Skip to main content
National Careers Service

beta How could we improve this service? Your feedback will help.

  1. Home
  2. Explore careers
  3. Practice nurse

Practice nurse

Alternative titles for this job include

Practice nurses work in GP surgeries to assess, screen, treat and educate patients, and help doctors give medical care.

Average salary (a year)

£39,000 Starter

to

£55,000 Experienced

Typical hours (a week)

38 to 40 a week

You could work

evenings / weekends occasionally

How to become

Explore the different ways to get into this role.

How to become

You can get into this job by applying directly.

Direct Application

To apply directly to work in general practice, you need to be a qualified and registered adult, child, mental health or learning disability nurse.

When applying for jobs, it might give you an advantage if you have experience in:

  • chronic disease management, like diabetes or asthma
  • child immunisations
  • cervical screenings
  • taking blood samples

You might need to do the Specialist Practitioner - General Practice Nursing course. This is an approved programme by the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

Return to nursing

If you've been out of nursing for a while, you could do a return to general practice nursing course. 

You do not need previous general practice experience. You can do work placements in the community to help you move into a general practice nurse role.

More Information

Registration

Further information

You can find out more about how to become a practice nurse from Health Careers.

What it takes

Find out what skills you’ll use in this role.

What it takes

Skills and knowledge

You'll need:

  • counselling skills including active listening and a non-judgemental approach
  • knowledge of psychology
  • the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
  • sensitivity and understanding
  • patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
  • to be flexible and open to change
  • customer service skills
  • knowledge of English language
  • to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device

Restrictions and Requirements

You'll need to:

What you’ll do

Discover the day to day tasks you’ll do in this role.

What you'll do

Day-to-day tasks

In this role you could:

  • run clinics for conditions like asthma, diabetes, heart problems and skin disorders
  • apply dressings, treat wounds and take samples of blood and urine
  • give advice on family planning, contraception, blood pressure and stopping smoking
  • carry out infant injections, vaccinations and travel immunisations
  • help patients to manage long term conditions

Working environment

You could work at a GP practice.

Your working environment may be physically and emotionally demanding.

You may need to wear a uniform.

Career path and progression

Look at progression in this role and similar opportunities.

Career path and progression

With experience you could:

  • specialise in health promotion, chronic disease management, diabetes or asthma care
  • do a further qualification to work as a nurse practitioner and manage your own caseload of patients
  • train to become a specialist community practitioner, providing advanced care while leading a team
  • move into service management, teaching or research

Current opportunities

Find apprenticeships, courses and jobs available near you.

Current opportunities

Apprenticeships In England

We can't find any apprenticeship vacancies in England for a practice nurse right now.

The Find an apprenticeship service can help you with your search, send alerts when new apprenticeships become available and has advice on how to apply.

Courses In England

Access to HE - Nursing

  • Provider: Harrow, Richmond & Uxbridge Colleges (HRUC)
  • Start date: 09 September 2025
  • Location: Harrow

Access to HE Diploma (Nursing)

  • Provider: MACCLESFIELD COLLEGE
  • Start date: 08 September 2025
  • Location: Macclesfield
Find courses near you

Jobs In the United Kingdom

The Find a job service can help you with your search for jobs and send alerts when new jobs become available.

Search further careers

Related careers

Skills assessment

Take an assessment to learn more about your skills and the careers that might suit you.

Speak to an adviser

You can call 0800 100 900 or use webchat to speak to an adviser.

We're open:

  • 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday
  • 10am to 5pm Saturdays and bank holidays

We're closed on Sundays, Christmas Day and New Year's Day.

Is this page useful?

Yes No

Thank you for your feedback.

Thank you for your feedback. Click here if you'd like to let us know how we can improve the service.