Group photographs: Christian War's HAVOC Orphanage, Korea

Minutes and proceedings, correspondence, reports, constitutions, bylaws, articles of incorporation, printed material, notes, financial records, scrapbooks, legal documents, photographs, sound recordings, and artifacts make up the records of the Georgia Nurses' Association 1903-1994. The bulk of the material was generated by the executive officer and executive office or by the executive Committee and executive board. However, the records reflect all aspects of the organization, including annual meetings and activities of the districts, sections and conference groups, and other structural units. The collaborative relationships between GNA and other health related organizations in Georgia are also documented in these records. In addition, the records also document GNA's involvement in many other historical events and movements, including the civil rights movement, the women's movement, the various wars of the twentieth century, unionization and collective bargaining, and many others.

GNA's records reflect its members' striving to accomplish the core functions of the organization, including assisting individual members, acting as a representative for Georgia nurses in the legislature, and explaining to the general public the role of the registered professional nurse. The records also show that throughout its history GNA has provided continuing education for nurses, participated in wartime preparation, published newsletters, provided group liability insurance for registered nurses, assisted in statewide planning for nursing education, organized nurses in the workplace, represented registered nurses in collective bargaining activities, sponsored awards and scholarships, provided individual assistance to nurses with substance abuse problems, and sponsored several registries for private duty nurses.

The Georgia Nurses' Association records also document the close working relationships shared by the organization and various other groups and governmental agencies throughout the state. GNA representatives on many state boards, commission, and Committees kept numerous files that are included in the association's records. GNA is the oldest nursing organization in the state of Georgia, and its members were deeply involved in the formation of other nursing groups that followed, including the Board of Examiners for Nurses, the Georgia League for Nursing Education and the Georgia State Organization for Public Health Nursing. In addition to these groups for registered professional nurses, GNA also collaborated with nursing organization for practical nurses, student nurses, and licensed undergraduate nurses. Records show that many prominent GNA members were also prominent members of these organizations and that occasional joint meetings and joint initiatives were pursued by various nursing organizations acting in concert.

GNA's status as a constituent member of the American Nurses' Association has always meant that the two organizations share a close relationship. Routine membership maintenance correspondence and reports has created a large bulk of material, but the records also include material from the ANA biennial conventions, ANA conferences and workshops, and correspondence pertaining to many other nursing issues including ethical and legal concerns, collective bargaining, economic security, policy, and many other issues. GNA's organization and core missions tended to reflect the national organisation's goals, as when the Economic and General Welfare program was instituted in the late 1960s. The records also include proceedings and files from the Southern Division of ANA, one of the regional groups sanctioned by ANA in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s.

The Georgia Nurses' Association Records show the evolutions of the nursing profession in Georgia, especially through the records pertaining to registration and education. Nursing practice is treated in training materials and sample curricula from nursing schools, and the records of the Board of Examiners include a very early registration/certification examination for nurses (1910) and much later clinical examinations (1994).