This straightforward guide sets out how you can revalidate your NMC registration in six easy steps.
Revalidation is the process that all nurses, midwives, and nursing associates in the UK need to follow to maintain their registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).
Contrary to popular belief, NMC revalidation is very straightforward and will help you as a nurse, midwife or nursing associate demonstrate that you practice safely and effectively.
Nurses, midwives, and nursing associates are required to revalidate every three years.
Practice Hours
You are required to demonstrate that you have worked as a nurse, midwife, or nursing associate for a minimum of 450 hours over the previous three-year period.
Whilst 450 hours might sound like a lot, it isn’t. These hours can be spread evenly over the three-year period or completed in just a couple of months.
While it is preferred, the required 450 hours do not have to be completed in a clinical area. Hours can be included as long as you are employed as a nurse, midwife, or nursing associate in a role that utilises your professional skills.
Professional development
You must have undertaken 35 hours of relevant continuing professional development (CPD) over the previous three-year period.
CPD can include online webinars, courses, or study days, but of the required 35 hours of CPD, at least 20 must have included participatory learning. Participatory learning is defined as courses where you are required to take an active role such as simulation or objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs).
You should document these hours as you complete them on the NMC’s recommended CPD template.
Feedback
You are required to have collected five pieces of practice-related feedback over the previous three-year period.
Feedback doesn’t necessarily have to be from patients, nor does it have to be formal but it does have to relate to your role as a nurse, midwife, or nursing associate.
Patients, students, colleagues, managers, and educators are all good examples of where you can easily obtain practice-related feedback. Feedback can either be formal (written in a letter, email, or review document) or informal (through discussion, reflection, or review).
You should document feedback as you receive it on the NMC’s recommended feedback template.
Reflection
You must have prepared five written reflective accounts over the previous three-year period.
Each of your five reflections can be about an instance of CPD, feedback, or an event or experience from your work as a nurse, midwife, or nursing associate.
Your reflections do not have to be thousands of words but do need to include key learning and insights on practice development.
You should document your reflections periodically using NMC’s recommended reflection template.
Reflective Discussion
You must have had a reflective discussion with another NMC registrant, covering your five written reflective accounts on your CPD and practice-related feedback.
Most nurses, midwives, and nursing associates will find the best person to have this discussion with is their line manager. In cases where your line manager isn’t registered with the NMC, you can also undertake this discussion with a colleague.
You should your reflective discussion using NMC’s recommended reflective discussion template.
Confirmation
You are required to the NMC’s health and character declaration, have a professional indemnity arrangement, and have your revalidation confirmed.
The health and character declaration ensures you are physically fit enough to practice, have not been charged or convicted of any criminal offense, issued with a formal caution, or had any adverse determination that your fitness to practice is impaired.
If you are employed your professional indemnity arrangement is usually supplied by your employer. If you undertake locum work or practice independently you are required to have taken out a professional indemnity arrangement.
Your confirmer is required to look at the evidence you have collected and ‘confirms’ that you have met the NMC’s revalidation requirements.
Your confirmer needs to document on the NMC’s mandatory confirmation template.