Carlene Hurst

Master of Advanced Clinical Nursing

“As a credentialed mental health nurse and working with people with severe and persistent mental health issues, I was calling on my colleagues - the GPs - daily for scripting, for blood requests and referrals. Once I became a Nurse Practitioner in January 2021, I was able to take on a nearly autonomous role where I only call on the GPs when there is complexity due to physical health issues out of my scope of practice. It streamlines things for my clients.”

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Degree: Master of Advanced Clinical Nursing
Specialisation: Nurse Practitioner

“I came late to nursing, completing my bachelor of nursing when I was 35 years old. I went on to complete my first master’s with a major in mental health. I have experienced ongoing mental ill health periodically throughout my life, so being able to work in the field where I was more used to being a patient and doing this work well became my focus. My passion for equitable and patient-centred care led to an application from Foster Medical Centre to seek funding under the Mental Health Nurse Incentive Program. We still hold federal funding managed in three-year tender cycles by Gippsland Primary Health Network this has been in place now for 12 years and I am in my 13th year working at Foster Medical Centre.

Studying a Master of Nurse Practitioner was a natural progression for me. Monash University was the first place that I had achieved academically, and I had heard also that the course was difficult but manageable. I was really lucky also to be able to use Rural Workforce Agency Victoria (RWAV) funding due to our rural locality, which eased the financial stress of study.

I’m now a Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. Working from a rural GP clinic is uncommon for an NP. As a credentialed mental health nurse and working with people with severe and persistent mental health issues, I was calling on my colleagues - the GPs within Foster Medical Centre - daily for scripting, for blood requests and referrals. Once I became a Nurse Practitioner in January 2021, I was able to take on a nearly autonomous role where I only call on the GPs when there is complexity due to physical health issues out of my scope of practice. It streamlines things for my clients.

My work involves supporting people with severe and persistent mental issues to be able to move towards their optimum health. I can offer support that can be uniquely individual to their needs. I work within the community that I live in and I help people to overcome the rural barriers to good care

A typical day for me involves seeing between 4-6 clients with diverse needs and working with them to minimise difficult symptoms sometimes with the aid of medications, and to fully understand how they can help themselves move towards greater wellness. I often help clients link into other services such as the social workers at the local hospital or other options to best support them. I have another MHN who comes in part-time and together we support over 60 clients.

I love watching a person find confidence in themselves to make choices to improve their health both mentally and physically. It’s extremely rewarding to see people after they have been supported to understand their diagnoses through utilizing a telehealth psychiatrist and backed by myself start to understand the utility of the diagnosis and that they are not their diagnosis, they are much more than this.

I often have people ask me which Emergency Department (ED) I work out of, as they have only really ever seen Nurse Practitioners in these settings. Once I explain that I work in a GP clinic and what I can offer, people usually get on board!”