The Development and Operation Trend of the Nurses’ Association of Thailand, Eastern Branch Office

Abstract

This qualitative research was conducted to examine the development and operation trend of the Nurses’ Association of Thailand, Eastern Branch Office. The participants consisted of nine presidents and twenty-two board of committee, both past and present terms (the term of 2022–2024); as well as eight professional nurses and ten practical nurses. The research instruments consisted of an in-depth interview guideline with a reliability of .93, a focus group discussion guideline for professional nurses with a reliability of 1, and a focus group discussion guideline for practical nurses with a reliability of 1. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, and reviewing the relevant documents from May to July 2024. Data were analyzed by content analysis.

The research results revealed that the 50-year operation of the association was divided into 3 eras: 1) the establishment era (1974–1991), which was the period of the establishment of important foundations in terms of networking and good corporate culture; 2) the growth and strength era (1992–2004), which was the period of more efficient operations and concrete standardization of nursing professionals amidst changes in the quality assurance system in healthcare of the country; and 3) the adaptation era (2005–2024), which was the period of operating in rapidly changing and volatile contexts while maintaining a good corporate culture. In summary, it can be pointed out that the association has been able to maintain its role and value as a professional association due to the transformative leadership of the presidents and executive team in each period. However, in the future, the association may need to adjust its operations to meet the needs of its members, consisting of many groups and generations, as well as to be relevant to the context of society.

This research suggests that the Nurses’ Association of Thailand, Eastern Branch Office, should utilize the findings for developing the strategic plans in order to obtain goals of professional association functioning.