#73 - Nurse/Doctor Ratio's... Explained

Nurses are one of the most underleveraged assets in general practice.

In this episode of the Practice Partners Podcast, Ami and Zac unpack what optimal nurse utilisation actually looks like in the real world and why it directly impacts patient care, workflow efficiency, and profitability.

We cover:

 • What the ideal GP to nurse ratio looks like and why it varies by practice size and service mix
 • How to structure nurse appointment books for flow, not chaos
 • The difference between busy nurses and productive nurses
 • Reducing care plan time using IT tools, templates, and process design
 • Balancing clinical tasks versus administrative creep
 • How confidence, training, and scope clarity change everything
 • Building proactive and opportunistic care into everyday consults

We also speak honestly about:

 • Underutilised nurses and the silent cost to your practice
 • Doctor hesitation and its downstream effect on workflow
 • Bringing nurses into clinical meetings and decision making
 • Structuring handovers to maximise appointment time

If you are a practice owner, manager, GP, or nurse wanting to tighten operations and improve patient outcomes, this episode gives you practical, implementable insights.

Optimising your nursing team is not about adding more people.
It is about using the people you have, properly.