Consisting of nearly 50,000 members, ENA addresses issues relevant to emergency care, publishes professional guidelines, provides education for emergency nurses and issues a peer-reviewed journal.

One of the organizations, also known as the Emergency Department Nurses Association, had been founded by Judith Kelleher on the West Coast; the other, the Emergency Room Nurses Organization, was established by Anita Dorr in the Eastern United States.

[1] ENA has collected survey data on emergency nursing, including a 2006 member survey which indicated high job satisfaction in the specialty but pointed to concern among emergency nurses about workplace violence and safety.

ENA has partnered with the Institute of Medicine to address issues related to emergency care reform.

[4] The organization also publishes public safety and injury prevention information, including its National Scorecard on State Roadway Laws, which looks at each state's use of items such as child safety seats, seatbelts, ignition lock devices and graduated driver licensing.