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Primary care providers, including general practice teams (GPTs), are well positioned within the community to integrate cancer survivorship care into ongoing health management. However, roles of GPT members in delivery of cancer survivorship care have not been explored. The purpose of this study is to explore these roles from the perspectives of General Practitioners (GPs), Practice Nurses (PNs) and Practice Managers (PMs). An interpretive qualitative study using semi-structured in-depth telephone interviews with ten GPs, nine PNs and five PMs was conducted. Interviews were recorded, transcribed and analysed using grounded theory methods. Perspectives of roles in delivery of cancer survivorship care were highly variable. Variation was evident among perceptions of needs of cancer survivors, individual team members’ scopes of practice, and individual professional knowledge and skills. A lack of clarity in roles and responsibilities of GPT members was thought to contribute to a lack of consistency in survivorship care. Reducing variations in perceptions of survivorship care in the primary care setting should be a priority. Such efforts may include development of practical guidance to support GPT members to clarify scopes of practice within the team. In addition to accessible comprehensive education programs, other innovative, tailored individualised education approaches may be helpful. System-level support in clarifying and supporting the roles of the primary care team is needed to facilitate a survivorship delivery system at general practice level where those within GPT can ensure that individual patients’ needs are met in a timely and effective manner.

Primary care settings are ideal for initiating advance care planning (ACP) conversations and assessing palliative and supportive care needs. However, time constraints and a lack of confidence to sensitively and efficiently initiate such discussions are noted barriers. The Advance Project implemented a national multicomponent training package to support Australian general practice nurses (GPNs) to work with GPs to initiate ACP and palliative care conversations in their practice. This paper reports on semistructured interviews conducted with 20 GPNs to explore barriers and facilitators to implementing the Advance Project model. Participants identified a range of factors that affected implementation, including lack of time, limited support from colleagues, lack of knowledge about systems and funding processes in general practice and a need for better alignment of the Advance Project resources and practices with general practice information management platforms. Barriers related to professional roles, particularly the lack of clarity and/or limitations in the scope of practice of GPNs, highlighted the importance of defining and supporting the roles that different primary health practice staff could play to support implementation of the model. The findings underline the need for complementary training in the Advance Project model for GPs and practice managers to enable a team-based approach to implementation.

Aim: The aim of this scoping review is to synthesise current evidence around the clinical skill development of preregistration registered nurses (RNs) in Australia, United Kingdom (UK), Ireland, United States (US), Canada and New Zealand, to inform nurse education, policy and clinical practice. Background: Nursing is a practical profession, and registered nurses require specific skills, knowledge and attributes in order to care for patients safely. The context for health care delivery is shifting, and the education of nurses must adapt to effectively equip the registered nurse of the future. Design: A scoping review was conducted of clinical skill development in preregistration nurses. CINAHL Plus, MEDLINE, Health Source (Nursing/Academic edition) and Scopus were searched. Included studies were primary Australian studies and international literature reviews, which focussed on preregistration nursing education. Papers were written in the English language and focussed on clinical skill development. Results were synthesised narratively. The review is reported here in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analyses Scoping Review extension (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines. Results: One hundred fifty-five Australia studies and 89 international reviews were included in the review. Six key themes were identified, namely clinical skills, approaches to teaching and learning, interprofessional education, assessment of learning, clinical placement and simulation. Conclusion: There is substantial variation in strategies and programmes to facilitate clinical skill development both within Australia and internationally, indicating a genuine shift away from traditional didactic pedagogy. New graduate registered nurses were expected to be “work-ready,” albeit at a novice level, when they enter the workplace. Future research should consider measures of impact on actual clinical practice and focus on developing work-ready graduates for the range of clin

Lifestyle risk factors are antecedents to many chronic conditions and are largely modifiable. Health professional support is often sought to reduce lifestyle risk. The ongoing relationship general practice nurses typically have with patients situates them ideally to provide this support. This paper explores the barriers and facilitators to lifestyle risk communication by registered nurses (RNs) in Australian general practice. Fifteen general practice RNs from southeastern Australia participated in semistructured interviews. Verbatim transcriptions of the audio-recorded interviews were analysed using thematic analysis. Six themes emerged in terms of perceived barriers and facilitators: educational preparation and confidence; organisational and funding arrangements; lifestyle risk prioritisation; organisational support; autonomous roles; and supporting patients' needs. Although communication about lifestyle risk factors is within the general practice nurses' scope of practice, concerted efforts fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, the prioritisation of time, funding and educational opportunities would better support this role, at the same time optimising chronic disease management and patient outcomes.

As COVID-19 spread across Australia, our research team undertook a rapid research project to capture the experiences of nurses working in primary healthcare during the pandemic. We were hearing stories of nurses losing their jobs, not having enough personal protective equipment, and concerns for patient care. We wanted to provide a voice for nurses working in primary healthcare who were otherwise invisible in the policy decision making and rapid changes occurring in health services. This research sought to quantify and document the workforce, professional and personal issues facing primary healthcare nurses to inform government, policy makers, and local managers both during the time of crisis and in the longer term.

Background: Rising health care burden has increased demand for general practice nurses. Exploring final-year nursing students’ perceived levels of confidence, interest and intention to work in this area can inform preparation and recruitment of new graduates into this workforce. Aim: To explore final-year nursing students’ confidence, interest and intention to work in general practice. Methods: Final-year nursing students from five universities situated in New South Wales, Australia were surveyed between March and June 2019. The survey comprised investigator-developed questions and validated tools adapted for use in general practice. Findings: Of the 355 included responses, 34.1% respondents had a clinical placement in general practice. Work experience was a significant predictor of confidence in working as a Registered or General Practice Nurse. Being enrolled as an international student, general practice placement experience and high confidence to work in general practice were significant predictors of interest and intention to work in this setting. Analysis showed a strong positive relationship between interest and intention to work in general practice, and a small but positive relationship between confidence and intention to work in general practice. Discussion: Despite generally positive views around their confidence, interest and intention to work in general practice, some respondents indicated uncertainties around these, and the usefulness of their undergraduate preparation towards PHC employment. This may be attributable to the inconsistent exposure to general practice nursing within Australian undergraduate nursing programs. Conclusion: Increasing students’ theoretical and clinical exposure to general practice enhances confidence and interest to pursue a career in this setting.

Aim/objective: This paper sought to investigate the perceptions of final-year nursing students regarding general practice nursing as a new graduate career path. Background: General practice nurses have become increasingly important in providing community-based care, in response to the growing burden of chronic conditions and the ageing population. To sustain this workforce, there is a need to optimise strategies to promote a consistent supply of new graduate nurses. Design: This qualitative descriptive study was undertaken within a sequential explanatory mixed methods project. Methods: Data were collected through semi-structured telephone interviews with sixteen final-year nursing students from five Australian universities. Interviews were analysed using thematic analysis. Results: Four main themes were identified, namely; a) general practice is not a priority career path, b) opportunities for skills development and consolidation, c) perceptions of employment conditions, and d) transition support is limited. Conclusion: To meet current workforce needs in areas with increasing demand, nurse educators need to support undergraduate nursing students to explore a wide range of career pathways following graduation. Informed career choices and well-structured educational preparation during undergraduate education may be an effective strategy in building a sustainable future workforce in settings such as general practice.

Aim: To explore final-year nursing students’ perceptions of general practice nursing. Background: The need for general practice nurses has increased due to growing demands for health care in the community. This demand is exacerbated by a shortage in the general practice nursing workforce. Understanding final-year nursing students’ perceptions of general practice nursing is important as these may influence career choices. Design: Qualitative descriptive study within a mixed methods project. Methods: Telephone interviews were conducted with sixteen final-year nursing students. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic analysis. Reporting follows the COREQ checklist. Results: Perceptions of general practice nursing varied between participants and related to three main themes; ways of working; a broad role to meet diverse health needs; and relationships with patients. General practice nurses were seen to have stable and collaborative working relationships, with their role ranging from supporting general practitioners to being autonomous professionals. The nurse's broad role was associated with diverse presentations and was considered interesting and challenging. Participants perceived that general practice nurses had more time to spend with patients, and this helped establish trust, and facilitated patient-centred care. Conclusion: Participants’ perceptions of general practice nursing varied, with some students recognising the diversity of the role and others perceiving it as limited. These views were often impacted by others experiences rather than personal experience. These variations underscore the need for students to receive greater exposure to general practice nursing. Review of undergraduate curricula to increase focus on preparing nursing students to work in general practice may help shape students’ interest to seek employment in this setting. Relevance to clinical practice: Students perceptions of a clinical setting can in