ANA’s LPN/LVN Membership Expansion & Our Whole-Team Welcome

For patients, families, and the people who care for them: every role deserves respect, and every person deserves to be seen as more than a diagnosis.

What ANA announced — and what is still coming

On June 27, 2026, the American Nurses Association announced approval of a bylaws amendment expanding membership eligibility to licensed practical nurses and licensed vocational nurses (LPNs/LVNs). Its announcement describes a rollout rather than an immediate, universal enrollment opening.

Read ANA’s official June 27 announcement →

Status checked October 18, 2026: ANA’s current page still labels LPN/LVN membership “Coming Soon” and offers an interest form for opening updates. Check ANA and your state nurses association for the current enrollment route, availability, and dues before applying. We have not tested enrollment.

Check ANA’s current LPN/LVN membership update →

Our welcome includes CNAs

Flourishing Nursing welcomes certified nursing assistants (CNAs), nursing assistants, care aides, LPNs/LVNs, RNs, APRNs, students, and family caregivers into our public learning community. This is our own invitation—not a statement that ANA has opened membership to CNAs. The announcement above concerns LPNs/LVNs.

We value the people who help someone eat, wash, dress, move, rest, communicate, and feel less alone. Whole-person care begins with recognizing the person receiving support and the humanity of the person providing it. A person’s title must never become an excuse to dismiss their observations, dignity, or need for support.

Different roles, one person at the center

You can ask each person on your care team what their role is and who can answer a particular question. Our welcome does not change anyone’s qualifications or responsibilities. Health decisions and changes to a care plan belong with the appropriately qualified care team.

Read ANA/NCSBN’s delegation guidance (2019) → · This source is professional guidance, not an endorsement of our framework.

Make the welcome practical

Tell your care team what matters to you: foods you enjoy, routines that help you rest, people you want involved, and cultural or spiritual preferences—including a preference for no faith content. Ask for explanations in language you understand and support that fits your circumstances.

Explore the whole-team learning pathway on Flourishing Nursing →

What Flourishing Nursing means for patients and families →

Independent resources, clear boundaries

These public pages are free to read. External association memberships, courses, and services may require an account or payment. Neither ANA nor NCSBN sponsors, endorses, approves, or partners with these pages. Our welcome is not an accredited course, credential, or promise of clinical outcomes.

Professional companion on Flourishing Nursing →

Prepared with AI assistance for Kitchen Monk™ and Flourishing Nursing™. Source/link check: October 18, 2026. This is an independent news summary and founder-directed community statement, not a clinical review or legal opinion. Original sources control current membership terms.

Watch related ANA ethics learning

Recorded official ANA video: Code of Ethics for Nurses, Provision 1. This is related ethics education, not a video announcement of LPN/LVN membership and not evidence of CNA membership eligibility. Publisher: American Nurses Association / American Nurses Enterprise.

▶ Play the recorded ANA Provision 1 video

Watch Provision 1 on the original ANA YouTube channel ↗ · Explore ANA’s publisher-updated channel ↗. Tap play; use the player’s pause and volume controls. Availability, sound and captions depend on the publisher and browser.

More official ANA ethics recordings — publisher-managed collection

Open the exact ANA Code of Ethics playlist on YouTube ↗. This recorded collection may be changed by ANA. It is not a live broadcast or a promise that new videos are added on a fixed schedule.

ANA’s August 4, 2026 recap describes operationalizing the LPN/LVN membership model by July 1, 2027. Read the ANA-authored recap in American Nurse Journal ↗; check ANA for current implementation details.

Explore nurse-led Food for Life education and the official program recording →