GP Practice placements

Student Placements within a Primary Care / GP Setting

General practice is amongst one of the largest branches/specialities within healthcare, with this service being the first point of care for the majority of the population. Being allocated to a general practice placement will give the student an opportunity to be involved and participate in the fundamentals of patient centred care, alongside fostering an understanding of patient perceptions of living with long term conditions, illness and minor ailments. 

Working together with a practice nurse, as well as other members of the multidisciplinary team, the student will be able to observe, assist and undertake a multitude of interventions contributing to the well-being of the patients. Involvement with the wider multi-disciplinary team will be valuable in augmenting required evidence required for all learning domains and will supplement the knowledge of many long term conditions, their symptoms, treatment and management. 

In the a primary care setting, there will be opportunities to learn about physical, mental and emotional health across all age ranges and healthcare spectrums, providing a platform to develop an holistic patient approach to nursing care. By experiencing this intimate environment, the student will be able to work with patients and carers more closely and therefore will require excellent interpersonal skills and full usage of the 6 C’s.

Nursing interventions and professional practice within a GP setting:

Assessment/reviews
There are many patient assessments and reviews within a GP setting, such as: 

• Triage assessment
• Physical assessment
• Mental health assessment
• Medication and treatment reviews and assessment
• Wound assessment
• Long term conditions
• Travel health assessment
• Wound assessment
• Treatment assessment
• Physical assessment

Clinic Appointments
General practice nursing have a variety of clinics and appointments. You will have the opportunity to observe, assist or lead clinics such as:

• Diabetic management, including: diabetic foot checks, blood monitoring, lifestyle advice and medication reviews.
• Asthma and COPD management, including; inhaler selection, use and technique, monitoring of exacerbations and symptoms, Spirometry, reversibility and Peak flow assessment, treatment escalation and de-escalation plan management.
• Hypertension diagnosis, treatment and management
• CHD monitoring and management
• Health promotion, including: Weight management including nutritional education and monitoring, Smoking Cessation and support
• Travel Health, including: risk assessment, travel health education, vaccinations
• Sexual Health, including: contraception advice and monitoring, sexual health advice, young person’s advice clinics
• Baby immunisations, including: active health promotion, identification of immunisations, routine examinations, recording and liaising with child health services
• Cervical cytology, including; health promotion and smear testing
• Dermatology clinics, including: Mole diagnosis clinics, other skin conditions diagnosis and treatment, and minor op procedures
• NHS health checks
• Urgent care/minor illness clinics, including: on the day appointments, diagnosis, treatment, management and self-care advice
• Substance misuse clinics
• Mental health clinics, including; advice and treatment management pathways
• Physiotherapy appointments
• Tissue viability, including: leg ulcer assessment and management
• Anticoagulant clinics, including; testing, monitoring and treatment plans
• Hormonal injections/treatment initiated by secondary care

• Venepuncture/ Blood tests/ Urinalysis/ Swabs/ INR monitoring/ Blood Glucose monitoring
• Ecg
• Blood pressure
• Weight/height
• Other investigations directly linked to general practice clinics or primary and secondary care requests

• Motivational interviewing and coaching skills
• Leadership and management experience and skills
• Liaison with other disciplines and organisations, such as secondary care, private and voluntary sectors

Student evaluation comments from GP placements:

“Very supportive. All staff were incredibly helpful and supportive, including non-clinical staff. I was encouraged to develop my skills as an independent practitioner whilst knowing that support was always available. All nursing staff took an interest in enabling my learning, each bringing different perspectives and knowledge. I was able to focus on my weaker areas and am ow confident in these skills”.