The reason I became a mental health nurse, joined the ACMHN, and became a PCMHN is far from straightforward.
At 16, I found myself in the Parramatta Australian Defence Force recruitment office. I had successfully completed the initial steps to join the Army and was about to enlist at 17. I decided to leave school without completing years 11 and 12 to become a rifleman or submariner in the ADF. Eventually, I realised being 6'4" wouldn't go well with being a submariner, and a six-year minimum service period was a little too much for me.
At the end of year 10, we had a final mathematics exam which I needed to pass for entry into the ADF. I decided I'd try my best, so I studied and prepared for the first time in my life. I did so well compared to my previous marks that the school thought I'd cheated. I then realised I might actually have a chance at completing my HSC and decided to stay.
I completed my HSC and then started a Bachelor of Medical Science. I eventually dropped out and completed a Certificate IV in Laboratory Technology, undertaking a traineeship at Liverpool Hospital in the Pathology Lab in Special Chemistry. This is where I was first properly exposed to nursing. I started to see what nurses actually did and how important their role was. I eventually decided nursing was the perfect blend of hands-on clinical work and theoretical knowledge for me.
I eventually took a job working in a chemistry and pharmaceutical laboratory full-time whilst studying for a Bachelor of Nursing full-time as well — a fairly stressful endeavour to say the least. During my nursing course I was exposed to various clinical environments, though I never actually did a placement in a mental health-specific environment. Despite this, I was highly drawn to it. When I encountered mental health nurses or dual diagnosis nurses, I found their work fascinating. So for my new graduate program, I decided to go for mental health nursing.
I felt naturally drawn to it, and have always been interested in anthropology and history. The human condition is something common to all humans, and I view mental health as the overarching factor in health and recovery. If people aren't psychologically well, their motivation and self-care may suffer, leading to lifestyle disease. I believe if we can work with people to improve their mental health, the population's overall health can improve significantly.
I worked for six months in an acute detox facility and then six months in an acute adult mental health unit, completing the mental health graduate program. I then worked full-time in acute mental health for a while and moved into a unique role in a private outpatient clinic as a mental health nurse where I have continued to advance my career.
Working in private practice is a unique and specialised field, and I realised it would be beneficial to be a member of a larger body of like-minded professionals. Curiously, the Australian College of Mental Health Nurses had never been recommended to me before. After some research, I found out about the College and joined up. I felt it was important to have representation of my profession and to know there is a large body of mental health nurses advocating for it. In my opinion, mental health nursing is a distinct profession, different from general nursing — and with my experience and postgraduate study, I don't feel like a general nurse. Working in private practice can also be somewhat isolating, and being a member of the College has connected me with other mental health nurses, which it has.
Around November 2023, I learnt about provisional credentialing and looked into becoming a Provisionally Credentialed Mental Health Nurse (PCMHN). I met the criteria, applied, and was granted the title. I applied because formal recognition of the specialty and distinctiveness of mental health nursing is important not only for the profession but also for the wider multidisciplinary team, our clients, and the wider community. The process of credentialing is peer-reviewed — you are assessed against a set of standards — which to me increases its integrity and meaning. Overall, I have found my experience as a member of the ACMHN and becoming credentialed worthwhile. Though going from wanting to join the army to now being a mental health nurse is certainly a striking change, I'm glad it happened.