An online Nursing in General Practice Recruitment and Orientation Resource is available to assist general practices with the recruitment and orientation of nurses to the general practice setting.

Section 2: For the Employer also contains templates to download, which may assist you in the process of recruiting and orientating a new practice nurse.

To also assist you, the ISML has compiled some helpful tips for practices considering employing a nurse.

Establishing Your Needs as a Practice

• Establish what the needs of your practice are by discussing as a team how you would like to utilise the services of a nurse.
• Clarify individual GP expectation versus the needs of the practice as these can sometimes be very different.

        Example: GP A might expect the nurse will be available primarily for clinical support (ie     
        vaccinations, wound management, spirometry), whereas GP B may expect the nurse to
         undertake Enhanced Primary Care activities such as Health Assessments and Chronic
         Disease Management, leaving very little time allocated to providing clinical support to the
         practice GPs.

• Make sure all GPs and the practice manager have realistic expectations and a clear understanding of the scope of nursing practice. To assist you in understanding the roles of nurses in general practice, please refer to Nursing in General Practice Recruitment and Orientation Resource.

By establishing the roles you wish the nurse to undertake within the practice, you will be able to form a position description, which will guide you in choosing a nurse.

Recruitment Tips

Practices often ask "Do we need a Registered Nurse (RN), Enrolled Nurse (EN) or Endorsed Enrolled Nurse (EEN)?'

Enrolled nurses, including endorsed enrolled nurses, work under the supervision of a registered nurse. Due to this requirement for clinical supervision, a registered nurse should be hired if a practice requires only one nurse.

The table below helps to clarify the difference between registered nurses and enrolled nurses in NSW.

The Nurses and Midwives Board (NMB) is the statutory authority responsible for the registration of nurses and midwives in NSW.

The NMB now has an online search option to allow employers to confirm if a nurse holds a current practicing certificate, and if there are conditions placed on there ability to practice as a nurse. Please remember that this confirmation is the responsibility of the employer.

Advertising for a Nurse

The ISML website now has a Positions Vacant section where you can place an advertisement for a nurse. Please contact the Practice Support Team on 4220 7600 or at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it if you wish to place an advertisement. Practices may wish to use alternate recruitment methods such as advertising in the local paper.

Orientation

The ISML Practice Support Team is available to provide a range of services to those nurses who are new to nursing in general practice. To aid this transition into general practice, the Practice Support Team provides assistance with:

• Understanding Medicare nurse item numbers
• Health Assessments and Care Plans 
• Medical Director training
• Clinical software training

A national Nursing in General Practice Recruitment and Orientation Resource is also available online. Within this resource Section 3 provides information for nurses considering working in a general practice, as well as those newly employed in general practice.

The National Competency Standards for Nurses working in General Practice have also been developed and provide a useful framework that reflects nursing practice in the general practice setting.