Nursing News & Information
The information provided below may have private and confidential clinical content
About Practice Nurses
General practice nurses work in GP surgeries as part of the primary healthcare team. In larger practices, you might be one of several practice nurses sharing duties and responsibilities. In others, you might be working on your own, taking on many roles.
You could be involved in most aspects of patient care including:
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obtaining blood samples
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chronic disease monitoring e.g. Diabetes/Asthma
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travel health advice and vaccinations
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child immunisations and advice
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contraception and women’s health including cervical smears
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men’s health screening
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sexual health services
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smoking cessation
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General practice nurses may also have direct supervision of healthcare assistants at the practice.
Entry Requirements
You must be a qualified and registered adult, child, mental health or learning disability nurse to work in general practice. You’ll also either need to undertake further training and education or be willing to after being appointed.
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Some employers may ask for knowledge or experience in specific areas eg health promotion or working with patients with long-term conditions.
You could take the first step of your general practice nurse career without going to university straight away. You could enter as a healthcare assistant or assistant practitioner, if you have relevant experience and qualifications, and further develop your skills through additional education and training before starting your degree.
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