The
Council of Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurses in Advanced Practice conducts
business under the auspices of the North Carolina Nurses Association
(NCNA) and all members of the council are NCNA members. The council
has been active for over 25 years representing psychiatric nursing
and advocating for mental health services in North Carolina.
The council:
- provides a forum for discussion of practice issues
and concerns;
- provides an opportunity for collegiality among its members;
- creates position papers;
- serves as a clearing house for information;
- clarifies scope of practice matters;
- responds to local, regional, state and national matters affecting practice;
- monitors legislation;
- represents the interests of mental health consumers and our members; and,
- provides a unified voice for PMH APRNs in North Carolina.
Our members are Clinical Nurse Specialists and Nurse Practitioners who specialize
in psychiatric and mental health care delivery and belong to NCNA. Meetings are
held in local/regional groups. Statewide general meetings of the council are
held at least annually in varying locations. Members belong to the council list-serve
and receive regular email
briefings in addition to the Tar Heel Nurse and the American Nurse which are
NCNA member benefits.
The council is open for membership to any PMH APRN that is a member of NCNA. Non-members are encouraged
to join NCNA and then select the PMH APRN as a preferred council
membership. To join, go to Membership on
menu above. Or,
email NCNA for
an application.
Executive Committee Officers
All Executive
Committee Officers are
elected by the council members. They serve on the Council Executive
Committee and serve
a two year
term
of office. The Executive Committee serves as the hub for official
council business and solicits participation in discussion and
decision-making from members in all regions of the state. The
Executive Committee meets at least bimonthly and more frequently
as needed. Meetings are held either in person or by phone conference.
These meetings are open to all members and meeting minutes
are circulated via this site.
Local Regional Groups The council is strengthening its local/regional groups. There
may be as many groups as needed; provided there is leadership for each and members
are active. Activity may be face-to-face meetings, phone conferences and/or in
responses to emails and other inquiries. Members may select any region with which
to affiliate; for example, one closer to home, closer to work, or one in which
they feel most comfortable.
The purposes of the local/regional groups are to increase communication
flow among members, to and from the Executive Committee, and to
and from NCNA's Commission
on Standards and Professional Practice and the NCNA Board of Directors. In addition
to networking, local/regional participation provides members with opportunities
to discuss PMH APRN practice, regulatory, and reimbursement issues and to participate
in the development and implementation of contstructive solutions.
Local/regional meetings may combine business discussions with continuing nursing
education activities for contact hour credit (to start this process contact ce@ncnurses.org).
Each regional group determines its own leadership by a vote of the regional group
members and decides on a schedule of meetings.
NCNA MISSION STATEMENT: The North Carolina Nurses Association serves the changing needs of its members, addresses nursing issues and advocates for the health and well-being of all people.
