General Practice Nurse

General Practice Nurses work in GP surgeries to assess, screen, treat and educate patients, and help Doctors give medical care.

You will work as part of a team which might include Doctors, Pharmacists, and Dietitians. No two days are the same, you will see people who have booked appointments, as well as extra patients who need emergency appointments. During the appointment, you will take blood samples, or administer vaccinations, or advise on family planning, women’s health, or sexual health, or support patients managing long-term conditions. This role is challenging but rewarding as you’ll help ease people’s pain, worries, and see improvements based on your care.

General Practice Nurse is also known as Specialist Community Nurse.

Role Characteristics

Assess, plan, develop, implement, and evaluate treatment programmes that promote health and well-being
Work with other Health Care Professionals to diagnose, monitor, manage and treat long-term conditions
Support patients to adopt health promotion strategies that help people to live healthily
Implement and participate in vaccination and immunisation programmes for both adults and children
Wound management, dressings and assisting with minor operations
Meet the needs of patients and support the delivery of policy and procedures within the practice

Skills

Active listening
Advice giving
Empathy
Decision-making
Record keeping
Observation

Day in the life

Watch the video to learn about a day in the life of a General Practice Nurse.

Routes into this role

Here are some example routes that can lead into this role.

GCSEs

BTEC

A-Levels

Undergraduate degree

Degree apprenticeship

How to become

There are many routes into Nursing; these include university or apprenticeships.
You will normally need 5 GCSEs including English, maths and sciences, or equivalent.
You will normally need either A-Levels, BTEC or T-Levels depending on your preference in learning. However, volunteering and work experience is valued by employers.

It is important to check your preferred course provider's entry requirements for guidance.

You must be a qualified and registered Adult, Child, Mental Health or Learning Disability Nurse to work in General Practice.

To practice as a General Practice Nurse, you must be registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).

Where can this role lead

No matter what role you start in or where you are in your career path, there are always opportunities to develop and progress in health and care.

With further training and experience, Practice Nurses can apply for more senior roles such as a Senior Practice Nurse, Nurse Practitioner or Advanced Nurse Practitioner. These roles mean a lot more autonomy and you'll be able to manage your own caseloads.

You could also move into education, management, teaching/lecturer, or clinical research. You could also be a preceptor or mentor and support other nurses in their careers.