The Importance of Revalidation for Nurses

Every three years, nurses must demonstrate to the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) that they are still fit for practice. It’s a process that came into play in April 2016 for the nursing industry as a whole and ensures that all nurses and midwives practice both safely and effectively.

Here at Nurseplus, all of our nurses have achieved revalidation during their reviews, giving us a key insight into the importance of the process.

The importance of revalidation

The process has been put in place to ensure that every nurse and midwife adheres to the same standards across every care setting. It prioritises patients and their needs, certifying that care provided is of a good standard and is dignified.

On top of that, it champions many other good care practices. It verifies that nurses can deliver care and treatment not only effectively, but also safely. Revalidation has also been key in promoting professionalism and trust between both colleagues and patients.

Overall, revalidation carries a lot of importance with it. It guarantees to employees and patients that a nurse can deliver dependable, high-quality care, so understandably, it can be a stressful process for nurses to go through.

Without qualifying for revalidation, a nurse would be unable to work until the NMC review their information.

Support available for nurses going through revalidation

For a nurse to go through revalidation, it can be time-consuming and, at times, confusing. Any nurse looking to qualify must be able to provide evidence of professional development along with 450 hours of practice. Alongside this, they must submit five pieces of feedback from colleagues and patients, reflecting on each one.

To assist our nurses, we offer valuable support that can help to reduce any anxiety or confusion surrounding the overall experience. Our key support comes from our unique online revalidation tool. It offers our nurses guidance and support throughout the entire process, allowing them to enter their details, gather evidence and confirm that each requirement has been met for revalidation.

For each requirement, we offer clear instructions, helping nurses understand exactly what is required. They also have access to a ‘help’ button, ensuring that nurses can get any further assistance.

As part of the requirements for revalidation, nurses need to complete 35 hours of Continued Professional Development and at least 20 hours of this must be participatory. To support this, we give every nurse working with us access to our eLearning tools and we supply evidence that our CPD accredited training courses have been completed.

On top of this, local Nurseplus branches provide shift reports for nurses to use as evidence for practice hours. The Branch Manager will also provide feedback and will be available to work on additional surveys and reviews for practice-related feedback. They’ll then be able to sign off on confirmation.

Once a nurse has met all of the requirements, the tool will take them to the confirmation stage. This is where they can review their evidence and confirm that all requirements have been met before submitting their revalidation to NMC, making the whole process smooth and easy.

For further information about the revalidation process, how we are able to offer support, and how you can register as a nurse with Nurseplus, please contact your local branch today.