As a registered nurse, nursing associate or midwife you need to revalidate with the Nursing and Midwifery Council every three years so you can remain fit to practise throughout your career
When you renew your registration every three years, you need to revalidate with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) so you can continue practising as a registered nurse, nursing associate or midwife. Find out about the requirements of revalidation, what you can do to prepare and how the RCN can support you.
Revalidation is the method by which you will renew your registration. The purpose of revalidation is to improve public protection by making sure that you remain fit to practice throughout your career. Revalidation:
The NMC provides guidance for registrants and employers.
The RCN has produced a Guide to Revalidation for Employers: Mitigating the Risks to Your Business. This guide outlines in practical terms how employers can support and encourage nurses who must revalidate. This guidance complements the NMC Guidance.
You can prepare for revalidation by:
For more information about readmission to the register, see our advice guides:
Due to COVID-19, the NMC have granted revalidation extensions but these will be phased out by December 2020, so don’t forget to revalidate.
Read the NMC guidance and get in touch with them directly if you have any issues or concerns.
See also: How to revalidate during COVID-19
There may be circumstances that make it more difficult for you to meet the revalidation requirements in a timely manner. This may be as a result of a disability, illness, maternity leave etc. For those registrants who have a protective characteristic, there is support to help you revalidate. See the above RCN advice at the links above.
The NMC offers support with helping to use NMC Online, providing a short extension or making reasonable adjustments if you have a disability. See: Support to help you revalidate. It is very important to contact them at an early stage. You must submit your application before your revalidation application date.
Don’t forget that you will need to provide and upload evidence to support your application and the guidance clearly outlines what this is. It is also very important to complete your application for support as soon as possible once your application to revalidate opens. This will give the NMC time to consider your application. If the NMC do not accept your application, you will need to meet the revalidation requirements in order to renew your registration.
Learning and engagement online can count towards your CPD. Here is our advice on how to get involved on Twitter.
In order to revalidate, you must undertake 35 hours of continuing professional development. Here are some ideas to get you started.
You need to keep evidence that you have met the requirements for revalidation in a safe and secure place. This will usually be in a portfolio that can be paper based, computer stored or online, whichever is most appropriate for you.
It is likely, through your Prep arrangements, that you already keep a professional portfolio. If so, you do not need to maintain a separate portfolio. The NMC will provide guidance on uploading revalidation documents if you are required to do so.
If you are concerned about IT (availability or skills), it is worth exploring what support your local library, NHS trust or university can provide for you.
The RCN resource, Building and keeping a revalidation portfolio will help you to develop your portfolio. You can also watch a video of nursing staff sharing tips on how they collected and stored evidence for their revalidation.
The RCNi portfolio will support you to develop your portfolio. You will still need to use the NMC Online portal to complete your revalidation application.
If you are a member and subscribe to any of RCNi’s 11 journals, you will have access to the RCNi Portfolio. Make sure:
• You have registered at rcni.com
• You have upgraded your subscription to a print or a digital magazine with RCNi
• You have the correct email address (the one registered against your subscription).
Any concerns can be resolved by contacting customerservice@rcni.com
You need to be careful not to include any information that might identify a specific patient or service user in your portfolio.
You may choose to store your completed reflective discussion and confirmation forms in either paper or electronic format. You should still respect the fact that these forms contain personal data about your reflective discussion partner and confirmer.
You will receive your formal notification that your revalidation application has opened no later than 60 days before your application is due to be submitted. You will need to submit your application through the NMC online portal NMC Online, and you can do this at any point during the 60 days, but it must be completed by the first day of the month in which your application is due.
You must ensure you pay your fee before your revalidation application date. If you have a direct debit already set up this will be collected at the usual time – even if the direct debit date is after your revalidation application date.
Once you have completed the application process and have paid your fee you will receive a receipt to confirm that your registration has been renewed via an email from the NMC. You can log onto your NMC Online account to see your confirmed registration status. You should keep your revalidation evidence and the contact details of the people you had your reflective and confirmation discussions with safely filed, as you may need to refer to them again.
Make sure you have:
Each year the NMC will select a sample of nurses and midwives to provide further information to verify the declarations they have made as part of the revalidation process. Whilst this process is completed – all nurses and midwives will remain on the register and can continue to practise whilst the NMC review the information provided. As part of the process the confirmer, reflective discussion partner and the employer may be contacted by the NMC to verify the information provided.
If you're an RCN member and need advice on your pay and conditions of employment, you can contact the RCN seven days a week, 365 days a year.
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