Call for Abstracts Advice: Annual Conference presenter Lyons Hardy shares hers
APNA Member Lyons Hardy, PMHNP, presented Pharmacologic Treatment of Bipolar Depression: Moving Beyond the Standard Paradigm with co-presenter Brian McCarthy, MSN. The path to presenting at the APNA Annual Conference starts with answering the Call for Abstracts. Lyons explains why she prepared an APNA Annual Conference abstract in 2021 and offers call for abstracts advice for those crafting their first abstract.
Why did you craft an abstract for last year’s conference?
As a PMHNP and educator, it’s important to me to contribute to improving practice in the field of psychiatry. It’s hard for PMHNPs to keep abreast of new research and practice changes, and I enjoy helping to provide that education. When I do a presentation at APNA, it also helps me enhance my own knowledge and learn more about whatever topic I’m presenting on.
Did you collaborate with others?
For this year’s presentation, I had a co-presenter. We communicated by email and met by Zoom several times as we were planning the abstract and the presentation.
How did you choose your topic?
We presented on novel treatment options for bipolar depression. This is an area of interest for me, as there are some really interesting treatments being researched that many clinicians are not aware of. My co-presenter Brian is an expert on treating bipolar disorder, and he was a natural fit for collaboration on this project.
What advice would you have for someone crafting their first abstract?
Think about what you as a clinician want to know more about, practice problems you have faced, or topics you think would help to improve the practice of others.
How did you choose your presentation type?
I always enjoy presenting pre-conference workshops. It gives time to really dig into the material and help the participants apply knowledge using case studies and other active learning techniques. For practice-related topics, I think the pre-conference workshop format is ideal.
What advice would you have for someone crafting their first abstract?
If you can, I would recommend connecting with someone who has experience in nursing education. They can help you craft learning objectives and outline your presentation in a way that will provide the best learning experience for the participants. Focus on topics that have not been presented at APNA in at least the past several years. Think about what you as a clinician want to know more about, practice problems you have faced, or topics you think would help to improve the practice of others.
What did you find rewarding about presenting?
I find it rewarding when participants seem to enjoy the presentation and learn a lot from it. It’s great to get positive feedback from the participants and to feel like I am making a contribution to improving practice outcomes for patients.
