How I started as a General Practice Nurse
I started in GP practice 10 years later after chatting to a patient who was a Practice Nurse and thinking I’d give it a go.
I realise that that doesn’t sound like I had a very structured career path and you’d be right.
I started in a very small surgery doing everything from practice nursing to dispensing to reception work.
Things were very different then and there wasn’t really a proper career path for Practice Nurses.
If you were lucky you got taken on by a practice who had an experienced nurse able to train you.
I had two excellent mentors who taught me an enormous amount as the role is very different from hospital nursing.
There were some courses available for smear taking, family planning and a few others but most of it was learnt on the job.
Today it is very different. You still learn a lot on the job but there is a lot more structured education available in a whole variety of areas so you can gain qualifications to add to your portfolio.
I started practice nursing in 1990 at a very small, rural surgery where I was a 'Jack of all trades'.
It actually gave me a very good grounding into GP land and how the whole system worked.
As my husband changed jobs so I moved too making sure I collected qualifications along the way such as Family Planning and Diabetes certificates.
I then lived in Germany for a year and on return to the UK started work in a local practice.
I was becoming, not bored exactly, but distinctly unchallenged.
I felt I could do more.
The surgery I was at threw up its hands in horror at a Nurse Prescriber (this was when it was basically paracetamol, dressings and laxatives and not much else) so I had to make some tough choices.
My cost benefit analysis of me taking a more advanced role was rejected so I applied for a Nurse Practitioner role at a surgery much further away.
They were willing to train me and took me on.
My word what a steep learning curve!
All the GPs were very supportive and I had a wonderful mentor.
It was tough but also very rewarding and I felt I was finally realising my potential.
I was one of the first nurses to undertake the Independent Nurse Prescribing course.
This made life so much easier.
No more hanging around outside GP rooms to get scripts signed (well a lot less as the formulary wasn’t very extensive).
Due to an outbreak of stupidity on my part I ended up working almost full time and full-time study for about 9 months.
This was clearly a bonkers thing to do and I wouldn’t recommend it however it did hone my time keeping skills, organisational skills and I knew it was only for a short period of time.
I wouldn’t do it again (well probably…).
The travelling time to this surgery meant a move to one nearer home, sadly and a couple of other moves since for varying personal reasons.
At one surgery I had as a patient my old tutor from my student nursing days, so we are talking around 25 years on!
It was lovely to see them and I think they were pleased with how far I’d come.
How to become a Practice Nurse today
To become a Practice Nurse today you still need a surgery to take you on as a newbie but there is also much more official training available.
Ideally before you work in GP practice you will have at least 2 years post qualification experience under your belt and if some of that is in A+E so much the better.
Most areas have a specialist Practice Nurse course that covers all the main areas such as childhood immunisations, the basics of long term conditions such as asthma, diabetes and COPD, travel immunisations, contraception, wound care and how GP practices work as opposed to hospital.
Jobs now are advertised in local press and on sites like NHS jobs.
Practice Nurses work alongside GPs in a health centre of varying sizes.
The personality of the surgery will differ according to the people who run it, the doctors who work there, the reception team and the patient demographic.
It will also be different according to whether you work in a town or a more rural setting.
As a general rule of thumb, you will be working for a practice that supplies a service to the NHS so yes, the services are NHS but you are not working for the NHS in the same way as you would in hospital.
So, working conditions, pay, uniform policy etc are governed by the surgery and not necessarily the same as the NHS hospital side.
What are the Ideal skills needed in Practice Nursing?
Being able to manage your own workload is absolutely essential
Patients have appointment times and you should be able to keep to time.
Lots of people find this extremely challenging and some aren’t able to do.
It’s very different from the hospital working where things are a bit more flexible.
The patients expect to be seen roughly around their appointment time and it’s up to you to keep to time and complete everything in the allotted appointment.
Times are tailored to what you need to do and extended when you first start but you will find you have to pick up time keeping abilities very quickly.
You need to be confident in one to one consultations
You need to be able to justify your decisions to patients (and their families who come with them) when they question you as to why you are doing something.
Be prepared for anything to come through the door - this is why A+E helps especially if you work in a rural practice and the hospital is some distance away.
Patients will come to you first even if they have been having acute chest pain on the golf course for the last two hours, they will drive 20 minutes to see you rather than call 999 (as more than one person has done that to me).
Empathise but remain detached
You will get to know people intimately and their families over the months and years you work in a practice and you can easily become too involved.
Be a team player/solo worker
Whilst you are part of a team you work on your own so need to be mindful of the different ways this affects you.
Be someone who will always ask questions if you are not sure
On your own and running late it can be very tempting to make a guess.
Not a good idea.
We all to have to ask questions.
Be computer literate
Different surgeries have different systems but the two most common ones are Emis Web and System1.
The surgery will train you on its system but knowing how to use a computer is vital
Interview tips for Practice Nurses
Show them you want the job!
Go for an informal visit.
Have a look around the surgery, meet the team and ask questions.
Make sure your CV is to the point and relevant.
Look at how what you have done already can relate to the job you are applying for.
Transferable skills - make the most of what skills you have already and adapt them to the surgery environment.
Why should the surgery employ you?
Make us want you. You will typically have at least 3 people interviewing you.
A doctor, a nurse and the Practice Manager or HR head.
Don’t be intimidated by this.
About this contributor
Nurse Practitioner
Returning home from uni abroad I went into nursing after chatting with my best friend at school. I wanted to challenge myself. After qualifying I moved into GP practice as a combined dispenser/receptionist/nurse role in a very small local practice. I have developed my skills over the years to become a Nurse Practitioner. My forte now is Long Term Conditions management. I love the challenges that come with nursing and knowing that I have made a difference. I’m now semi-retired and winding down.
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