Nurse VS GP: which is more beneficial?

For approximately four years, I have seen a variety of health professionals but never really knew which each individual one actually does. After seeing my Nurse Practitioner at the beginning of the week, I asked her what the difference was between her job and my GP’s in terms of what they specialize in and their roles when it comes to providing care for their patients. It is just as beneficial to see a Practice Nurse as it would be seeing a GP. Here’s why;

A Practice Nurse – 

Practice Nurses are registered nurses that work in GP surgeries. They provide care in the following aspects:

• Collecting blood samples
• ECG’s
• Wound management
• Health advice and vaccinations
• Child immunisations and advice
• Womens and Mens health including sexual health
• Swabs
• Blood pressure
• Urine samples

A practice nurse will have more specific jobs within the practice. They can help and advice within minor illnesses however they cannot diagnose or prescribe medications, however you may find that some can. They also run clinics for long term conditions such as Diabetes and Asthma.

A nurse Practitioner is a nurse who has advanced in their nursing with additional training and skills who are usually able to prescribe medications and have more knowledge with chronic or long term illnesses.

Both have access to your medical notes and care plan if you have one put in place. Many Practice Nurses/Nurse Practitioners specialise in different areas of health which can be very helpful.

GP’s – 

GP’s (General Practice) provides care in all common medical conditions, refer patients to specialist hospitals and focus on the patients health in all aspects such as :

• Physical
• Psychological
• Social

This also includes community, home and care in hospital. GP’s who care for patients with chronic illness have the aim to enable them to stay at home and keep them as well as can be. GP’s can also work in different aspects of the hospital such as A and E centres, Discharge planning and may run clinics. They look at the patient’s medical history and the symptoms that they present with at the time of the consultation. If you have a phone consultation they can also give a patient advice via telephone or organise for them to come in for example a blood or urine test.