The number of GP practices offering student nurse placements has almost quadrupled in Wales, according Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW).
The national body, which supports NHS workforce needs in the country, said that boosting placement opportunities in primary and community care settings was a ‘critical part of building a sustainable and accessible healthcare workforce’ in Wales.
Latest figures show that there are now 71 GP practices offering placements for nursing students – up from 18 in October 2023.
According to HEIW, there are an additional 18 practices undergoing the governance process to be able to offer these placements too.
Swansea Bay University Health Board is among those that is hoping to help boost the primary care nursing workforce, and its Riverside Surgery in Port Talbot recently hosted a nursing student.
Related Article: Second world nursing report to be launched on International Nurses Day
The board said previously nursing placements in GP practices had been ‘limited’.
Nicola Wallis, advanced clinical practitioner and nurse manager at the surgery, said: ‘Primary care has been an area where student nurses may not have been aware of what goes on as it was never part of the student nurse programme.’
She added: ‘We recently had a student in our practice, and it was wonderful.
‘Taking the time to teach the students and show them what we do has been a big thing as we haven’t done it before, but it is great to pass on the skills to the next generation.
‘I think providing this opportunity will help to give students a really good insight into what an amazing career you can have in primary care as a nurse in a GP practice.’
In Swansea, the university allocates a student to a GP practice and the placements run for six weeks, Monday to Friday.
Georgina Clee, practice nurse at Riverside Surgery, said: ‘Our student was in her first year at university and it was her very first placement, so initially we covered basic nursing skills.
Related Article: New report offers practice nurses with tips and advice on negotiating pay
‘We showed her how undertake intramuscular and subcutaneous injections, blood pressure recordings and electrocardiograms, or ECGs.
‘Then as the placement progressed, we looked at ankle-brachial pressure index measurements, which checks for blocked or narrowed blood vessels, and talked her through how we do those and why we do them.’
She added: ‘We had some excellent feedback from her. We were all students once and I think it is really important we give back to the next generation.’
Meanwhile, HEIW director of education strategy and transformation, Ian Mathieson, said: ‘Increasing opportunities for students in primary and community care is a critical part of building a sustainable and accessible healthcare workforce for the people of Wales.
‘Student nurses are overwhelmingly evaluating their placement experiences as positive, highlighting the value of working with various members of the primary and community care team including GPs, physiotherapists, administrative team, advanced nurse practitioners and health visitors.’
Related Article: New qualification aims to help care leaders harness cutting-edge technology
Mr Mathieson said feedback saw many nursing students ‘describe their placements as inspiring and deeply impactful, with 78% of students saying they would consider pursuing a career in this setting’.
A recent review of practice learning requirements by the Nuffield Trust recently warned that GP practices were ‘often reluctant’ to take on nursing students because of funding constraints and a limited number of practice supervisors or assessors.
Last year, an exclusive Nursing in Practice roundtable – centred on our GPN Manifesto for 2024 – also explored the ‘poor’ funding levels preventing GP practices from housing nursing students on clinical placements in England.
