The Nursing Midwifery Council (NMC)
This section brings together key information focused on upholding and maintaining your new role. Completion of your studies shows you have the skills and ability needed to perform the role effectively.
You are at the start of your professional career. A career offering lots of stimulating and exciting opportunities to develop. You will feel job satisfaction in providing excellent quality care to those who need it.
Nursing and midwifery offer the opportunity of a truly fulfilling career. However, there may be times you feel uncertain or slightly anxious about the role. Building a solid foundation for your professional practice as a registered nurse involves understanding:
- what constitutes good practice
- what you are responsible and accountable for
- what resources are available to support you or knowing who to ask for help.
(NMC 2018) – Professional standards of practice and behaviour for registered nurses.
(NMC 2019) – Professional standards of proficiency for midwives.
As a newly registered nurse (NRN) you will need to continue to develop your confidence and competence in all areas of your practice. This includes using your clinical judgement and decision-making skills.
The Code (NMC 2018) set out the standards and behaviours required of registered nurses, including clinical judgement and decision making.
For example:
Practise effectively
- Standard 6. Always practise in line with the best available evidence.
- Standard 11. Be accountable for your decisions to delegate tasks and duties to other people.
Preserve safety
- Standard 13. Recognise and work within the limits of your competence.
- Standard 19. Be aware of, and reduce as far as possible, any potential for harm associated with your practice.
Promote professionalism and trust
- Standard 25.1 Identify priorities, manage time, staff and resources effectively, and deal with risk to make sure that the quality of care or service you deliver is maintained and improved, putting the needs of those receiving care or services first.
Developing sound clinical judgement, progressing from novice to expert, is a long journey. Initially, your goal should be to expand your knowledge and gain broad experience, which will help you make safe and informed decisions. Equally important is knowing where to seek guidance when decision-making becomes challenging.
The NMC Future Nurse Standards can guide you in your development as a registered nurse.
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Every year, you must make a payment to remain on the NMC register. Therefore, it is important that you:
- Pay your annual fee before your retention date, or your registration will lapse.
- Understand that if your registration lapses, you will automatically be removed from the register.
- Know your retention date - it usually corresponds with the month your application to the NMC was submitted.
- Register your correct email, as the NMC will send email reminders about your renewal; check that these emails are not going to your spam folder.
- Ensure the NMC has your up-to-date contact details.
Nursing is a continuous journey of learning and development.
Continuing professional development (CPD) is important when it comes to developing and improving your professional practice. It will be shaped by how you respond to situations, your experiences and those around you. CPD can help you strengthen your existing skills and address areas where you may need improvement. Seeking feedback is essential, as it allows you to reflect on your role and nursing practice.
As a registrant you must revalidate with the NMC every three years to ensure you remain fit to practise throughout your career. It is never too early to start thinking about what you need to do to stay on the NMC register. Revalidation is more than simply meeting practice hours or standards and is designed to encourage ongoing CPD throughout the three years. You should be able to evidence this learning and development, and we recommend creating a portfolio. All RCN members have free access to an online portfolio, which can support this process.
The NMC outlines the requirements for revalidation and provides detailed guidance, including templates, to help you record your evidence.
We recommend reviewing these documents and resources as early as possible, so you can plan and understand how to collect evidence in the years leading up to revalidation. This will make your revalidation process much smoother when the time comes. It is also beneficial to align your revalidation activities with the Future Nurse standards.
The RCN has developed some resources to support you in your revalidation.
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The RCN prides itself on the wealth of high-quality, evidence-based CPD resources available to all members through the professional forums, networks, subject areas and clinical topics: https://startingout.rcn.org.uk/Develop https://startingout.rcn.org.uk/Develop/Forums-and-Networks
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RCNi Learning - Enhance your skills and expand your clinical knowledge
RCNi Learning is an interactive online learning resource, featuring more than 180 RCN-accredited learning modules designed to support you with your professional development and help bridge the gap between theory and practice. Try a selection of free modules today at: rcnilearning.com
Extensive research highlights the value of preceptorship for newly registered nurses. This period can:
- enhance confidence
- increase job satisfaction
- foster a sense of being valued and respected by your employing organisation
- strengthen commitment to the organisation’s corporate strategy and objectives.
The transition from student to registered nurse can be particularly stressful, and having the right support and guidance can greatly impact your wellbeing. A recent project highlights the need for greater focus on creating cultures where people can truly flourish and environments that feel safe enough to ask questions, raise concerns, make mistakes, and learn (Smail, 2024). This is essential for supporting newly registered staff, improving retention and maintaining the quality of care provided.
Research findings have highlighted the main stressors NRNs face and identified the support and learning they need to successfully transition into their professional roles.
These include:
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Preparation for practice It is vital to fully understand and be prepared for the role - to which you have been appointed. You can gather information about the role from:
You should also understand what to expect during your initial induction, preceptorship, and the support and learning available. The reality of practice Becoming a registered nurse brings new responsibilities and accountabilities that will feel different from your student experience. Key areas include:
Developing clinical practice You have the knowledge, skills and competency to provide safe and effective care within your field of practice. However, patients in your first post may have additional needs, require specialist interventions or decisions that you may not have encountered before. Developing professional relationships You will likely be a permanent registered nurse within the care team and your experience will differ significantly from that of a student. You will need to use your communication, teamwork, and interpersonal skills to establish yourself as a respected and valued member of the team. Developing relationships with patients and families As a student, you will have developed skills and approaches for building relationships with patients and their families. You will also have experienced nurses and health professionals effectively communicating and managing challenging situations. |
Taking your first steps into your professional role may feel daunting, but there is increasing recognition of the importance of preceptorship across all four UK countries. Most organisations will have policies, guidelines and frameworks in place to support you.
Good practice in the voluntary, independent and private sector emphasises the importance of support for NRNs. If you work in these or in an NHS organisation without formal preceptorship, you should discuss preceptorship and the support you can expect before starting your first post. You can use The Code (NMC, 2018) to guide this discussion, particularly paragraph 9 (practise effectively) and paragraph 13 (preserve safety), to focus on key expectations.
In 2023, the RCN definition of nursing was updated to reflect the change and increased complexity that the nursing profession has seen over the last two decades. This revised definition describes nursing as “a safety critical profession founded on four pillars: clinical practice, education, research, and leadership.” Highlighting nursing as the largest safety critical profession in health and social care and that the nursing team is diverse, including the nursing support workforce.
The principles of nursing are applicable to all of the nursing workforce. They describe what everyone, from nursing staff to people and populations, can expect from nursing to deliver safe and effective nursing care. They cover the aspects of behaviour, attitude and approach that underpin good care, and they are mapped to and complement the NMC Code (for registrants).
For more detailed descriptions and an expanded definition read our 'Definition and principles of nursing'.
There can be a time gap between completing your studies and receiving confirmation of your NMC registration. During this time, you may be employed as a nursing support worker (NSW) if you are not already in this role.
Although you will have achieved the capabilities and competencies to become a registered nurse, you are not legally a registered nurse until your NMC registration is confirmed. Until then, if you are employed as an NSW, your duty of care reflects that role.
All members of the nursing team are personally accountable for their actions. As an NSW, your job description outlines your roles and responsibilities, including the scope of work you are expected to undertake. It is important that you do not work beyond the level of competence required for the role. Contact the RCN Advice team for support if necessary.
Guidance on working as an NSW during this interim period
- Read the job description.
- Ensure you understand the details of the role you are employed to do and the limitations of the role.
- Discuss any concerns that you have with the senior nurse.
- Ensure that you are rostered as an NSW, not as a registered nurse.
- Wear the correct uniform for the NSW post.
- Raise your concerns immediately if you are asked to undertake any role or task that is not within the responsibility of a NSW’s duty of care.
Using this time positively
- Take this opportunity to familiarise yourself with the clinical environment.
- Get to know the team.
- Start to understand the routines and day-to-day work patterns.
- Shadow and work with the registered nurses to better understand the role you will be taking on.
- Complete induction tasks that are required for your current NSW post – many of these will be the same as those for a registered nurse post.
- Reflect on what you will need when you do make the transition from a NSW to registered nurse and discuss this with your senior nurse.