Second Annual Psych Congress NP Institute Promises Robust Content and Networking Opportunities for APPs

The 2024 Psych Congress NP Institute annual meeting will be held March 20 through 23 at the Manchester Grand Hyatt in San Diego, California. The conference in its second year promises to "take a deep dive into everything you need to know about psychopharmacology but have been afraid to ask, including basic psychopharmacology principles and terminology on treatment, disease states, and medication types," organizers say.

In its inaugural year, the NP Institute attracted more than 800 attendees—a sold-out crowd—including numerous advanced practice providers (APPs) in the psychiatric field and more than 20 sponsors and exhibitors. Additionally, in January, HMP Global announced the NP Institute Online Learning Hub, a year-round resource to reinforce and supplement learning from the meeting.

"Nurse practitioners are at the heart of today's health care system, being asked to do more within their roles," said NP Institute Co-Chair Julie Carbray, PhD, APRN, clinical professor of psychiatry and nursing at the University of Illinois Chicago, and Psych Congress Network's bipolar disorder section editor. "Through the NP Institute meeting and Online Learning Hub, they can receive essential psychopharmacology education needed to provide the best care for each patient."

Featuring 43 presentations, 18 expert faculty, numerous networking events, and an opportunity to earn 18 CME/CE credits, the NP Institute annual meeting is designed and accredited for psychiatric NPs (including general, primary care, and family practice NPs), clinicians in their early years of practice, and experienced NPs seeking updates and continuing psychopharmacology education.

"It was so nice to participate in a conference with other NPs and be treated so well at the convention…I believe this will reenergize our profession and increase options for care during this most challenging of times and science," said 2023 NP Institute Annual Meeting attendee Catherine W.

Psychopharmacology classes provide an in-depth look at antidepressants, antipsychotics, mood stabilizers, and stimulants, as well as psychiatric disorders such as ADHD, anxiety, bipolar, depression, and schizophrenia. Additionally, the conference will cover important practice-management topics such as most common billing errors and documentation best practices.

"With the increased need for mental health and psychiatric services, we developed a program to ensure that psychiatric NPs receive tailored education to effectively care for patients and manage their practice," said Co-Chair Andrew Penn, RN, MS, NP, CNS, APRN-BC, clinical professor at the University of California, San Francisco.

Registrants will have access to on-demand sessions for 90 days after the conference.

To keep up to date with breaking news and insights from the meeting, visit our NP Institute Newsroom.

Preview Video Transcript

Julie Carbray, PhD, APRN: Like many of us, I was first attracted to psychiatry as a field because of a family member with a severe mental illness. I was able to visit her when I was younger, and I was fascinated by her brain and the environments of care that I was exposed to. I feel that this early introduction to how families are impacted by severe mental illness drew me to the field and toward improving care for persons with severe mental illness.

I saw things in the state hospital that had me inquiring about "how could we do better?" So, it's no surprise, that my career focused on family work, trying to help individuals and their families overcome the challenges of severe mental illness as well as determining some of the best practices for helping families in the context of mental illness. The best advice I received from a mentor was to relax and just enjoy the space where I'm treating somebody; enjoy those moments of connection with patients that I'm trying to help.

This was initially very challenging for me, and I was always thinking about it: "What do I do next?" I think, in time, [feeling] that level of comfort with just sitting in the space with the person that you're trying to connect with, and showing compassion, is incredibly helpful. I tell my students [this as well].

Think about what you have learned, and [what] you bring into the space, but more importantly, connect. Connect with the person you're trying to help. It makes a difference.