A global shift of health services from secondary to primary care means there is a need for more primary care nurses and an expansion of their roles. However, there is a serious shortfall in the supply of general practice nurses (GPNs). With the GPN population ageing and many due to retire, a potential crisis is looming.

This scoping review of literature published in the past ten years examined various aspects of pre-registration nurse placements. Seven papers were found in the review, all of which used surveys, and they varied in quality and rigour. All the post-placement studies showed the views of students, mentors, GPs and patients concerning pre-registration placements to be overwhelmingly positive.

Despite a general belief that a lack of funding is one of the main barriers to pre-registration placements, the evidence so far suggests there are other elements in play.