How to become a GP Nurse

Most nurses come into practice nursing after working in secondary care or community nursing for a few years. It is possible to become a practice nurse as a newly qualified nurse but it is important to find the right practice so that you can be offered the appropriate level of support to be able to work autonomously. To support your transition to GPN practices sometimes will support internal training, or universities offer an all-encompassing Fundamentals of Practice Nursing course.

Course details are available on the following universities websites but we recommend you contact your nearest university for information on the courses they provide:

Essex University: https://www.essex.ac.uk/short-courses/hs568/7/fundamentals-of-general-practice-nursing
Anglia Ruskin University: https://aru.ac.uk/study/professional-and-short-courses/fundamentals-of-practice-nursing
University of Hertfordshire: https://www.herts.ac.uk/courses/short/fundamental-skills-and-knowledge-for-general-practice-nurses-lvl-7

Further information and useful links:

The Queen’s Nursing Institute information on the Practice Nurse transition https://www.qni.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Transition-to-General-Practice-Nursing.pdf

Download our guide to General Practice Nursing: https://www.essexprimarycarecareers.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Registered-Nursing-in-Primary-Care-V2.pdf

General Practice Nurse Education Network: https://gpnen.org.uk/

I would also encourage you to sign up for job alerts and to apply to any vacancies via our website https://vacancies.essexprimarycarecareers.nhs.uk/vacancies/vacancy-search-results.aspx