What is revalidation?

Revalidation

Revalidation is the process that all nurses and midwives in the UK will need to follow to maintain their registration with the NMC. To help nurses continually develop and reflect on their practice, NMC ask nurses to revalidate every three years.

This process encourages nurses to reflect on the role of the Code in their practice and demonstrate that they are 'living' the standards set out within it.

Taking effect from April 2016, revalidation is straightforward and will help nurses or midwife to demonstrate that they practise safely and effectively.

Revalidation is about promoting good practice, as well as strengthening public confidence in the nursing and midwifery professions. It’s important to know that it’s not about making an assessment of your fitness to practise.

Revalidation helps to encourage a culture of sharing, reflection and improvement. It will provide benefits for you as a nurse, midwife or nursing associate as well as the people nurses care for.

Revalidation Requirements

• 450 practice hours, or 900 hours if renewing two registrations (for example, as both a nurse and midwife)
• 35 hours of CPD including 20 hours of participatory learning
• Five pieces of practice-related feedback
• Five written reflective accounts
• Reflective discussion
• Health and character declaration
• Professional indemnity arrangement
• Confirmation

Practice hours

Nurses must have practised for a minimum number of hours over the three year period since their registration was last renewed or they  joined the register.

450 hours might sound like a lot, it’s important to remember this is over a three year period.

Nurses should make sure that their practice hours reflect your current scope of practice, but they do not have to be related to their original field of practice when they first joined the register.

Please look at the outline of revalidation requirements, as you are preparing for CBT you don't need to understand one by one but you may need to once you are registered as a nurse in the UK.

Continuing professional development

Nurses must have undertaken 35 hours of continuing professional development (CPD) relevant to your scope of practice in the three year period since your registration was last renewed, or you joined the register.

Of those 35 hours of CPD, at least 20 must have included participatory learning.

Examples of participatory learning can include attending a conference, taking part in a workshop or attending a relevant training course. We have listed some examples of participatory and non-participatory CPD activities in our guidance sheet. Remember to keep evidence of your CPD to show to your confirmer.

Practice-related feedback

Nurses must have obtained five pieces of practice-related feedback in the three year period since your registration was last renewed or you joined the register.

As a nurse, midwife or nursing associate it is likely that you already receive a range of feedback, and the five pieces of feedback you collect can come from a variety of sources and in a variety of forms.

It can be written or verbal, formal or informal. It may come from patients and service users, colleagues and management. It can also include feedback from team performance reports or your annual appraisal.

Written reflective accounts

Nurses must have prepared five written reflective accounts in the three year period since nurses registration was last renewed or  joined the register.

Each of five reflections can be about an instance of CPD, feedback or an event or experience from the work as a nurse, midwife or nursing associate – nurses can even write a reflection about a combination of these.

These reflective accounts don't need to be lengthy or academic-style pieces of writing. Nurses can simply note down what they learnt, how it improved their practice, and how it relates to the Code.

Reflective discussion

Nurses must have had a reflective discussion with another NMC registrant, covering five written reflective accounts on CPD and/or practice-related feedback and/or an event or experience in practice and how this relates to the Code.

Nurses must ensure that the NMC registrant with whom you had your reflective discussion signs the approved form recording their name, NMC Pin, email, professional address and postcode, as well as the date you had the discussion.

Health and character

Nurses must declare if they have been charged, convicted of any criminal offence (including a conditional discharge) or issued with a formal caution.

Professional indemnity arrangement

Nurses must declare that they have, or will have when practising, appropriate cover under an indemnity arrangement.

Confirmation

The role of a confirmer is an important one. This is the person who looks at the evidence that nurses have collected and 'confirms' that they have met the revalidation requirements.

Lesson Ends