A General Practice Nurse is a registered nurse (RN, EN or EEN) who works autonomously within a Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) within General Practice (GP) surgeries as part of a Primary Healthcare Team and is usually employed by the General Practice or group practice.
Depending on their qualifications the can assess, screen and treat people of all ages, including babies, children and adults in addition to providing traditional aspects of nursing care such as wound care, immunisations, vaccinations, and hold clinics for patients with Long Term Conditions such as asthma, heart disease and diabetes.
If you are considering moving from the hospital setting to practice nursing here are some differences or points you may like to consider:
Depending on the setting, hospital nursing and clinic nursing can be very different. The type of care patients receive is the first major difference between working as a nurse in a private practice vs. hospital setting. In private settings, nurses can focus on individual patient’s needs more since they care for far fewer patients daily than hospital nurses. Fewer patients also allow nurses to build personal relationships with patients and their families.
Another difference between hospital and clinic nursing is that in the clinic, the primary focus is generally on preventive health. Education on various topics such as a healthy diet, diabetic living, blood pressure management, etc. are things clinic nurses must educate their patients on. Education in the hospital setting also occurs but is often tailored to the acute problem a patient was admitted with.
Whether in private or hospital settings, nurses are a part of a medical team. The team is much smaller in private care and this allows nurses to form solid relationships with team members. Hospital teams are vast in size and always changing.
In both private practice and with large organizations, running a medical clinic is like a business. The setting is more of an "office" setting with receptionists, phone calls, filing, mail, and computer work. There is also a customer service aspect- higher patient satisfaction means repeat "business" which translates to potentially more revenue. This applies primarily to primary care and in private practice.
The transition from inpatient to clinic outpatient care can be a significant change in a nurse's career. It's important to remain flexible and keep an open mind and continue to wear your learning hat to understand the differences and work efficiently post transition!
Browse our list of Nursing roles here : https://www.healthcarelink.com.au/jobs/for-nurses-and-midwives/?offset=0
