Suicide Prevention Training: Inpatient PMH-RNs
Become a card-carrying APNA Suicide Prevention Provider!
Learn to systematically apply the first suicide prevention competencies developed for psychiatric-mental health nurse generalists to your practice! This live* interactive training, presented by a facilitator with expertise in suicide prevention, will increase your confidence and competence in the nursing skills of suicide assessment, management and prevention. Get evidence-based nursing knowledge and best practices from this content developed to improve the knowledge, attitudes, skills and critical thinking of psychiatric-mental health nurses caring for persons at risk for suicide.
Target Audience: Generalist nurses who care for persons with mental health disorders in an inpatient setting. See upcoming events.
Nursing Continuing Professional Development
Participants who complete all of the training requirements will be able to earn 7.0 contact hours. See the Nursing Continuing Professional Development page for more information.
Course Learning Outcomes
- Discuss the phenomenology of suicide.
- Describe risk and protective factors related to suicide.
- Demonstrate self-awareness of emotional reactions, attitudes, and beliefs related to previous experiences with suicide.
- Perform a suicide risk assessment.
- Develop a collaborative safety plan with the patient/family.
- Perform an environmental safety assessment.
Training Schedule
2-hour block
- Introductions
- Phenomenon of Suicide (Competency 1)
- Epidemiology
- Terminology
- Legal & Ethical Issues (Competencies 8 & 9)
- Legal duty
- Ethical decision making
- Self-awareness (Competency 2)
15-minute break
2-hour block
- Comprehensive Assessment (Competencies 3, 4 & 5)
- Therapeutic Relationship
- Mental health assessment including mental status exam
- Risk formulation
- Documentation
- Class Activity — Assess and document level of risk
- Video 1: Exemplar of a focused assessment
30-minute lunch break
2-hour block
- Class Activity – Perform and Document Focused Assessment
- Plan of care (Competency 6)
- Video 2: Developing a safety plan & discussion
- Class Activity – Developing a safety plan
15-minute break
1-hour block
- Video 3: Updating the safety plan at discharge discussion
- Environmental Management (Competency 7)
- Environmental hazards
- Environmental interventions
- Review & Wrap Up
Required Post-Training
- Overall Evaluation
- NCPD Certificate
If you are interested in learning about current or future training opportunities near you, please contact advocatesforhope@apna.org.
A note about safety: APNA recommends strict compliance with state/local and national recommendations, including the Centers for Disease Control, for safety and distancing measures for in-person events, which may include 6 ft of separation between participants and/or wearing masks. Please contact the facility where your training is being held for specific requirements, or your state department of health for local guidance. National guidance can be found here.
For more information on how to register for these workshops, please contact APNA at advocatesforhope@apna.org or 855-863-APNA (2762).
Please email advocatesforhope@apna.org for information about bringing a training to your area or institution.
APNA reserves the right to make program changes as necessary, and the right to cancel trainings if minimum enrollment has not been met, or events occur beyond the reasonable control of APNA.
