The AAPP Foundation continues to promote mental health education to psychiatric pharmacists, residents, and students nationwide by sponsoring Mental Health First Aid training. Fifty-eight participants are registered to become certified on November 27 and 29 through a blended course format involving 2 hours of home-study coursework and 6 hours of virtual instruction with a certified instructor in a Zoom classroom.
AAPP Director of Continuing Professional Development Beth DeJongh, PharmD, BCPS, BCPP, is the lead faculty member for the training and is joined by AAPP member Emma Palmer, PharmD, BCPS, BCPP, Associate Professor at the James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy at the University of Cincinnati.
Mental Health First Aid is a nationally-offered course that teaches participants how to identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental illnesses and substance use disorders. The United States is just one of the many countries that have adopted the program. According to MentalHealthFirstAid.org, over 1.6 million people across the United States have been trained in Mental Health First Aid by over 15,000 instructors. Following the training, participants will receive a certificate from Mental Health First Aid USA acknowledging certification which is valid for 3 years. Upon expiration, Mental Health First Aid recertification can be completed online in 60 minutes for a small fee charged by MHFA.
