What is NMC revalidation? - Login - Blog - Nurses Group

Nurses Group assists all healthcare workers with revalidation

Revalidation is a new process that all nurses and midwives need to go through in order to complete their registration with the NMC. Here at Nurses Group, we understand that this can be a very daunting process for many of our nurses, especially agency nurses. So, therefore, we have developed a means of support that fits our nurses requirements and circumstances.

With effect from April 2016, revalidation is straightforward and will help you, as a nurse or midwife, to demonstrate that you practice safely and effectively. It encourages you to reflect on the role of the Code in your practice and demonstrate that you are practicing within the standards set out.

It's natural for any nurse or midwife to be concerned about revalidation, but for agency staff who don't work in a large NHS Trust on a regular basis, the pressure can felt even greater. In reality, revalidation is no harder for agency nurses to complete. Here at Nurses Group, we support and provide guidance for our nurses and healthcare workers throughout this process.

Here are some simple things to keep in mind:

1. Sign up for NMC Online and check your revalidation date

Use NMC Online to manage your registration. Set up a free account and check your renewal date (the date when you will be revalidating).

2. Give yourself time to learn the process

For those with a renewal date of 2017 or beyond, revalidation can seem a long way ahead. However, remember, you will be revalidating your practice for the whole three year period up to this date, so it is important that you understand what is expected of you. Start collecting your evidence, build up your portfolio, and discuss your revalidation evidence with others. That way, you'll avoid any unnecessary surprises when you receive your 60-day reminder from the NMC.

3. Learn from others

It is estimated that 16,000 nurses and midwives revalidated in April 2016, with agency staff accounting for a significant portion of this figure. These colleagues will have a wealth of experience with revalidation and can help you understand the process. You never know; you could be providing support for someone else in the future. Here at Nurses Group, many of us nurses have already gone through this experience and process, and we can help you through yours.

4. Keep a record of your practice hours

To demonstrate to your confirmer that you have met the minimum number of practice hours required to revalidate, it is important to keep a record of your work. The NMC has produced a template for this. Practice hours include time spent providing direct care to patients, managing teams, teaching others, and helping to shape policy or run a care service—any time in which you have used your knowledge and experience as a nurse. It does not just mean hands-on clinical practice.

5. Don't be afraid to ask for feedback

Getting feedback can be an uncomfortable process, but it's vital to helping you reflect on and improve your practice. Questionnaires and simple feedback forms (including a version from the NMC) are a useful way to find out what you are doing well and what you could be doing better. Feedback can come at any point over the three years leading up to your revalidation date, so there are plenty of opportunities to ask. One method is to use your Nurses Group supervisions and appraisals.

6. Think about your CPD

As part of your revalidation, you must complete 35 hours of Continuing Professional Development, 20 of which must be in participation with other learners. Treatments and technologies are always changing, so it's important to stay one step ahead.

7. Regularly update your portfolio

You may already have a portfolio with information about the training or courses you have completed in the last three years. If not, start collecting and storing your evidence now, and make sure it’s saved in a safe place. Keep us informed of any certificates you have earned while working at Nurses Group, including supervisions and appraisals. Your portfolio can be on paper, in a computer file, or in a digital format that you can find online.

8. Identify your reflective discussion partner and your confirmer

It is your responsibility as a nurse or midwife to find an appropriate person with whom to have your reflective discussion, someone who can review your portfolio and confirm to the NMC that you have completed all of the revalidation requirements; this can be a member of the Nurses Group team. It is your responsibility to find an appropriate person who can help you with your reflective discussions, someone who can review your portfolio.

At Nurses Group, members of the management team will help and guide you through the process, giving you support when you need it. This is for agency nurses who feel alone and can't find a qualified person to fill out the necessary paperwork.

In order to revalidate, the NMC requires you to fulfil a number of requirements in each three-year registration period:

• 450 practise hours over three years (or 900 hours if you are both a midwife and a nurse).

• 35 hours of CPD, including 20 hours of participatory learning.

• A minimum of five pieces of practice-related feedback.

• A minimum of five written reflective accounts on your CPD, and/or practice-related feedback, and/or an event or experience in your own professional practice and how this relates to the Code.

• A reflective discussion with another NMC registrant covering your five written reflective accounts.

• Health and Character Declaration .

• A declaration that you have a Professional Indemnity Arrangement.

• A third-party confirmation that you have complied with the revalidation requirements.

As a registered nurse with the NMC, you will be required to submit an application to revalidate before you can renew your registration at the end of your current three-year registration period. The application must be sent in by the first of the month in which your registration will end.

It is your responsibility to know when you are due to revalidate and when your portfolio should be completed in preparation for your review. Please remember that if you drop off the register, it can take up to 3 months for you to be re-registered and able to work again. It only takes a phone call or an email to request assistance and guidance from the Nurses Group.