Long acting reversible contraception (LARC) accreditation

Announcement: The seventh edition of the LARC guidance documents have been published. These new documents include the LARC accreditation application forms and will assist you when applying for subdermal contraceptive implants (SDI) and intrauterine techniques (IUT) accreditation. These documents are available to download from Applying for accreditation.

Some documents on this page are in PDF format. See how to access PDF files

The RCN accredits nurses in the insertion and removal of SDI and IUT, both forms of LARC.

What are the benefits of LARC accreditation?

  1. The RCN offers professional accreditation - which is about professional best practice and consistency of practice.
  2. RCN accreditation is the gold standard for practice, derived from evidence based guidelines and set down by the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Health care (FSRH) of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.
  3. RCN accreditation is the only standardised approach available to nurses, providing accountability and demonstrating the professionalism of practitioners.
  4. Every patient of a LARC accredited practitioner can expect the same high-quality standard.
  5. A certificate is provided which is valid for five years - an open and transparent qualification which ensures employers that practitioners have undergone a rigorous quality assurance process.

If you work at a higher or specialist level within the area of contraception/sexual health and hold a recognised qualification in the specialty, our guidance publications provide information on how to acquire the clinical skills and competence you need to become accredited. The RCN recommends you follow this guidance to ensure best practice and to protect the safety of women.

Before undertaking any training you should clearly identify a clinical need for you to learn these skills. You should also be confident that enough women would be requesting this method of contraception for you to maintain competence in the procedures. In most cases this will mean you will be a nurse or midwife working at a higher or specialist level within the area of contraception/sexual health.

If you wish to pursue Faculty Registered Trainer status in SDIs with the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare it is essential to have RCN accreditation. Please see the FSRH application form for becoming a registered trainer (PDF 185KB) [see how to access PDF files] for full details of the criteria.

If you are carrying out IUT procedures, we advise you to read the FSRH statement on bradycardia (PDF 101KB). Please also read our additional advice which applies to nurses working in primary health care/community settings, where immediate support from practitioners competent in cannulation is unlikely and where most patients would not have a cannula in situ.

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