Kelly Mrzyglod, from Optimal Care, Inc., awarded 2011 APNA Janssen Student Scholarship
Optimal Care, Inc.’s own Kelly Mrzyglod was awarded the 2011 APNA (American Psychiatric Nurses Association) Janssen Student Scholarship! This hardly came as a surprise to those who know Kelly, each of whom can testify to her tremendous enthusiasm and hard work. Kelly won the NAHC/MHHA Paraprofessional to RN Scholarship earlier this year, and is currently pursuing her Bachelor of Science degree of Nursing at Mercy College in Northwest Ohio.
Kelly was selected as one of fifteen undergraduate nursing students who earned the award by, among other things, “demonstrat[ing] a passion for psychiatric mental health nursing”. Fifteen graduate nursing students were also selected for exhibiting similar personal qualities. The scholarship itself includes registration, travel and lodging expenses to attend the APNA 25th Annual Conference at the Disneyland® Hotel in Anaheim, California, and a one-year complimentary membership in the APNA.
Active since 1987 and recently counted among American Chronicle’s Top 10 Industry Associations in Nursing, APNA is, in its own words, “the only PMH [psychiatric-mental health] nursing organization whose membership is inclusive of all PMH registered nurses”. APNA is 7,000 members strong, and consists of 40 state or local chapters that stretch from Hawaii to New England. Among its goals are “psychiatric mental health nursing, health and wellness promotion through identification of mental health issues, prevention of mental health problems and the care and treatment of persons with psychiatric disorders”.
