Rate My Professor Fiona Little

Fiona Little is an Academic Mental Health Nurse in the Department of Rural Health at the University of Newcastle, part of the College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing, where she has been employed since 2007. She brings over 30 years of experience in mental health nursing, having graduated with a Diploma in Health Science (Nursing) from Armidale College of Advanced Education in 1988. She furthered her education with a Graduate Diploma in Nursing (Mental Health) and a Master of Nursing (Mental Health Nurse Practitioner) from the University of Western Sydney, completing the latter in 2008. More recently, she earned a PhD in Mental Health Nursing from the University of Newcastle, with her thesis titled 'The nature of thriving at work for nurses employed to provide mental health care in rural areas.' As a Credentialed Mental Health Nurse with the Australian College of Mental Health Nursing, Little's clinical career includes initial work in acute mental health settings post-graduation. From 2001 to 2007, she established and led a nurse-initiated consultation-liaison mental health nursing service at Tamworth Rural Referral Hospital, serving in roles as Clinical Nurse Consultant evolving to Transitional Nurse Practitioner. During this period from 2003 to 2007, she was appointed as an Accredited Person by the NSW Health Department under the Mental Health Act 1990 (NSW).

In her academic role, Little contributes to the Mental Health Academic program, which focuses on enhancing access to mental health services in rural areas, building health professionals' skills in recognizing and managing mental health issues, raising community awareness, and providing mentoring and supervision for undergraduate and postgraduate students. Her research specializations encompass rural mental health workforce development, promoting the role of mental health nursing in rural practice, developing and evaluating primary health care service delivery models, and integrating interprofessional learning into clinical practice. Key publications include the book chapter 'Collaborating within professions: Many layers and many roles' (2016), 'Interprofessional Relationships in Healthcare Practice' (2014), and 'Nourishing networks: Using information technology and mentoring to promote interdisciplinary education and training in rural areas' (2010). She has presented extensively at conferences, including on 'Thriving at work' for mental health nurses (2023), interprofessional collaborations in undergraduate psychiatry simulation (2024), and rural community-based mental health placements (2017). Little was a finalist for the 2011 NSW Premier's Award, recognizing her contributions to mental health nursing.