UWM Libraries Research and Course Guides: Educational Psychology 110: Planning Your Major and Career: Optional: Research at a Professional Organization website

Professional Organization Instructions

Professional Organization Section
This document may be assigned as "optional" for your class. Follow class directions for completion instructions.

Professional organizations are groups that support the people in that particular profession.

For example, the American Dental Association (ADA) does more than approve toothbrushes! They also provide educational resources to their members (students studying to be dentists and dentists) and advocate for the profession in the media or in government.

Often people pay a membership fee to receive the organization’s full benefits. Many organizations will offer special resources or memberships to students.

Find a Professional Organization through Google

1. Find a professional organization or society for your chosen career through Google or O*NET

Option A: Find professional organization through Google

Go to Google
Enter your career from Step 3 and add a search keyword like “professional organization, association, society, or academy”

Example

Career: pediatric nurse

Professional Organization terms: professional organization, association, society, academy

Search strategy: pediatric nursing association

Search results: Society of Pediatric Nurses - resources for specific role OR American Nurses Association (represented broader nursing field but would still have helpful resources)

Find a Professional Organization through O*NET

1. Find a professional organization or society for your chosen career through Google or O*NET

Option B: Find organization through O*NET

Return to your O*NET pages for your select career
Visit the Career Profile - Summary tab
Under "More Information," find an organization under "Sources of Additional Information"

O*NET - Registered Nurses profile
directs to the "Sources of Additional Information" section where professional orgs can be found - RN is an example - use your own career to find professional orgs

Browse Prof Org Websites

2. Browse what resources are available to those in this career. Look at the benefits for members and the resources for students (if they have them).
• Tip: search ‘student’ on their website to find specific resources for students

3. In 2-4 sentences, write how you think the professional organization website or their resources would be beneficial to you for this class or in the future.

Examples of Professional Organizations

This list is not complete - there are many more organizations out there for specific careers.

Some organizations will be geared toward a specific subset of the profession (i.e. pediatric nurses) or may be geared towards the broader field (i.e. registered nurses, which includes pediatric nurses, as well as oncology nurses, ER nurses, labor and delivery nurses, etc.)

American Dental Association
The American Dental Association (ADA) exists to power the profession of dentistry and to assist our members in advancing the overall oral health of their patients. Together with our 163,000+ members, we’ve been driving dentistry forward for 160 years.
American Nurses Association
Representing the interests of the nation’s 4 million registered nurses, ANA is the voice of U.S. nursing. ANA advances the profession by fostering high standards of nursing practice, promoting a safe and ethical work environment, bolstering the health and wellness of nurses, and advocating on health care issues that affect nurses and the public. ANA is at the forefront of improving the quality of health care for all.
American Psychological Association
APA is the leading scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States, with more than 121,000 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants and students as its members.
Audio Engineering Society
The Audio Engineering Society is the only professional society devoted exclusively to audio technology. Founded in the United States in 1948, the AES has grown to become an international organization that unites audio engineers, creative artists, scientists and students worldwide by promoting advances in audio and disseminating new knowledge and research.
Milwaukee Teachers' Education Association
We, the members of the MTEA, are the educators who work directly with the students who attend Milwaukee’s public schools. Collectively we advocate for quality public education in Milwaukee. As advocates for educators, we are advocates for all children. We are here to lead the dialog, to challenge, to support and work for change–ensuring a better future for our members and the students and families we serve.
National Education Association
The National Education Association (NEA), the nation's largest professional employee organization, is committed to advancing the cause of public education. NEA's 3 million members work at every level of education—from pre-school to university graduate programs.