A listing in the NLPR is the bees knees in the manual lymphatic drainage world.  For those not in the know, NLPR stands for National Lymphoedema Practitioners Register and it’s a listing on the ALA (Australasian Lymphology Association) website.  Getting a listing on this website is one of the many reasons why I upgraded my skills this year and it has been a process to get there (and I’m not quite there, but almost … I think).  Click here to read about the NLPR on the ALA website.  Professionals, particularly in the oncology world, point patients to the NLPR to find therapists so it is vital to have a listing, it adds credibility to your practice.

On the Monday after I finished my Vodder training I sent off my paperwork to rejoin the ALA (I had let me membership lapse last year).   I had a call from the ALA to give me a refund of part of my membership fee as I had sent in the full amount for a full membership, but as I’m not a physiotherapist I can only be an associate member, silly me, I did know that from years ago but it slipped my mind.  I kept checking to see if my name was listed on the register but after two months I decided to write an email checking to see how long it would take.  As I finished sending my email I received one from my trainer, Jan, who was frustrated that none of us who completed the training had put ourselves on the register.  Isn’t timing amazing?  I quickly forwarded her the email I had just sent and shortly afterwards received a reply from the ALA that pointed out that membership to the ALA and listing on the NLPR were two completely separate things!  Oh, ok.  Not one of the fifteen of us who were eligible to join had worked that out.  Hmm.

So.  I duly filled out the paperwork, attached all the required documentation and paid the additional fee.

And I waited.

And Eureka, on Friday I got a certificate from the ALA confirming my listing on the NLPR!  Yay.  Here it is.  I’m still not up on the website so I presume it will be listed in January (as that is when the certificate is current).  Small steps.

NLPR registration certificate