NP Institute Concludes in Boston After 4 Days of Practical Clinical Insight for APPs

Last weekend’s inaugural NP Institute In-Person meeting took attendees through a deep dive into foundational psychopharmacology education.

Steering committee member Julie Carbray, PhD, FPMHNP-BC, PMHCNS-BC, APRN, told attendees in the Boston, Massachusetts, audience, “Those of us in this room are always looking for more in-depth foundational education that is tailored specifically to our practice, more clarity and confidence in how our recent learnings are going to translate into practice environments, knowledge, and support from our colleagues and mentors. That's exactly why you are here...[The NP Institute] is an essential educational experience that will provide you with those resources to continue your learning for years to come.”

Fellow steering committee member Andrew Penn, MS, RN, NP, CNS, PMHNP-BC, associate clinical professor, psychiatric clinical nurse specialist, University of California, San Francisco, expressed to attendees, “We want to thank you for being committed to this profession and our patients. What we are doing here is advancing our field, and the ability to impact our patients' lives.”

Throughout the conference, the sessions focused on different disease states and medication classes; below are some highlights from the meeting:

• The “Principles of Psychopharmacology” session kicked off NP Institute on Friday afternoon, serving as a deep dive introductory course that laid the groundwork for advanced practice providers (APPs) to develop a strong psychopharmacologic knowledge base that they built upon in subsequent sessions. “Book knowledge is very important, but each patient is their own unique textbook,” said Rakesh Jain, MD, MPH, during the session, alongside co-presenters and fellow steering committee members Penn and Craig Chepke, MD, DFAPA. >>Continue reading
• On Saturday, Penn presented his session “How to Choose the Right Antidepressant for Your Patient.” Ahead of his presentation, Psych Congress Network connected with Penn to explain some of his key clinical pearls for APPs regarding antidepressant options, tackling non-response, and working to tailor treatment to patients’ goals. >>Read the Q&A

• On Sunday, Saundra Jain, MA, PsyD, LPC, sat down with Penn in the Psych Congress Network press room to share key highlights from their session “Mastering the Art of Deprescribing.” In this segment of their discussion, Dr Jain explores the many uses of motivational interviewing to establish trust and a collaborative relationship with patients. >>Watch now

To round out the weekend, Carbray and Penn led closing remarks and discussed how attendees can use what they learned at the meeting to take the next steps in their practice and career after leaving the conference.

More news and insights from this weekend can be found on an ongoing basis in the NP Institute Newsroom. The second annual NP Institute in-person meeting will be taking place March 20 - 23, 2024, in San Diego, California.