Skip to Main Content
AC 2026 Banner

APNA Annual Conference Program & Schedule

Annual Conference Presenters together.At the APNA 40th Annual Conference, you’ll have the opportunity to earn up to 115+ ANCC NCPD contact hours live and on demand. 

Scroll down for the daily schedules and click program buttons below to explore the program to see the immersive education and inspiring events that are included with your registration.

Based on your attendee feedback: New session formats and timing to better fit your needs!


Registration includes access to session recordings for days registered!
Full Conference Program VIRTUAL REAL-TIME PROGRAM

(RN and APRN designated sessions signify that the content is appropriate for, but not limited to, that licensure.)

Wednesday, October 28 

Pre-Conference Package
8:00am-9:30am MST
Deep Dive Sessions
1.5 Contact Hours Per Session
2 sessions per time block available via virtual real-time.
9:40am-10:40amMST Power Hour Sessions
1 Contact Hour Per Session
2 sessions per time block available via virtual real-time.
10:50am-12:20pm MST Deep Dive Sessions
1.5 Contact Hours Per Session
2 sessions per time block available via virtual real-time.
12:25pm-1:55pm MST
Product Theater Lunch*
2:05pm-3:35pm MST

Deep Dive Sessions
1.5 Contact Hours Per Session
2 sessions per time block available via virtual real-time.
3:45pm-4:45pm MST Power Hour Sessions
1 Contact Hour Per Session
2 sessions per time block available via virtual real-time.
4:55pm-6:25pm MST Deep Dive Sessions
1.5 Contact Hours Per Session
2 sessions per time block available via virtual real-time.
 Regular Conference Begins
6:35pm-7:35pm MST
APNA Welcome & Honors
Available via virtual real-time.
7:40pm-9:10pm MST
Product Theater Dinner*
No Contact Hours Provided

 

Full Wednesday Program 


Thursday, October 29

7:15am-8:45am MST
Product Theater Breakfast*
9:00am-10:00am MST
President’s Address: Allyson Matney Neal, DNP, PMHNP-BC, PMHCNS-BC, PNP
1 Contact Hour
Available via virtual real-time.
10:00am-6:30pm MST
Poster Presentations Open
Up to 4 Contact Hours Thursday & Friday
Online poster gallery available to virtual real-time attendees.
10:15am-11:00am MST
11:15am-12:00pm MST
Impact Sessions
0.75 Contact Hours Per Session
2 sessions per time block available via virtual real-time.
12:10pm-1:40pm MST
Product Theater Lunch*
1:30pm-5:00pm MST
Exhibit Hall Open*
2:30pm-3:00pm MST
Exhibit Showcase
3:30pm-4:15pm MST
4:30pm-5:15pm MST
Impact Sessions
0.75 Contact Hours Per Session
2 sessions per time block available via virtual real-time.
5:30pm-6:20pm MST Lightning Sessions
0.75 Contact Hours Per Session
2 sessions per time block available via virtual real-time.
6:30pm-7:30pm MST
State Meetups
7:30pm-9:30pm MST Sunset Soiree
No Contact Hours Provided

 

Full Thursday Program


Friday, October 30

7:15am-8:45am MST
Product Theater Breakfast*
No Contact Hours Provided
9:00am-10:10am MST
Keynote Presentation: Adam Markel
1 Contact Hour
Available via virtual real-time.
10:00am-3:00pm MST
Poster Presentations Open
Up to 4 Contact Hours Thursday & Friday
Online poster gallery available to virtual real-time attendees.
10:00am-1:00pm MST
Exhibit Hall Open*
10:30am-11:30am MST
Meet the Poster Presenters
12:00pm-12:50pm MST
Lightning Sessions
0.75 Contact Hours Per Session

2 sessions per time block available via virtual real-time.
1:00pm-2:30pm MST
Product Theater Lunch
No Contact Hours Provided
2:45pm-3:30pm MST
3:45pm-4:30pm MST
4:45pm-5:30pm MST
Impact Sessions
0.75 Contact Hours Per Session
2 sessions per time block available via virtual real-time.
5:45pm-6:30pm MST Connect with Councils
No Contact Hours Provided

 

Full Friday Program


Saturday, October 31

7:15am-8:45am MST
Symposium Breakfast*
1.0 Contact Hour Provided
9:00am-9:50am MST
10:05am-10:50am MST
11:05am-11:50am MST
Lightning Sessions
0.75 Contact Hours Per Session
2 sessions per time block available via virtual real-time.
12:05pm-12:50pm MST Impact Sessions
0.75 Contact Hours Per Session
2 sessions per time block available via virtual real-time.
12:55pm-2:25pm MST
Product Theater Lunch*
No Contact Hours Provided 
2:35pm-3:35pm MST
Annual Meeting & Town Hall
Available via virtual real-time.

 

Full Saturday Program


Save your spot!

Register now to access live sessions, recordings, and contact hours.

I’m Ready to Register!

View Registration Rates

Hear From Speakers that Inspire

Hundreds of your colleagues will share success-stories and evidence-based discoveries at the conference. Meet 2 of your featured speakers:

APNA President’s Address

Building on Strengths: A Resiliency Journey to Improve Wellness & Advance Care
Thursday, October 29, 9:00am Mountain Standard Time

Allyson Matney Neal, DNP, PMHNP-BC, PMHCNS-BC, CPNP

Dr. Allyson Neal is a board-certified advanced practice psychiatric-mental health nurse (APRN) with expertise in neuroplasticity and its relationship to resilience, with a particular emphasis on wellness skills developed and taught in nontraditional settings. She serves as Assistant Dean of Graduate Programs and Clinical Professor in the College of Nursing at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. When not working, she loves spending time with her family and rescue fur baby, Sissy Grace.

Allyson has represented the American Psychiatric Nurses Association (APNA) on the Licensure, Accreditation, Certification, and Education (LACE) Network since 2018. She also served as APNA’s representative to the National Task Force for Quality Nurse Practitioner Education Criteria for Evaluation of Nurse Practitioner Programs from 2019 to 2025. In addition, she held leadership roles within APNA as Associate Chair and Chair of the Scholarly Review Committee. In October 2025, she assumed the role of APNA President.


Keynote Presentation

From Burnout to Breakthrough: A New Definition of Resilience for Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurses
Friday, October 30, 9:00am Mountain Standard Time
Adam Markel

Adam Markel, JD, is a #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author, resilience researcher, organizational strategist, TEDx speaker, and Co-Founder and Chief Researcher at WORKWELL, a research and advisory firm focused on workplace resilience, culture, and sustainable performance. A former commercial attorney and C-suite leader, he brings more than two decades of experience helping organizations navigate change and strengthen performance in high-stress, high-stakes environments. His research and advisory work are informed by years of organizational engagements and workplace resilience data collected from more than 27,000 participants across leadership, practitioner, operational, and frontline roles. Adam translates resilience science, stress physiology, nervous system regulation, and behavior change into practical, research-informed strategies that help clinicians, leaders, and teams reduce burnout risk, build adaptive capacity, and perform sustainably under pressure effectively. 

Same Contact Hours, Two Different Experiences

Ready to join in Phoenix or virtually?

Register Now!
View Registration Rates

Join in Phoenix

Available for: Regular Conference & One Day Registrations
Optional Add-On: Wednesday Pre-Conference Package
Contact Hours: Up to 24.75+ live, 90+ on demand (includes Wednesday add-on)

  • Take your pick of sessions presented in in each time block at the Phoenix Convention Center
  • Engage with colleagues and speakers during sessions, breaks, and special events.
  • Browse and evaluate poster presentations in the poster hall; meet the poster presenters.
  • Enjoy meal sessions with industry-sponsored Product Theaters.
  • 3 months after the conference, access podcast recordings of the sessions presented on the days you are registered. Earn up to 90+ more contact hours for these sessions.

Note: Poster presentations and industry-sponsored product theaters and symposia only available during conference, not on demand.

Full Conference Program

Virtual Real-Time

Available for: Regular Conference & One Day Registrations
Optional Add-On: Wednesday Pre-Conference Package
Contact Hours: Up to 24.75+ live, 90+ on demand (includes Wednesday add-on)

  • In addition to the President’s Address, Keynote Presentation, and Symposium, choose from two livestream session options available during each time block.
  • Use the live chat feature to ask questions and connect with fellow virtual attendees.
  • Browse and evaluate poster presentations in the online poster gallery Thursday-Saturday.
  • 3 months after the conference, access podcast recordings of the sessions presented on the days for which you registered. Earn up to 90+ more contact hours for these sessions.

Note: Poster presentations and industry-sponsored product theaters and symposia only available during conference, not on demand.

VIRTUAL Real-time PROGRAM