Essential NMC Revalidation Steps for UK Nurses and Midwives

NMC revalidation is a vital process that every UK-registered nurse and midwife must complete every three years to maintain their professional registration. Understanding the essential steps and requirements will help you navigate the process with confidence and avoid last-minute stress.

This comprehensive guide breaks down the essential NMC revalidation steps, providing practical examples and guidance to help you successfully complete your revalidation.

Step 1: Understand Your Revalidation Deadline

The first essential step is knowing when your revalidation is due. Your revalidation date is exactly three years from your initial registration or your last revalidation.

How to check your deadline:

• Log into NMC Online
• Your revalidation date is displayed on your dashboard
• The NMC will send you a reminder 60 days before your deadline

Important: Don't wait for the reminder. Start preparing at least 6-12 months before your deadline to avoid stress.

Step 2: Complete 450 Practice Hours

You must complete a minimum of 450 practice hours over your three-year revalidation period (or 900 hours if you're dual-registered as both a nurse and midwife).

What counts as practice hours:

• Paid employment in nursing or midwifery
• Voluntary work using your professional skills
• Work in the UK or abroad
• Any role where you apply nursing or midwifery knowledge and skills

Example: Sarah works as a practice nurse three days per week (24 hours) and volunteers at a community health clinic one Saturday per month (4 hours). Over three years, she accumulates well over 450 hours.

Record keeping: Track your hours systematically with dates, locations, and nature of work. You don't submit this to the NMC, but you must keep it for potential audit.

Step 3: Complete 35 Hours of CPD

You need 35 hours of Continuing Professional Development (CPD), with at least 20 hours from participatory learning activities.

Participatory learning includes:

• Workshops and conferences
• Peer review and discussion groups
• Journal clubs
• Teaching or mentoring colleagues
• Interactive online courses

Independent learning (up to 15 hours) includes:

• Reading professional journals
• Self-directed online learning
• Research and evidence review

Example: James attends a two-day diabetes management conference (14 hours participatory), completes an online wound care course with discussion forums (6 hours participatory), reads nursing journals monthly (10 hours independent), and mentors a student nurse (5 hours participatory). Total: 35 hours with 25 participatory.

For each CPD activity, record:

• Method of learning (participatory or independent)
• Topic and description
• Dates and duration
• How it relates to your practice

Step 4: Collect 5 Pieces of Practice-Related Feedback

You need five pieces of feedback on your practice that relate to the NMC Code.

Feedback can come from:

• Patients or service users
• Colleagues and peers
• Line managers or supervisors
• Other healthcare professionals

Examples of acceptable feedback:

• Thank-you cards or letters from patients
• Peer review comments
• Appraisal feedback from your manager
• Patient satisfaction survey results
• Feedback from teaching sessions you delivered

Example: Maria collects: (1) a thank-you card from a patient's family, (2) peer feedback from a colleague who observed her medication administration, (3) comments from her annual appraisal, (4) feedback from a student she mentored, and (5) results from a patient satisfaction survey.

Step 5: Write 5 Reflective Accounts

You must write five reflective accounts (approximately 500 words each) based on your CPD activities or practice-related feedback.

Each reflective account must address:

• What was the nature of the CPD activity or feedback?
• What did you learn from it?
• How did you change or improve your practice as a result?
• How is this relevant to the NMC Code?

Example structure:

"I attended a safeguarding workshop (CPD activity) where I learned about recognizing signs of domestic abuse in elderly patients. I learned new assessment techniques and communication strategies. As a result, I implemented a more thorough assessment process in my practice and improved my documentation. This relates to the NMC Code, particularly prioritizing people (1), practicing effectively (6), and preserving safety (13)."

Need examples? Browse our reflective practice examples from all nursing and midwifery specialties to guide your writing.

Step 6: Complete a Reflective Discussion

You must have one reflective discussion with another NMC registrant about your five reflective accounts and how they relate to the NMC Code.

Requirements:

• Duration: At least 45 minutes (can be longer)
• Participant: Another NMC registrant (doesn't need to be your confirmer)
• Content: Discuss all five reflective accounts and their relevance to the NMC Code
• Documentation: Record the date, participant's name, and NMC PIN

Example: Emma schedules a video call with a colleague who is also an NMC registrant. They spend an hour discussing Emma's five reflective accounts, exploring how each relates to different aspects of the NMC Code and discussing lessons learned.

The discussion can be:

• Face-to-face or via video call
• With a colleague, peer, or professional contact
• Informal but focused on your reflections and the Code

Step 7: Confirm Your Health, Character, and Indemnity

You must declare that:

• Health and character: You are of good health and character to practice safely and effectively
• Professional indemnity: You have appropriate professional indemnity insurance covering your scope of practice

Professional indemnity: Most employers provide this, but if you work independently or do additional work outside your main employment, ensure you have separate cover.

Health and character: You must disclose any cautions, convictions, or determinations that may affect your fitness to practice.

Step 8: Find a Confirmer

Your confirmer must be another NMC registrant who has been on the register for at least three years.

Your confirmer will:

• Review your revalidation evidence
• Discuss your reflective accounts with you
• Confirm that you've met all the requirements
• Complete the confirmation section of your NMC Online application

Important: Your confirmer doesn't need to work in the same area as you or even in the same country. They can review your evidence and meet with you via video call.

Example: David asks a former colleague who now works in Australia to be his confirmer. They arrange a video call to review David's portfolio, discuss his reflective accounts, and complete the confirmation process online.

Step 9: Submit Your Application via NMC Online

Once you've completed all requirements and had your confirmation meeting, you're ready to submit your application.

Submission process:

1. Log into NMC Online
2. Complete the revalidation application form
3. Declare that you've met all eight requirements
4. Provide your confirmer's details (name and NMC PIN)
5. Pay your annual registration fee (£120 for 2025)

Important: You don't upload your evidence to NMC Online. You must keep it securely for potential audit. The NMC randomly selects registrants to verify their evidence.

Timing: The NMC recommends submitting at least 60 days before your registration expires to allow time for processing.

Step 10: Keep Your Evidence Safe

After submitting your application, you must keep all your revalidation evidence for potential audit.

Keep for potential audit:

• Practice hours records
• CPD activity records and certificates
• Five pieces of practice-related feedback
• Five written reflective accounts
• Reflective discussion documentation
• Confirmation documentation

Storage: Digital copies are acceptable. Store them securely and ensure they're backed up.

Audit process: If selected for audit, the NMC will contact you and request your evidence. You'll have a set timeframe to provide it.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Don't let these common errors derail your revalidation:

• Leaving it too late: Start collecting evidence early to avoid last-minute stress
• Incomplete reflective accounts: Ensure each reflection addresses all four key questions
• Not linking to the NMC Code: Every reflection must explicitly relate to the Code
• Poor record-keeping: Keep detailed, contemporaneous records of all evidence
• Choosing an unsuitable confirmer: Ensure they meet NMC requirements (3+ years on register)
• Missing the deadline: If you miss your deadline, your registration will lapse

Revalidation for International Nurses

If you're a UK-registered nurse working abroad, you can still complete your revalidation:

• Practice hours: Count regardless of where you're working
• CPD: Activities completed anywhere in the world count
• Confirmer and reflective discussion: Can be completed via video call

We support UK-registered nurses worldwide with video consultations, WhatsApp support, and email guidance to fit your timezone and location.

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