One nurse has described feeling ‘valued and empowered’ by the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s (NMC) new membership renewal process which has now been in effect for a full year.
Revalidation, which replaced Prep in April 2016, is an online-only process of renewal through which nurses and midwives provide evidence of their ability to practise safely and effectively. Since its inception, around one third (over 200,000) of NMC members have used the process to renew.
Nurses are required to undertake NMC membership renewal every three years, with two thirds of membership yet to partake in what the NMC described as ‘the biggest regulatory change in a generation’.
One nurse who renewed through revalidation said: ‘Like any other change, going through the revalidation process was daunting initially. However, once I had more information and having seen the videos on the NMC website, I embraced the process fully and enjoyed it in the end. Reading through the great feedback given to me actually made me feel valued and empowered.’
The NMC claimed there had been no adverse effect on the size of their register when revalidation was brought in, with renewal figures in line with their expectations from the previous year ‘despite initial concerns’.
Chief executive and registrar Jackie Smith said: ‘I’m delighted that the first year of revalidation has been such a success. Despite some initial fears, feedback has been overwhelmingly positive with nurses, midwives and employers alike praising revalidation for being simple, straightforward and beneficial to practise.’
The NMC has pledged to continue to update their resources and guidance, taking into account feedback from nurses, midwives and employers.