Role of the Practice Nurse

Practice Nurses are nurses who are privately employed by General Practitioners to provide a nursing model of care to the entire population of a general practice, (i.e. both GMS and private patients). Practice Nurses have a crucial role in the provision of Primary Health Care as they are ideally placed to provide a holistic approach to nursing care for all sections of the community, from newborns right through to the elderly. Practice Nurses are actively involved in health promotion, immunisations and screening; and many Practice Nurses run nurse-led clinics for the management of chronic diseases. 

With the Department of Health & Children’s current emphasis and strategic plans to move many services out of hospitals and into community settings, Practice Nurses are now being presented with a wide variety of conditions and diseases. Continuing Nurse Education is vital to enable Practice Nurses to provide evidence-based quality care. A large number of Practice Nurses are accredited as Clinical Nurse Specialists (CNS) and to date, two Practice Nurses have been accredited as Advanced Nurse Practitioners (ANP) in Primary Care.

QUALIFICATIONS NEEDED

Minimum Requirements:

A Practice Nurse must be a Registered General Nurse, (i.e. on the Live Active RGN or PHN Register of An Bord Altranais). 

Additional Qualifications:

Post-Registration qualifications will expand the Practice Nurse’s Scope of Practice and therefore enhance her role and the nursing service provided to patients.   The range of duties, which may be undertaken by a Practice Nurse, is extensive. Each Practice Nurse, like any other nurse, must practise within his/her own Scope of Practice, (see “Scope of Nursing and Midwifery Practice Framework, 2000”, available from An Bord Altranais). Therefore, a Practice Nurse has a responsibility to ensure that she is suitably qualified and competent to undertake any other duties. The autonomous nature of practice nursing means that issues pertaining to the Scope of Practice require constant reflection and vigilance on the part of the individual nurse.

Antenatal Care:

Any Practice Nurse who provides antenatal care must be a Registered Midwife, i.e. on the current Midwives Register of An Bord Altranais. There may also be a requirement within individual areas for a Practice Nurse to notify their local HSE office of their intention to practice midwifery in the community. For further information, please contact your local Professional Development Coordinator for Practice Nursing - contact details are in the Links page of this website. Also please refer to the An Bord Altranais document “Guidelines for Midwives”.