Revalidation: Standards of proficiency
Since November 2022, registered nurses, midwives and nursing associates have to be able to demonstrate how they use the updated standards of proficiency in their revalidation to make sure they meet the latest knowledge and skills requirements for their scope of practice.
The Nursing and Midwifery Council's (NMC) Standards of proficiency for registered nurses set out the skills, knowledge and attributes needed to practise effectively and safely in the health and social care services of today and in the future and are there to help you to identify any gaps in your knowledge and skills, and any continuing professional development (CPD) requirements.
These can then be discussed and planned with your confirmer and/or line manager in preparation for your revalidation.
Using the latest standards of proficiency in your revalidation will help you to:
- ensure that your practice remains up to date, which is a requirement of the Code
- support your own CPD and develop your career.
- supervise and assess students who will be learning in line with the new standards of proficiency.
The NMC has produced a useful video to help explain, see: What makes you a registered professional.
Not all of the new standards will be relevant to your scope of practice. You may find that you already meet many of the new standards because of your experience, and what you have learned since you qualified.
To help you reflect on the standards when you revalidate, the NMC has updated two of the revalidation templates: the practice hours log (these are relevant to your scope of practice, including if you work outside of clinical practice) and the continuing professional development log. These are both available to download from Forms and templates.
‘Remember by reflecting on the standards and gathering feedback continuously, you’ll be in a good position when your revalidation is due. Your work makes a difference to people’s lives every day. Ensuring that revalidation takes account of and supports your continuous professional development will help you develop your practice throughout your professional life.’
Professor Geraldine Walters CBE PhD MBA RN Executive Director for Professional Practice
Letter to all registrants - November 2022
