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National Suicide Prevention Month & National Recovery Month

Free Contact Hours for APNA Members through October 10:

Planning, Designing, and Creating a Safe Environment that Decreases Stigma and Facilitates Recovery: How a Project to Create an Inpatient Unit Resulted in a State-of-the-art Setting that Received National Recognition for Recovery-oriented Design
Building a new hospital and moving an inpatient psychiatric unit is no small challenge. Presenters show a step-by-step approach to creatively designing and moving an inpatient unit that decreases the stigma of mental health care by providing a recovery-oriented space for healing that prioritizes safety.
For RN, APRN; 0.75 contact hours

Nurses in Peril: The Interconnectedness of Substance Use Disorder and Suicide Among Nurses
Explore the interconnectedness of SUD, job loss, and suicide, and innovative interventions for addressing SUD among nurses. Explore concepts such as the conspiracy of silence, shame, stigma, and moral failure that impede nurse recovery. Participants will identify PMH nursing strategies for healing through nurse peer support.
For RN, APRN; 0.75 contact hours


New & Coming Soon from APNA:

  • Now available! SUICIDE PREVENTION CERTIFICATE PROGRAM: An updated, convenient, and interactive APNA Suicide Prevention Certificate Program is now available! The online, on-demand training reflects the most current evidence and best practices. This training will increase your confidence and competence in the nursing skills of suicide assessment, management, and prevention.
  • COMING SOON: Population-focused modules are in development to supplement the certificate program and provide specific suicide prevention considerations and strategies.
  • UPCOMING POSITION ON YOUTH SUICIDE PREVENTION: The APNA Youth Suicide Prevention Workgroup is working on an APNA position that holistically addresses the issue of youth suicide prevention and the role of the psychiatric-mental health nurse in it. APNA member and expert in suicide prevention and child & adolescent mental health Jamie Zelazny is chairing the group.

Build a strong foundation with these core resources:

  • APNA Essential Competencies for psychiatric registered nurses working in hospital settings as a guide for practice, based on extant research literature (both qualitative and quantitative) relevant to assessment and management of hospitalized patients admitted to a psychiatric setting.
  • APNA MSUD Training – 9 modules with content for nurses offering medication — including buprenorphine — for persons with substance use disorders.
  • Words Matter: Recovery Oriented Language Guide includes contemporary language use, diversity inclusive language and other topics, including recovery language usage in the written word.

The American Psychiatric Nurses Association is accredited as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.

Suicide Prevention & Recovery-Based Resources

Suicide Prevention

APNA Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Essential Competencies for Assessment and Management of Individuals at Risk for Suicide

These 9 APNA competencies outline the role of the PMH nurse specific to suicide prevention, which includes both systems and patient level interventions.
SafetyEngagement

APNA Patient Engagement Toolkit

A collection of publications from a literature review by the APNA Council for Safe Environments that speak to various elements of engagement.
SafetyAssessment & Monitoring

APNA Assessment and Monitoring Toolkit

Quick synopses of articles related to PMH nurse assessment and monitoring, assembled by the APNA Council for Safe Environments
SafetySafe Environments

APNA Key Components of Safety

A collection of resources selected by the APNA Council for Safe Environments to help psychiatric-mental health nurses define safe environments, identify their key components, and implement strategies within their
Recovery

APNA Essentials of Caring for Persons Who Are Diagnosed with Personality Disorders

Recovery-based resource to assist nurses in caring for those who meet the criteria for a personality disorder diagnosis, as well as help nurses avoid judgment and decrease stigma. Created
Recovery

Recovery Guides and Tools

Guides, tools, and research gathered and vetted by the APNA Recovery Council.
Suicide

AAP Blueprint for Youth Suicide Prevention

American Academy of Pediatrics and American Foundation for Suicide Prevention resource to support health professionals in identifying strategies and key partnerships to support youth at risk for suicide. Endorsed by
Self-CareSuicide Prevention

ANA Nurse Suicide Prevention/Resilience

ANA information on supporting nurses, who are at higher risk of suicide than the general population. APNA member Tari Dilks served on the committee that created this section
Suicide

Words Matter: Suicide Language Guide

Guide from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) on how to talk about suicide in a hopeful, respectful way.
RecoverySuicide

Words Matter: Recovery-Oriented Language

Mental Health Coordinating Council guide to recovery-oriented language in mental health and human services.
Substance Use

Addiction Language Guide

This “Shatterproof Addiction Language Guide” consists of language recommendations and resources.
Substance UseOpioid Use Disorders

Effective Treatments for Opioid Use Disorders

Two free webinars for RNs & APRNs to educate and empower those who provide care to individuals impacted by the opioid epidemic.