 Hi everyone, welcome back to another vlog. My name is Claire Carmichael and I am a newly qualified general practice nurse. So the fundamentals of primary care course is done at university. It's normally between eight months to a year maximum and you're only at university like a day here and there. It's not a full-time course, it's completely part-time. You do it alongside your work environment. So I started my course this week at yesterday actually and all of our sessions are online but we get the time off from work to do this course and it is paid for as well. It's all completely funded so there's not going to be any expense to you or even your GP because it's funded by your local CCGs, NHS England or that jazz. So the way mine works out, I'm there once or twice every month or I think there's some months that I'm there four days in the month like once a week kind of thing but the months I'm only there twice in the month so it's not like a full-time thing and it is completely manageable. So the course will teach you things like your competencies. So I've got my list I know. So consultations and history taking in primary care, infection control, safeguarding children and adults, health promotion, mental health, dementia, childhood, immunisations and anaphylaxis, dermatology, asthma, COPD, diabetes, hypertension, venobuncture, ear care, cervical cytology so you can do your smear tests, ECGs and wound care. So there's quite a lot of stuff in the course. So this course that I'm on is in two parts. So part A is an actual assignment which is 3,500 words long and it's at a level seven because I've already got the degree. So if you've already got a degree you should be put on to the level seven course but if you've only if you've got the diploma for example and you're new to general practice then you'll be put on the level six course to sort of top it up if that makes sense. So yeah so part A is the assignment and part B is getting your competencies signed so they'll teach you all the things you need to know and then you have to gather the evidence to show that you're competent in those areas and you do that with your mentor in your clinic. So it's all run really really well I think. It fits in really nicely with what you're doing in clinics and getting that theory behind it and stuff like that just like being at university when you would get the theory and then you'd put it into practice in your placements and get your document signed off this is no different this is kind of the same thing just a different way of doing it. And this is my competency portfolio as well which is quite I mean it's quite a lot but I've got a lot of stuff that I need to sign off communication and all that all the little things like what do you know about primary care basic knowledge of values, results in microbiology and chemistry, blood test results those sort of things. There's a load of just little bits that I need to get signed off in this book as well. That's spread over nine months so I've got plenty of time to do it but I just wanted to give you an insight into what the course entails and what your course might entail depending which uni you're at they might run it differently but that's roughly what you'll get. You'll get everything you need to become a GP nurse and to be competent. And as a newly qualified nurse or if you are a new nurse going into general practice you will get funding from your CCGs and NHS England to do this course as part of the GPN sort of ten point plan of trying to get more nurses into GP. There is a mass shortage like everywhere out there so they really want to promote it and get people thinking about GP as their long life term career choice. So that's one thing that they're doing. The next thing is the fellowship program so this is quite a new thing and this actually package is part of that so if you hear the words fellowship program this is what it's part of so you will get the funding in place to do your fundamentals of general practice course then you will get your mentorship so really supportive package to help you get settled into your general practice post and you'll have your mentor. Some places I've heard are doing like rotations as well between GP clinics as well so you won't be just based at one you'll be based at a couple so that you can have like the overall view of the whole team and what they're doing and I think that's a really good idea as well because it's nice to see what other clinics are doing and things like that and then at the end of it you'll get your base I think that's what it sounds like but yeah it's all part of the fellowship program and supporting you to be the best that you can be and be that amazing GP nurse that you really want to be. So that is a bit about the fundamentals course and the fellowship program which is basically just like the perceptorship that you would get out there in the acute settings it's just things that are put in place to support you as a general practice nurse but if you are going for a new position or you're inquiring or anything like that about a practice nurse post then please make sure that you mention that you will be getting funding to do this because I think GPs worry that it's going to cost them to put you through your training and stuff like that so that just relieves some of the pressure from the GP that might entice them to give you the job if that makes sense so yes mention that you will be funded also contact your local CCGs to ask about the fellowship programs and different opportunities for you they're more than likely to help you out and as always I will put all the links below so you can have a look at these different things that's going on there's also the amazing Q&I website that have a whole range of things to support you as a general practice nurse or if you're in the community or school nursing or health visiting anything like that the Q&I website is fantastic to have a look at so that is it from me as I progress through my course I will tell you all about it of course and document my journey like I have done in the past and I wish you all an amazing career if you're looking into GP if you find you want some more tips advice help anything my inbox is always open please can I ask you to if you are on Twitter to message the gpnsn team and one of us will message you back with some health and help advice point you in the right direction any information that you want we can give that to you just send us a message over there and we will be more than happy to help but for now it's goodbye from me and I shall see you next time