Reflect on your decision to pursue a specialty within the MSN program,  including your professional and academic goals as they relate to your  program/specialization.

Post an explanation of your choice of a nursing  specialty within the program. Describe any difficulties you had (or are  having) in making your choice, and the factors that drove/are driving  your decision. Identify at least one professional organization  affiliated with your chosen specialty and provide details on becoming a  member.

Post 1

Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner

After working as a bedside nurse for almost ten years, I decided to make my desire to continue my education a reality. I talked to a lot of my friends and coworkers before deciding it was time to take charge.

“Now or Never”

Why I decided to become a PMHNP: Ever since I was a nursing student, I have been passionate about the field of mental health. I always felt that I could understand the material and that it was a fundamental part of who I was. I believed it was time for me to strengthen my position to support my community after spending so much time at the patient’s bedside. I believe I can affect change and be the change after observing so many people—young, middle-aged, and elderly—struggling with mental health difficulties and not receiving the necessary care.

Why go with Walden: Walden gives me greater access to education than I could ever hope for given my familial obligations. The PMHNP concentration at Walden focuses on teaching you how to apply your knowledge to provide comprehensive mental health services that have a positive influence on the lives of individuals, families, and populations.

Walden will help me to learn to interact with patients, perform mental health assessments, make diagnoses, and plan treatment—all through virtual simulations. Discover how to use research to develop, assess, and refine educational materials that best serve the healthcare audience in the community. When high-quality nursing leadership is enacted, positive patient, provider, and system outcomes are demonstrated (Cummings et al., 2010; National Expert Commission, 2012; Wong, Cummings & Ducharme, 2013).

For more than 125 years, professional nursing organizations have supported nursing practice, defined nursing values, and encouraged self-regulation. Dynamic nurse leaders have risen forward over the course of this lengthy history to support and advance the nursing profession by harnessing the influence of the professional nursing organization.

The American Psychiatric Nurses Association is the body that regulates the activities and welfare of nurses who work as PMHNPs (APNA). The American Psychiatric Nurses Association (APNA) is committed to improving psychiatric nursing through education, the provision of pertinent resources, and the creation of a cooperative framework for PMHNPs. Members must register for a free membership account on the organization’s website in order to join. In addition, the organization requests evidence of the applicant’s status as an active-duty nurse, and it charges a subscription fee based on the applicant’s needs and professional standing (American Psychiatric Nurses Association, 2022). The member is qualified to take part in planned activities and cooperative projects if approved by the organization (American Psychiatric Nurses Association, 2022). I aim to join APNA given that the specia