June 10, 2025
Bega nursing graduate recognised for mental health impact
Award celebrates early-career nurse’s dedication to mental health and community-focused care
精东传媒 of 精东传媒 (UOW) Bega Valley graduate Stephanie Merton has been awarded the Southern NSW Local Health District 2025 New to Practice Nurse/Midwife of the Year Award.
The Southern NSW Local Health District Nurse of the Year awards recognise the skill, compassion and dedication of nurses.
The Merimbula-based local started studying nursing at UOW Bega Valley as a mature-age student in 2021. With experience in veterinary nursing and hospitality, she brought her passion for connecting with people to her new career.
“Having worked in hospitality for years, you see how important your connection with customers is. You are checking in on people. Getting to know your regulars. You realise you might be the only person that they see or talk to during the day. It was a skill I was keen to build on,” Stephanie said.
In her first year at UOW, she received the inaugural scholarship and attended a five-day Recovery Camp in Mount Evelyn Victoria as part of her compulsory mental health nursing placement. The camp brought together people with a lived experience of mental illness and UOW health students, allowing her to participate in recovery-oriented activities that fostered connection and wellbeing.
“Living and learning alongside different types of students and consumers was transformative. It made a real impact. I often think if I had done my placement in a clinical setting I would not have gained the same perspective,” she said.
This experience and the subjects she studied shaped her pathway, leading her to choose mental health as an elective in her final year.
Stephanie started her New Graduate position at the beginning of last year with a placement in the Mental Health inpatient unit at South East Regional Hospital.
“Getting exposed to mental health nursing just seemed like such a perfect meld of everything that I had done up until that point. It's really rewarding. I love it,” Stephanie said.
“I did six months in the Mental Health unit and loved it so much that an opportunity in community mental health came up. They have never had a New Graduate before. Now I have completed my whole New Graduate year in mental health and started a Graduate Certificate in Mental Health Nursing.”
Stephanie said mental health nursing still holds stigma in the wider community.
"When I tell people where I work, I often hear, 'that must be so confronting'. I think many people have the wrong idea about what mental health nursing really is. I hope this award brings more awareness to the important and rewarding work happening in this area."
The Southern NSW Local Health District 2025 New to Practice Nurse/Midwife of the Year Award is presented to a nurse who is new to the profession. Stephanie was commended for her holistic, person-centred approach to mental health nursing. She works closely with consumers in the community, ensuring their preferences and values are central to care decisions.
The announcement, which was made last month in celebration of International Nurses Day, came as a surprise to the dedicated nurse.
“I was shocked, I didn’t even know I was nominated. It was a lovely surprise. My manager called me with the good news and I couldn’t believe it. I’m incredibly grateful for the award. I received lots of beautiful messages and emails congratulating me,” Stephanie said.