Blogs

What is your Superhero Story?

By APNA Bloggers posted 12-12-2017 09:02 AM

  

PMH Nurse Superheroes

You are a psychiatric nurse; that’s your superpower.

You have the power to affect tremendous change. You have the capacity to set collaborative, action-oriented goals and the opportunity to meet patients where they are, often when they are most vulnerable. You are a member of the most trusted profession in the U.S.: nursing. You are uniquely positioned to embody the theme I have selected for this year: Trusted Agents of Change: Nurses Balancing Inequities in Mental Health Care.


Where I propose psychiatric nurses direct our superpowers.

Simply, health equity is when all groups of people have the opportunity to be as healthy as possible. We have work to do to achieve this balance, especially for those living with mental illness and/or substance use disorders. In your practice, you see how:

  • Mental illnesses and substance use disorders don’t discriminate based on economic, age, ethnic, and geographic characteristics. 
  • People with serious mental illness have severe co-occurring chronic health conditions, high unemployment and consequently live below the poverty line. 
  • Only 10-30% of those who need mental health or substance use treatment receive that treatment.

As trusted agents of change, how do you use your PMH nurse superpowers to reach these populations and give them access to the services they need? 


One way you can join with me and other PMH Nurse Superheroes.

I want to hear about how you're making a difference. Let me know how you have reached out, situations you have encountered, solutions you have found.

Email APNA with your superhero story so we can highlight our experiences in newsletters, social media posts, and on the website this year.

Your superhero story could be a time you provided care to an underserved population. Or maybe you were able to improve the ability of a person with mental illness to find relief from other health conditions. Or perhaps you changed a neighbor’s misinformed view of people living with mental illness.

Our shared stories and approaches make each one of us a better nurse and more equipped to help those most in need.

0 comments
422 views

Permalink