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The President’s Message
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the
epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we
had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way- in short, the period was so far like the
present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only (Dickens, 1859).
Welcome to the ISPN Website!
I am truly honored to be the current President of ISPN (2011-2013) and thank my predecessor, Kathleen Delaney, PhD, PMHNP-BC, FAAN
for her dedication to the discipline of nursing as well as ISPN over the past three years.
As we sit on the shoulders of history, yet again, the role of the Advanced Practice Registered Nurse in Psychiatric Mental Health
Nursing (APRN in PMHN), and the whole of advanced practice nursing is about to make another major national transition over the next five years
. Like the famous Dickens quote, it is truly the best of times and the worst of times for PMHN. On one hand, we are approaching one of the most preeminent epochs
for advanced practice nursing and on the other; we are preparing to mourn the loss of a role that many of us have held near and dear to our hearts:
the PMH-Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS). If this information sounds new to you, then it is indeed essential that you ensure that you are a member of a professional
organization (like ISPN) that can keep you up- to-date on advanced practice nursing issues, the progression of the future of nursing, as well as link you with other advanced
practice nurses in psychiatric-mental health nursing nationally and internationally.
The good news is, that with most transitions, changes and losses, there heralds the potential for a new unique opportunity and the
possibility for growth and progress. The APRN Consensus Model/LACE recommendations (2007) ( http://www.aacn.nche.edu/education/pdf/APRNReport.pdf ) and the Institute of Medicine's report on "The Future of Nursing ( http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2010/The-Future-of-Nursing-Leading-Change-Advancing-Health.aspx ) are paving the way for new opportunities as well as trying to remove some of the barriers that have stifled the discipline of nursing. The central theme of both documents is to promote nursing (and APRNs) as a viable and sustaining practice discipline that shares an equal partnership in the health care system. The documents also provide the prospect for ALL APRNs to be unshackled from the constraints of being regulated by those (in other professions) who do not understand the discipline of nursing and/or try to control and limit our knowledge and practice through oppressive actions. The LACE recommendations also support the notion that APRN regulation, education, training need to be consistent across state borders. This, so that, APRNs can move seamlessly between states and focus on improving access to care to their communities through their advanced practice, rather than having to jump through hoops of fire to obtain a license to practice as an APRN. These are only just a few examples of what is to come for APRNs in the future.
ISPN, as an organizational leader in advanced practice psychiatric nursing, provides you with a seat at this table of "change
and transition". As an ISPN member, you will be kept informed and aware of these changes; to be as active or passive as you choose; and ultimately can participate
in history. I welcome you to consider joining the various committees, panels, and/or to voice your concerns through the Division Chairs and to the Board of Directors
of ISPN. The leadership in ISPN strives to have an OPEN DOOR policy, whereby ISPN members can ask questions and receive current and relevant information, locally,
nationally or globally. I am honored to have on board Kathleen Delaney, PhD, PMHNP-BC, FAAN (Past President); Judy Fry-McCormish, PhD, RN (Secretary/Treasurer);
and Division Chairs: (a) Susan Krupnick, MSN, PMH-CNS, ANP, CARN (ICPCLN); (b) Karen Ragaisis, MSN, APRN, CARN, PMHNP-BC (Adult and Geriatric Division); (c) Sara
Horton-Deutch, PhD, PMHCNS-BC (SERPN) and (d) Margaret Rhoads-Scarf, PhD, PMHCNS-BC (ACAPN).
Just this year, ISPN has launched several new Task Forces to begin to explore how our national and international communities are
interfacing with the multitude of health care issues. Examples of these include the new Military Task Force (Chaired by Roseanne Visco, PhD, RN and a Task Force to
examine the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) (Chaired by Bobbie Posmontier, PhD, CNM, PMHNP-BC). Our Marketing and Development Committee, (chaired by Katherine Darling,
DNP, PMHNP-BC, FNP-BC), in conjunction with the Membership Committee (chaired by Cynthia Handrup, DNP, PMHCNS-BC) have identified strategies for outreach for
international members as well as creating new opportunities for current members to link with one another.
ISPN's Diversity and Equity Committee (Chaired by Edilma Yearwood, PhD, PMHCNS-BC) has remained very active and has written
several position papers over the past several years to address some of the complex issues that confront our practice. The Education Committee (Chaired by Mary Jo
Regan-Kubinski, Ph.D., RN) is ensuring that ISPN sits at the table of APRN Consensus Model/LACE recommendations by participating in the Joint ISPN/APNA Task Force. And
last but not least is the Website Management Committee (chaired by Mark Soucy, PhD, PMHCNS-BC, FPMHNP-BC), who without their ongoing efforts to maintain the communication of
knowledge (and change!) would cease.
I hope that you will consider becoming involved in history (by joining a committee, becoming a member or renewing your
membership). Please let us know if we can assist you in any way or link you to an answer.
Warmest regards,
Victoria
Victoria Soltis-Jarrett, PhD, PMHCNS/NP-BC
President, ISPN
Email address: Ask_ISPN_President@unc.edu
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