Educational Program

Highlights

APNA 27th ANNUAL CONFERENCEOctober 9 -12, 2013 ● Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center ● San Antonio, TX

Wednesday: Pre-Conference

"This presentation made me...reconsider what I've thought about sleep as it relates to mental illness. The new research is exciting and motivating. As an

employee at the VA it was especially helpful to have a presenter who deals with some of the same issues I

see in practice." - Attendee

Understanding Sleep and Antidepressants: Lessons from Research Literature and Clinical

Practice

APNA 27th ANNUAL CONFERENCEOctober 9 -12, 2013 ● Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center ● San Antonio, TX

Opening Program

"This Session has changed the way I think about PMH nursing and nursing overall. It has increased my self

efficacy and makes me feel more empowered as a nurse as well as credible to speak to and inform other new

nurses about who we are and what we do." - Attendee

President's Address

APNA 27th ANNUAL CONFERENCEOctober 9 -12, 2013 ● Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center ● San Antonio, TX

Thursday Keynote: Tom Rath

"I loved how [he] talked about focusing on our strengths, as well as our subordinate's strengths. I think it really will help to

make the milieu better and will move people from actively disengaged to engaged! I found it interesting that wounds

heal faster when a patient is in a good environment! That is a great point to use when working in a difficult environment."

-AttendeeAll attendees received a free copy of Tom Rath's latest book,

Eat Move Sleep: How Small Choices Lead to Big Changes.

Strengths, Leadership, and Wellbeing: How Small Choices Make a Big Difference

APNA 27th ANNUAL CONFERENCEOctober 9 -12, 2013 ● Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center ● San Antonio, TX

Thursday Session

“I loved how you showed us what the nurse will do during EMDR. I didn't realize it could be used for

other things and I appreciate you giving us a brief picture as to where this procedure was going. I am

very excited to hear how well it has been working for patients.” - Attendee

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder: An

Update on Research and Practice

APNA 27th ANNUAL CONFERENCEOctober 9 -12, 2013 ● Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center ● San Antonio, TX

Friday Keynote: Suzanne Gordon

"I needed this session so much. I am new NP in a physician-centered institution who has been marginalized since

beginning my practice. I was beginning to lose sight of what I have to offer within my nursing background. I have mustered

the courage to speak up for myself and my profession on a few occasions but then my anxiety goes sky high after (for

being "that person"). Thank you APNA and Suzanne Gordon for giving me exactly what I needed." - Attendee

Team Intelligence in Action: The Key to Nursing Voice and Patient Safety

APNA 27th ANNUAL CONFERENCEOctober 9 -12, 2013 ● Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center ● San Antonio, TX

Friday Symposium Luncheon

"The heartfelt sharing of the speaker's lived experience with his bipolar diagnosis, the insight into the client's life and heart, the lack of choices and the desire to live a "normal" life - This truly brought the pain of this diagnosis to my heart. This is the only

session where you could have heard a pin drop in the room. Eric Arauz...an incredible speaker." - Attendee

From Misdiagnosis to Treatment Failures: Nursing Strategies to Mitigate the Burden of

Bipolar Depression

APNA 27th ANNUAL CONFERENCEOctober 9 -12, 2013 ● Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center ● San Antonio, TX

Friday Session

"Many of our adolescent patients utilize sexting; understanding the legal implications is very helpful to

increase the patients' awareness of potential consequences of this behavior." - Attendee

Boy: TDTM Girl: CD9 - Decoding the Dangers of Teen Sexting

APNA 27th ANNUAL CONFERENCEOctober 9 -12, 2013 ● Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center ● San Antonio, TX

Poster Presentations

"The poster presentations were very well done. The variety of topics and interest areas was

great. It was a great way to gain a great deal of information and meet many practitioners in a

short amount of time." – AttendeeEven if you were unable to attend the

conference, you can now view posters uploaded by this year's poster presenters in the online

Annual Conference Poster Gallery.

APNA 27th ANNUAL CONFERENCEOctober 9 -12, 2013 ● Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center ● San Antonio, TX

Saturday APNF Presentation

Living the History of Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing through the Eyes of Shirley Smoyak

Attendees enjoyed the debut screening of this video, in which Shirley Smoyak shares her experiences as a

"nurse before Thorazine" and her perspectives on how psychiatric mental health nursing has evolved over the

past 50 or so years.

APNA 27th ANNUAL CONFERENCEOctober 9 -12, 2013 ● Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center ● San Antonio, TX

Saturday Session

An Introduction to the Neurobiology of Autism Spectrum Disorder

This session “increased my understanding of various theories of neurobiology to consider when treating

Autism Spectrum Disorder.” - Attendee