What is the American Psychiatric Nurses Association?
I am frequently asked, “What is the American Psychiatric Nurses Association?” Founded in 1986, the American Psychiatric Nurses Association (APNA) represents psychiatric nurses and psychiatric nurse practitioners. With over 10,000 members, the APNA is the largest professional membership organization committed to the care and treatment of persons with psychiatric disorders. This post introduces the APNA and urges psychiatric nurses and nurse practitioners to support their national organization.
The article was originally written for healthecareers.com.
Background
The APNA champions psychiatric nursing and advocates for mental health care through the dissemination of knowledge on recovery-focused assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and evaluations of individuals with mental illness and substance use disorders. The APNA core values include empowerment, inclusivity, integrity, collegiality, innovation, transparency, and stewardship.
The Board of Directors includes a mix of both registered nurses and nurse practitioners. The president, Dr. Kris McLoughlin is a nurse practitioner and fellow of the American Nurses Association. The board of directors oversees the APNA committees which include a grant review committee, awards and recognition committee, nominating committee, scholarly review committee, and CPI program committee. Committee positions are open to members and offer an excellent opportunity to become more involved in psychiatric nursing.
Conferences
The APNA typically hosts two conferences per year: one on psychopharmacology and another on general mental health topics. This year, the 15th Annual Clinical Psychopharmacology Institute conference will be held from June 8-11 in Baltimore, Maryland at the Hyatt Regency on the Inner Harbor. Attendees will have the opportunity to earn up to 20 continuing education hours and attend multiple networking events.
Also in 2017, the APNA will host their 31st Annual Conference from October 18-21 in Phoenix, Arizona. This event will deliver numerous lecture sessions and networking opportunities for both registered nurses and nurse practitioners. Attendees can earn up to 25 continuing education hours and have access to an additional 100+ hours online. The theme this year is, “Whole health begins with mental health.”
Other Perks
Members of the APNA have access to many unique benefits including mentor matching, monthly newsletters, free subscription to the bi-monthly Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association, specialized liability insurance, continuing education, networking opportunities, and publication discounts.
Mentor matching is a highly valuable opportunity, especially for new or novice psychiatric nurses. The APNA Mentor Match connects you with a database of all other APNA members who are interested in finding a mentor or mentee. The Mentor Match online community also gives access to features such as tracking your mentoring relationships and helpful mentoring resources.
In addition to their annual conferences, the APNA provides access to a plethora of continuing education resources. Their online eLearning Center contains recordings from previous conferences and many courses on the topics of psychopharmacology, suicide prevention, special skills, and various diagnoses.
Over the years, I’ve found the APNA’s Organizational Responses resource to be quite helpful. This resource provides members with easy to understand information about many hot topics in mental health care. For example, they recently published, “Introductory Letter to the Presidential Transition Team,” which outlines their priorities for the President including the importance of access to affordable quality healthcare for all.
Finally, APNA membership also awards discounts on popular mental health nursing books including Choice & Challenge: Caring for Aggressive Older Adults and Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice.
Membership
The APNA welcomes all nurses who specialize in psychiatry including registered nurses, licensed practice nurses, clinical nurse specialists, and nurse practitioners. Currently, their membership is comprised of 40% registered nurses and 60% nurse practitioners. Their members practice in all settings including inpatient, community, academic, research, private and public health institutions, and high-level administrative positions at state and federal levels.
The APNA is an independent organization; however, it is considered a premiere organizational affiliate of the American Nurses Association (ANA). Members of the APNA receive online access to a myriad of ANA benefits.
Membership fees are as follows:
- Regular: $135.00
- Affiliate: $135.00
- International: $135.00
- Retired: $75.00
- Student: $25.00
Questions? Suggestions? Comment below, or email me!
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