He or she is a nurse who works in General Practice.

A practice nurse will have trained and become registered in the same way as other nurses working in, say, hospitals. But then, in the same way a GP chooses to work in the community, the Practice Nurse does too.

Also, like a GP, the Practice Nurse is trained to deal with common, everyday problems not usually seen in hospitals, although both can still attend to emergencies and severe illnesses.

One of the great things about a Practice Nurse is that her time is not usually all taken up with appointments, and so she is more accessible for things like phone advice.

If an appointment with the nurse is required this is usually much cheaper than the GP’s, and some things may even be free, such as pregnancy tests, but this varies from practice to practice so it is best to ask first.

The nurse also works as a team with the GP so will have access to your medical records and can ask for advice from the doctor or arrange prescriptions if needed.

Try them – they’re friendly!