First Credentialed Nurse in Primary Care a story of working close to home. Acknowledgement: Funding support from Health Workforce NZ

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Brendan Jefferson
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1 First Credentialed Nurse in Primary Care a story of working close to home Acknowledgement: Funding support from Health Workforce NZ

2 Rationale Providing treatment and support for people affected by mental health and addiction issues in primary care settings should enable the largest number of people to get easier and faster access to services. For this to happen, however, general health personnel need to be competent and confident.

3 What Is Credentialing? The recognition of a specific set of knowledge and skills for assigned clinical responsibilities in a specific context eg primary care setting. Commences on appointment and continues for the period of employment. Is also concerned with the practice environment ie to ensure the environment supports and sustains the specific clinical activities.

4 Process Identified PHO site and nurses Gap analysis and tailoring to needs of nurses and sites Training essential component is translation of knowledge/skills into day to day practice Practice development supervision, mentoring Application for credential

5 Desired Outcomes Increased understanding eg concepts of recovery and wellbeing - societal influences including stigma and discrimination Increased confidence Incorporating a motivational approach Enhanced skills screening, brief assessments and interventions, monitoring, therapeutic risk management, promoting self-management

6 Anne Maclean

7 The Journey Begins As the first O&G nurse to achieve a credential from Te Ao Maramatanga NZCMHN I am very grateful to be so honoured. It has changed my life at work in a way I never dreamed of. I received this in October 2012.

8 My Story Once upon a time I was born in Otorohonga Hospital My parents took me to Blockhouse Bay in Auckland for my growing up years. A quiet new family suburb of the not so big smoke in the 50s and 60s.

9 Moving Away From Home In the 70s I left home to live in the nurses home of Green Lane Hospital while I did my O&G training. It was a great life back-in the day, with little sleep and lots of hard work that no self-respecting teenager would consider doing today.

10 Living Proof

11 Overseas 101 Finished and free I went to the USA. I attended a Bible College and did volunteer work in the high crime areas. My total experience of crime at the time was watching Starsky and Hutch on TV. Again more learning took place. In my last year in the USA I was able to work in a Texas hospital called Tyler Medical Centre. I worked in the oncology ward and learnt grief first hand from the number of people who died while I was there.

12 USA Style

13 Mental Health Passion Seeds Back to NZ then off to Australia. I lived in the beautiful Blue Mountains and worked for an arm of Sydney City Mission delivering training. I taught long term unemployed people aged how to do hands on nursing in Aged Care. Through getting to know this challenged group my interest regarding mental health began to grow.

14 , The Over 40s

15 Otara And South Auckland My return to NZ after 24 years away put me in the frame of mind to contribute in the way I had done in NSW. This brought me to Otara.

16 Opportunities I began to work for 50 GPs in 10 surgeries. Initially I was the Discharge Care nurse for those returning home from hospital then Clinical Coordinator for the CCM Depression project. I had a 2-year space during this time where I began to do mental health for the PATHS team which was part of WINZ return to work programmes.

17 Twists That Pay Off Lucky for me the psychiatrist I had worked for there came to work at ETHC and so began my endeavours to work in mental health. Without accreditation I had no credibility with the doctors or the rest of the team.

18 Credentialing Begins I applied for credentialing when it was posted on the web site of Te Ao Māramatanga. As they had only begun to look at credentialing for those of us working in Primary Care I became the guinea pig to test the website as well. After several goes I finally pushed all the right buttons and felt I was on first base.

19 The Paper Work Providing the documentation for my CV and current position description was a mission if only I was 25!!

20 Supporting Documents I also had my psychiatrist give me a confidential letter of recommendation. My confidence was growing. Finally I got to the last stage Exemplars.

21 Completion with support My nurse manager coached me on the best way to present these. I addressed each scenario as a challenge but found this the longest investment of time.

22 A Visit My last stage was to be visited by a member of the College. Thankfully for me it was Jo Harry who made life very easy as she saw what I did and how I did it. She was able to verify I had the allocated resources to do my job.

23 Today When we have education with the GPs and nurses my credential is referred to and my contribution is accepted as relevant. I can say I am proud to be looked on as someone who can contribute to the care of our patients with their mental health needs. I am also mentoring nurses in our 10 surgeries to back fill the work.

Mental Health and Addiction Credential in Primary Care

Mental Health and Addiction Credential in Primary Care Evaluation Report April 2014 Te Ao Māramatanga New Zealand College of Mental Health Nurses Credentials are marks or stamps of quality and achievement