Supporting primary care nurses to work at an advanced level through changing practices' organisational governance

General practice nurses wishing to develop their careers in general practice are often unsupported, relying on the culture of individual practices. Given the structural diversity of Australian general practice, we qualitatively explored staff experiences of organisational governance, what supports are in place and can be used to assist nurses to advance. Semi-structured interviews with 28 staff (including nurses, GPs, receptions and practice managers) were undertaken across three practices, as part of a case-study approach. It was found that general practice staff know little of organisational governance and how it may be harnessed. Practical and flexible organisational governance were the most important factors in supporting general practice nurses to develop and utilise nursing skills, but advocacy from medical colleagues was necessary to support advancement. Barriers include funding structures, non-supportive cultures and inflexible organisational governance structures. Organisation governance has the potential to assist nurses to work at an advanced level, but significant financial, structural and cultural barriers may be too difficult for organisational governance resources alone to overcome. In addition to utilising resources, it may be useful for general practices to undertake a review of how they function as a team and reflect upon their practice culture.