Meet the Moment

When you tell someone you are a psychiatric-mental health nurse, how do they react? We owe it to those in our care and to ourselves to be ready to make it plain who we are: providers of a unique blend of mental health services so urgently needed. Since self-promotion skills can always use a boost, my President’s Address at the APNA 36th Annual Conference, Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurses Activating Our Voices as We Evolve in Our Profession, is going to give you just that!

This is the time to take this important step in our development. We are highly educated, accomplished, and effective as health care providers. Conveying our abilities and scope of practice in a digestible message signals that we are ready to meet the moment—the rising demand for mental health services. As we give voice to the gaps that need attention in our communities, work settings, and even nationally, we smooth out the road to recovery for those we serve.

I’m looking forward to this time with you and many moments to cherish as we gather this fall to connect, learn, and best of all – have a good time! Join us in Long Beach or via livestream October 19-22, to meet nurses like you, make new friends, and visit with treasured colleagues. We’ll delve together into crucial current topics – and come away refreshed and prepared to meet any moment proclaiming who we are, what we do, and what we need.

Leslie Oleck, MSN, PMHNP-BC, PMHCNS-BC, LMFT
President