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Recognition of the need for this resource
Practice nurses have an important role in primary health care.
For many years the United Kingdom and New Zealand have
acknowledged the significant role nurses play in supporting
general practice in improving the health outcomes of patients.
In recent years Australia has also embraced the value of the
extended role of nurses in primary health care.
Through the introduction of health initiatives in 2001 and
more recently with its ‘Strengthening Medicare’ package, the
Australian Federal Government has provided an opportunity for
general practices to develop a primary health care team that will
support general practice and their patients. Included in these
initiatives is the provision for increasing the number of nurses
working in general practice.
The Government has, as part of these initiatives, recognised that
the recruitment and orientation of nurses to general practice is
an important aspect of the transition of nursing to the primary
health care sector.
In recognition of the need for support in the recruitment and orientation of general practice nurses, the Department of
Health and Ageing (DoHA) has provided funding to develop this
national resource. In its development, recognition is given to
the previous work of a number of divisions of general practice
in producing local resources for recruitment and orientation.
These resources demonstrate the commitment of divisions to
supporting nursing in general practice.
Divisions of general practice across Australia who have generously provided information and resources developed at a
local level are listed on the “Acknowledgements” page of this
guide. The guide draws from those contributions, in particular,
the considerable early work of the Hunter Urban Division of
General Practice, and later the Melbourne, Riverina and Illawarra
divisions of general practice resource kits.
Development of the Nursing in General Practice
Recruitment and Orientation Resource
Project partners in the development of this national resource are
the Australian General Practice Network (AGPN), the Australian
Nursing Federation (ANF), and the Australian Practice Nurses
Association (APNA).
A Steering Committee guided the project and was comprised
of the project partners and representatives from: Royal College
of Nursing, Australia (RCNA), Australian Nursing and Midwifery
Council (ANMC); Melbourne Division of General Practice;
Illawarra Division of General Practice; South Australian Divisions
Incorporated; Australian Association of Practice Managers
(AAPM); Australian Government Department of Health and
Ageing (DoHA).
Validation of the resource content also included a consultation process involving practice nurses, general practitioners, practice
managers, and division staff via focus groups, interviews and a
web-based survey.
Audience for the national resource
The resource has been developed to assist general practices in
the recruitment and orientation of a nurse to general practice.
The target audiences for the resource are:
• general practitioners
• practice managers
• nurses
• the general practice team
• divisions of general practice.
The resource provides general practitioners and practice
managers with an overview of the possible roles nurses can
perform in the general practice setting. It also addresses
questions most commonly asked by general practices regarding
the recruitment and orientation process and nurse utilisation.
Professional issues such as registration of nurses, competency
standards for nurses in general practice, and professional
indemnity considerations are covered.
The resource has also been designed to support nurses in the transition to working in general practice from other clinical
areas. It includes information about general practice, the roles
and support available to nurses who move to the primary health
sector, and professional development issues.
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PDF versions useful for printing or future reference:
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