Nursing Report: Primary Health Care and Registered Nurse Roles

This report examines key aspects of nursing practice, beginning with an outline of the main differences between the ANMC Practice Standards for Registered Nurses and Practice Nurses. It then delves into a comparison of the roles of Registered Nurses in general practice versus those in intensive care units, highlighting the distinct responsibilities and required specializations. Furthermore, the report describes how the philosophy of Primary Health Care relates to the role of the Registered Nurse in General Practice, emphasizing the importance of promoting health, preventing illness, and ensuring patient participation in care plans. The analysis is supported by references to relevant literature, including the Australian Nursing & Midwifery Federation's National Practice Standards and McKinley's research on Australian intensive care nursing. This report is designed to provide a comprehensive understanding of the evolving roles and standards within the nursing profession.

Running head: NURSING
Nursing
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Outline the main differences between the ANMC Practice Standards for the Registered
Nurse and the ANMC Practice Standards for the Practice Nurse
As per the ANMC practice standards, the term Practice Nurses (PN) refers to nurses
working in a General Practice setting that mainly includes a medical centre wherein the role of
the nurse is to assist the GPs in delivering patient care. Practice nurses have qualification for
being employed by general practice. PNs are usually considered as a vital part of an efficient and
effective clinic wherein they can provide support for providing faster care to patients. These
nurses are required to get engaged in the process of counseling patients in relation to lifestyle
issues, and management of chronic diseases like asthma and diabetes. In addition, they can also
guide in age specific health check-up of children by the physician. Further, PN are required to
carry out different routine procedures like helping GPs with surgical procedures and
immunizations. The setting of the GP clinic, its size, along with patient demographics is known
to influence the exact role of the PN in that particular setting. Apart from clinical care, the role of
the PN might include management of patient information, maintenance of clinical equipment,
organization of referrals, patient follow-ups and coordination of care plans.
In contrast, Registered Nurses (RN) works in nursing teams within a health care unit. The
RNs practice in an independent and at times in an interdependent manner within a care team,
assuming responsibility and accountability of their own actions and delegation of care to other
healthcare workers. The role of RNs chiefly encompasses promotion of health, prevention of
illness for those with mental or physical illness, rehabilitation needs or disabilities, and
alleviation of suffering and pain at the end of life stage. Within a larger healthcare setting, RNs
work competently to assess, plan, implement and evaluate nursing care which is implemented in

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collaboration with professionals from a multidisciplinary team for achieving the set health
outcomes of the patient (Australian Nursing & Midwifery Federation, 2014).
Outline the main differences between the role of the registered nurse in general practice to
that of the registered nurse in intensive care
The role of registered nurse in general practice is of much significance for delivering care
to the patients. The nurse is a part of the nursing team accountable for ensuring that the services
delivered are of optimal quality and relevant to the practice population. The primary
responsibilities and duties include meeting the patient’s nursing care needs. Initiation and
management of health screening for certain areas of the population is a key responsibility of the
RNs in general practice. RNs in general practice are to perform clinical tasks such as performing
spirometry, ECG, engaging in health promotion activities, administering medications and
monitoring certain drugs, managing and dressing wounds, providing assistance with less invasive
surgical techniques, triaging of patients, administering immunizations and providing assistance
with disease management activities. Administrative tasks might include equipment sterilization,
infection control and managing practice recall systems (Australian Nursing & Midwifery
Federation, 2014).
The role of registered nurses in the intensive care units in Australia is distinct and
significant. The RNs working in the ICUs are to have specialization in nursing for dealing with
patients suffering from life-threatening, high dependency condition. The primary responsibilities
of registered nurses in ICUs are monitoring of respirator status and haemodynamic status of
patients, adjustment of ventilatory support and vasoactive drug, titration of analgesic and
sedative therapies, weaning of mechanical support and operation of renal replacement treatment.

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In addition, they are required to carry out regular care tasks such as noninvasive monitoring,
wound care, routine hygiene. Arguably, the quality of care in ICU in Australia is maintained by
having the ration of one registered nurse to one patient provided with mechanical ventilation. In
addition, some registered nurses have additional responsibilities such as that of a ‘team leader’
and ‘in-charge’ of a shift apart from being educators and clinical nurse consultants. RNs in ICUs
are to work, as per the requirement, within a multidisciplinary team of physicians, consultants
and physiotherapists among other care professionals. Further, they might need to undertake
family liaison duties for providing support to patient and family members suffering from life
threatening conditions (McKinley, 2007).
Describe how the philosophy of Primary Health Care relates to the role of the Registered
Nurse in General Practice
Primary health care models are being redesigned for increasing the delivery of better
quality health care. RNs in Australia are well placed for assuming direct care and leadership role
on the basis of their knowledge and competency in alignment with the philosophy of primary
healthcare. Primary healthcare focuses on improving health that is perceived as the state of
complete mental, physical, and social wellbeing, and not just the absence of any disease. In
relation to this philosophy, registered nurses working in general practice are to reaffirm health of
patients as a human right. They are to perceive promotion as well as protection of health that
includes disparities and social exclusion in health. Further, RNs are to consider people’s
participation in the process of planning and implementing care plans. They are required to
provide universally accessible, socially appropriate, and scientifically sound first level of care.
They might work independently, or interpedently, for maximizing empowerment, self-reliance
and participation in care (apna.asn.au, 2018).

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References
Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation. (2014). National Practice Standards for Nurses in
General Practice. Melbourne.
McKinley, S. (2007). Australian intensive care nursing. Intensive and Critical Care Nursing,
23(6), 309-312. doi: 10.1016/j.iccn.2007.08.007
Primary health care nursing. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.apna.asn.au/profession/what-
is-primary-health-care-nursing.