How Your Input Shapes Strategy
Remember the survey we sent out late last year, asking what you want from APNA? Here’s how what you had to say directly shaped the APNA Board of Directors’ recent session to review and update the Strategic Direction.
Every three years, the Board reviews APNA’s Strategic Direction to ensure it continues to reflect our mission and your needs as members. Each time, your survey responses play a central role in that conversation.
What We Heard from You
Your core priorities remain unchanged: You continue to rely on APNA for education, networking, current information & resources, and increasing public awareness of the role and value of psychiatric-mental health RNs and APRNs. We’ll keep building on those strengths to meet your needs.
Summary of responses to “Please list up to three things you want from APNA that you cannot get easily from any other source.”
Across hundreds of responses, we also heard about the opportunities and challenges you are seeing in your environment. Here are a few themes that stood out:
Opportunities You’re Experiencing:
- Career milestones and growth in scope & scale of your work
- Adoption of new scientific and technological advancements to better provide care
Challenges You’re Experiencing:
- External macro-level forces such as economics, policy, and stigma
- Threats to safety, well-being, and capacity in the work environment
How We Refined the APNA Strategic Direction
With growing recognition of psychiatric-mental health nursing, APNA is now building on that progress to strongly lead the profession forward. Here are a few highlights of the changes and discussions the board had based on your survey responses, our environmental scanning, and what is on the horizon for our profession!
Refined Goals to better represent our evolution as an organization and profession.
- Goal A: APNA will lead as the expert voice for psychiatric-mental health nursing.
The Board decided to elevate this goal to be listed first and refined its language to emphasize leadership. Members told us they want APNA to lead the profession in addressing and giving voice to current challenges, from protecting PMH nurse safety and well-being to ensuring that the scope and reputation of PMH nursing continues to grow.
Goals B, C, and D underwent wording refinements to bring an active voice to our Strategic Direction and highlight the importance of these goals for the organization:
- Goal C: APNA will create and enhance strategic alliances with diverse stakeholders to advance its mission.
- Goal D: APNA will drive the integration of research, practice, and education to address issues that affect psychiatric-mental health nurses and the population served.
Building on Momentum: Long-Term Envisioned Future
APNA will be the leader in advancing psychiatric-mental health nursing to improve the mental health of the population.
The board removed the word ‘recognized’, reflecting that APNA has achieved significant momentum in recognition. Through active leadership, we strive to advance our field across administration, education, practice, and research to improve the quality of mental health care.
What’s on the Horizon
Your responses affirmed the need to continue to devote resources and attention to education, networking, and resources. New themes also emerged around what topics you’re looking for support in from APNA: help with competency gaps, guidance on AI adoption, and giving voice to the importance of your well-being and safety. Here are a few concrete actions we plan to take:
- Continue to disseminate the APNA Addressing Key Threats to PMH Nursing Well-Being Report and support the APNA Restoring Workplace Safety Task Force’s work in developing a resource of best practices for care of workplace teams following incidents of violence.
- Explore the creation of a transitions to practice certificate program for new PMHNPs
- Begin developing an APNA issue statement on AI in PMH nursing to support you in this emerging area
More to come! These are just a few examples of how your feedback is shaping APNA priorities moving forward.
When I reflect on the Strategic Direction of our organization, I’m proud that APNA has made so much progress in achieving recognition for who we are and what we do. As we now meet the call to lead, I’m energized for what comes next. As psychiatric-mental health nursing leaders with unparalleled expertise, unmatched dedication, and unwavering courage, we will continue our journey forward to improving care.
Thank you for adding your input to shape this Strategic Direction update. It will continue to guide us in serving as a unifying voice for psychiatric-mental health nursing!
Allyson Matney Neal, DNP, PMHNP-BC, PMHCNS-BC, PNP
President
Published March 2026
