SOCIETIES

New Jersey Nurse, May/Jun 2004 by Pipchick, Margaret H

SOCIETY OF PSYCHIATRIC ADVANCED PRACTICE NURSES OF NJSNA

As president of the Society, I have been privileged to facilitate the implementation of all the hard work of the previous executive board-Patricia Waldron, Rosaline Fleming, Saundra Austin-Benn, Carolyn Pierce Buckelew. They have revised our bylaws and changed the committee structure. These changes have just been approved by the membership and NJSNA.

Our bylaws have expanded the functions of the Society to enhance our roles as an organization. We are exploring ways to implement these functions especially in relation to the promotion of mental health by beginning to look at opportunities to foster research with other Advanced Practice Nurses and students. While doing this we hope to connect with students in masters level psychiatric nursing programs throughout the state recruit them to our membership.

Continuing to interpret and be visible to consumers is a major goal for this year. It is a challenge to keep our directory current and economical. The web site link with NJSNA is currently being updated and will be a major source for information about the Society, minutes of meetings, application form, members and scholarship.

The Legislative Committee has diligently worked with Sharon Rainer to get S1711. Since this bill did not become law, the process will be started from scratch. Our Continuing Education Committee has been very active in providing programs regarding psychopharmacology.

We are proud that three of our members have been chosen to be DIVAS by the Institute for Nursing-(2002) Joan Farrell Monaghan, (2003) Linda Rusch and Patricia Murphy (former member.) The Society will be giving awards at NJSNA Convention to honor those who have contributed to the field of psychiatric mental health nursing. Several of our members have become Red Cross Disaster Mental Health Workers.

I am excited to be involved in such a wonderful way with the members of the Society and look forward to a year of exploring the new role of the Society within the field of psychiatric mental health nursing.

Margaret H. Pipchick, Ph.D., RN, APRN, BC