MEET JULIA LOHMEYER
Credentialed Mental Health Nurse and Member of the Australian College of Mental Health Nurses

I believe strongly in nurses taking responsibility for maintaining a standard of excellence through self directed professional development and their contributions to the nursing profession. I am also quite passionate about nurses who practice at an advanced level being recognised for what they bring to the treatment team, and as autonomous practitioners.

I practice in a rural area which includes community mental health and private practice. After working in mental health nursing for several years, I obtained a Medicare Provider number under the allied health and dental services initiative. This allows GPs to refer to me clients who can then claim a rebate for my services from Medicare. To be eligible to register with Medicare I had to obtain a credential in Mental Health Nursing from the ACMHN.

Holding a credential has not changed the way I practice, but it is a clear confirmation, to the people with whom I work, of my credibility as a highly skilled mental health nurse and my ability to practice autonomously.

Mental health nursing is often perceived as the poor cousin to other specialised areas of nursing, and is often under rated and devalued. However, mental health nurses are themselves the ones who are in a position to change this perception and credentialing is one way of achieving recognition.

All documents for the ACMHN Credential for Practice Program are copyrighted to the Australian College of Mental Health Nurses. All rights reserved. No part may be reproduced or copied in any form without permission except as provided under the Copyright Act, 1968 (Clth). or for credentialing applications only.