Writing your revalidation application is a simple and easy process that demonstrates that you practice as a nurse or midwife safely and effectively.
'Revalidation' meaning:
‘Revalidation’ is the process that all UK nurses, midwives, and nursing associates need to complete to maintain their registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). It is required every three years.
Revalidation is not an assessment of your fitness to administer care, but about sharing and standardising excellent practice amongst the nurses, midwives, and nursing associate communities.
To revalidate you need to have an online account with the NMC. Once you have registered with them you can diarise your validation date. It is usually the first day of the month that your registration is due to expire in. If you have already registered with the NMC, they will send you a reminder notification 60 days before your revalidation is due.
The NMC has made the process fairly simple but it’s a good idea to gather evidence of practice learning, feedback and discussions in the three-year period leading up to your next revalidation in a portfolio. This will make your revalidation application easier and make it quicker to confirm your revalidation too.
Although there are many things the NMC wants evidence of, you should begin your revalidation process by securing a confirmer. A confirmer must also be registered with the NMC, and can be a line manager, colleague, or peer.
NMC revalidation requirements
450 practice hours worked as a nurse or a midwife
900 practice hours worked as a nurse and a midwife (for dual registration)
5 pieces of reflective writing and reflective discussion
5 pieces of practice-related feedback
35 hours CPD (continual professional development) including 20 of participatory learning
Confirmation
Health and character declaration
Professional indemnity
NMC revalidation feedback
The NMC requires five pieces of practice-related feedback from the three-year period since your last revalidation and can come in a variety of formats from formal to informal, written or verbal. One thing that can help when submitting feedback, is demonstrating how you used it to improve your practice. Templates are available on the NMC website for how to format your feedback.
It is a good idea to stay on top of all of the documentation and evidence you need for your revalidation, although three years may seem like a long time to gather all of this evidence, you would be surprised how quickly it can come back around!
Being prepared with lots of feedback, written reflections, proof of learning and practice hours for when you do come to writing your revalidation application will make the process much easier and take a lot of the pressure off – an important thing to try to do considering how challenging your work can be!
Revalidation courses for nurses
There is a wide range of courses the NMC accept as proof of your CPD, but some you may be interested in include:
Basic Life Support
Catheterisation
Venipuncture
End of Life-Advanced Care Planning
Dementia-Intervention for Cognitive & Non-Cognitive
Diabetes Awareness
Drug Calculations
Epilepsy Awareness
Tissue Viability-Assessment & Treatment of Wounds
Pressure Ulcer Prevention (Acute & Community)
If you are in need of support with your revalidation campaign or are interested in our revalidation course, get in touch today as our specialist consultants would be happy to assist you. Or if you’re looking for your next role we want to help! Whether working in primary care or acute nursing, our skilled recruitment consultants are currently working on a number of opportunities and may have the right role for you.