APNA Scholars

JOHNSON CITY (Sept. 5, 2018) – Two East Tennessee State University nursing students are among just 30 individuals in the nation to receive the 2018 Board of Directors Student Scholarship from the American Psychiatric Nurses Association (APNA).

Haylea Copas, a senior nursing student from Kingsport, and Erica S. Mann, a graduate student originally from Boone, North Carolina, but currently living in Mountain City, each were named recipients of the prestigious scholarship earlier this month.

The APNA student scholarship program seeks to encourage students to experience the rewarding field of psychiatric-mental health nursing and develop the next generation of leaders in the profession. Each year, undergraduate and graduate-level nursing students across the country are invited to either apply for the scholarship or be nominated by a member of their nursing school faculty.

As scholarship recipients, Copas and Mann each receive registration, travel and lodging accommodations to attend the APNA 32nd Annual Conference this fall in Columbus, Ohio, as well as a one-year complimentary APNA membership.

“The Board of Directors Student Scholarship provides nursing students with extensive professional connections and support that help them move forward in their careers,” said APNA President Linda Beeber. “In fact, 85 percent of past recipients report that their APNA scholarship experience directly influenced their decision in choosing psychiatric-mental health nursing or affirming that this was the right field of study for them.”

Copas is earning her bachelor of science in nursing at ETSU with a minor in psychology. After graduation, she hopes to go into either emergency medicine or psychiatric nursing, or possibly both. Currently, she works as a nurse intern and behavioral health technician at Holston Valley Medical Center.

Mann is seeking her master’s degree in nursing at ETSU to become a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner. She already holds a bachelor of science in nursing from ETSU as well as a bachelor’s degree in human ecology from the University of Tennessee and a certificate in legal nurse consulting from Duke University. Currently, Mann is a registered nurse at Mountain Youth Academy, a psychiatric residential treatment facility for youth in Mountain City.

“It is an honor to have two of our ETSU students among those receiving this scholarship,” said Dr. Wendy Nehring, dean of ETSU’s College of Nursing. “This is an outstanding opportunity for both Haylea and Erica, and I look forward to them sharing with others in our college the knowledge that they gain through attending the conference in October.”