The Trained Nurses League Penang was formed and registered as an association in May 1950 under the Society Ordinance.  It was the first nurses organization in the then Malaya.
The Trained Nurses League Penang found that it could not represent the nurses nationwide.  The nurses in the states in Malaya were encouraged to form their own league.

     Later it was realized that the leagues could only represent the nurses in their own states.  The need to have a national nurses professional organization saw the birth of the Malayan Trained Nurses Association [ MTNA ] when it was registered in March 1952 under the Societies Ordinance.  The membership of the MTNA was through the affiliation of the Trained Nurses League in Malaya.  There was no direct individual membership. 

     Finance is crucial for the survival of an organization.  The MTNA had no direct individual membership and its source was only through the affiliation fees of its league members which was insufficient to carry out the aims of the association.

     In 1980 the organizational structure of the MTNA was reviewed and the constitution was revised to set up the Malaysian Nurses Association [ MNA ].

     The MNA was registered in December 1980.  The rules of MNA provide for the setting up of branches.  The Trained Nurses League were dissolved and branches were formed.  There are now 16 branches.