Built on therapeutic communication and relationship development, psychiatric nursing is the basis of all nursing. A core healthcare profession, psychiatric nursing provides primary mental-health care in the private and public sectors, increasing access for both general and vulnerable populations.
Wide scope
Psychiatric nurses treat the whole person and consider the needs of the individual, family, and community. We work with a wide range of people and deal with many types of problems, including schizophrenia, autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, grief, loss of health, disaster, change of life, lifestyle changes, stress, substance abuse, and suicide.
Today, psychiatric nurses are very much in demand. We need faculty. And we need practitioners collaborating in many settings, including emergency departments, schools, primary-care settings, general medical units, patient’s homes, long-term care facilities, and prisons.
Professional organization
The American Psychiatric Nurses Association (APNA), an ANA organizational affiliate, is the largest professional organization for psychiatric nurses with close to 6,000 members. APNA is committed to access to quality mental-health care for all people.
Joining APNA provides you with exposure to your profession and allows you to share and learn the breath and depth of your specialty. You become part of a community of practitioners, scholars, and affiliated persons who share a common foundation. APNA also gives you a voice in larger issues, so you have an impact on national and local issues that affect your profession. And APNA gives you access to continuing education opportunities.
For more information visit www.apna.org.
