Honor Roll

APNA President Joyce Shea

Summer is here, and we have been marking all the occasions: graduation ceremonies, weddings, and brunches for parents and nurturers. We honor achievement and record moments for our memories. And over the summer months APNA introduces us to nurses just like us who are transforming the field through programs that honor and preserve achievements.

• The APNA Board of Directors Student Scholars energize us with their boundless potential. These undergraduate/pre-licensure and graduate students inspire those just getting started in their careers by demonstrating passion and purpose. For promising student nurses, this program is a resource to connect to the greater community and widen perspective.
• The APNA Memorial Scholars represent the power of RN-level nurses to shape patient care. They honor the legacies of the giants in the field who walked before them and reaffirm our foundational role as advocates for those in our care.
• The APNA Annual Awards recipients are leading today’s charge. As we read each one’s story, we discover their roads to today’s successes and take the opportunity to reflect on our own journey. These nine outstanding nurses inspire us to stretch beyond the routine and shape care excellence.
  These APNA recognitions are powerful reminders of our psychiatric-mental health nurse identities, capabilities, and accomplishments. Not only do they promote joy in our profession, they also send a message to the public that psychiatric-mental health nurses are leaders, innovators, and advocates for a safer and healthier future.

I hope you’ll join me for the APNA 39th Annual Conference where we will give heartfelt thanks to our scholars and award recipients at the Welcome & Honors ceremony Wednesday, October 15. And throughout the year I hope you’ll take part in shaping the future of care with programs like these. Recognizing the brightest in our profession leaves a trail for all of us to follow and lets everyone in on what we already know: psychiatric-mental health nurses make an impact that is cause for celebration.

Joyce Shea, DNSc, APRN, PMHCNS-BC, FAAN
President
American Psychiatric Nurses Association

Published July 2025