At Safety Beach Medical and Wellness Practice, Nicole Prest recently completed her Nurse Practitioner training after several years. The practice supported Nicole throughout her studies, including providing financial support, and is now seeing the benefits of integrating the Nurse Practitioner role into daily care.

What is a Nurse Practitioner?

Nurse Practitioners are Registered Nurses with advanced clinical training who can assess and manage patients, prescribe medications, order investigations, and provide education and preventative care. Nurse Practitioners have completed additional university study at Master degree level and are the most senior and independent clinical nurses in our health care system. In general practice, they work collaboratively with GPs to support patient care and improve access to timely appointments.

A journey shaped by experience and support

Nicole said her decision to pursue Nurse Practitioner training came from a desire to provide more comprehensive care to patients.

“I wanted greater autonomy in patient care and the ability to follow patients through their entire journey,” Nicole said. “I really enjoy clinical decision-making, and becoming a Nurse Practitioner felt like a natural progression that allowed me to use my experience in a broader way.”

Before commencing her training, Nicole worked as a practice nurse, supporting patients through chronic disease management, health assessments, immunisations and education. As her role evolved, so did her interest in advanced clinical practice.

The training process took several years and required balancing postgraduate study with full-time work, supervised practice hours and competency assessments.

“It was a demanding process and required strong time management and resilience,” Nicole said. “But it was also incredibly rewarding, and having support from colleagues and mentors made a big difference.”

According to Practice Manager Vanessa Patané, supporting Nicole’s training aligned with the practice’s long-standing commitment to investing in its nursing team.

“We’ve always been very supportive of our nurses pursuing further training,” Vanessa said. “When Nicole completed her Nurse Practitioner training, we could immediately see how this role could help patients get appointments sooner and reduce pressure on GP appointments.”

The Nurse Practitioner role has enabled the practice to offer additional appointment options for patients, often at a lower cost, while supporting GPs with aspects of care such as repeat referrals, prescriptions, medical certificates and acute presentations.

“This has really helped with workflow,” Vanessa said. “It supports the doctors rather than taking work away from them, and it’s helped improve work–life balance across the team.”

Vanessa said patient uptake has been strong, particularly because many patients already had established relationships with the nursing team.

“Patients already feel comfortable with the nurses here,” she said. “Being able to see a Nurse Practitioner they know, who understands their history, has worked really well. It keeps care within the practice and supports continuity with their GP.”

Supporting general practice

SEMPHN supports practices through a dedicated Provider Support Team, offering tailored assistance in areas including accreditation guidance, quality improvement, workforce support, access to grants and peer mentoring.

Michele Frederiks, PSO, said the story highlights the value of practices investing in their teams.

“We’re always happy to celebrate practices that support their workforce to grow. Models like this demonstrate how general practice can strengthen capacity, improve access to care and continue to meet the needs of their communities.”

Building on this approach, SEMPHN is also supporting general practices through its Multidisciplinary Team program, which provides funding to help practices strengthen team-based care through a variety of multidisciplinary professionals. Registered and Enrolled Nurses are a core component of this program, helping to deliver a range of clinical and preventative services across participating practices, improving access for patients and reducing pressure on acute and chronic services.

Looking ahead

Nicole encourages other practice nurses who enjoy advanced clinical work to consider the Nurse Practitioner pathway.

“It’s not an easy path, but it is a rewarding one,” she said. “Staying patient-focused and remembering why you started the journey really helps.”