942 as the national specialty organization for occupational health nurses. It publishes material on occupational health nursing and provides opportunities for education and contact with others in this field. Through its educational programs, publications and guides, AAIN is constantly striving to improve the services and standards of occupational health nursing. It believes that improving the services which occupational health nurses can give is the best way of ensuring greater rewards and economic security to them. This is a basic philosophy of AAIN.