Revalidation is how every nurse, midwife and nursing associate keeps their Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) registration live. It happens every three years and, done properly, it is straightforward. For agency nurses, though, it carries one extra wrinkle: gathering your evidence across several placements and employers rather than a single ward. This guide explains exactly what you need, how to manage it as an agency nurse, and what the NMC's current review might change.
What is Revalidation?
Revalidation replaced the old post-registration system in 2016. It is not an exam, and it is not designed to catch you out. It is a structured way of demonstrating that you remain fit to practise and that you reflect on and learn from your work. You complete it once every three years, on the anniversary of your registration, through your NMC Online account.
The Current Revalidation Requirements in Full
As things stand in 2026, the requirements are unchanged and you should keep meeting them. Over your three-year cycle you need:
450 Practice hours over the three-year cycle (or 900 if revalidating as both a nurse and a midwife)
35 Hours of continuing professional development, including at least 20 hours of participatory learning
Five pieces of practice-related feedback
Five written reflective accounts
A reflective discussion with another NMC registrant
On top of that you make a health and character declaration, confirm you have appropriate professional indemnity in place, and complete a confirmation with a confirmer, usually your line manager, who agrees you have met the requirements. Keep your evidence as you go rather than scrambling at the end.
The Agency-nurse Challenge, and How British Nursing Association (BNA) Helps Agency Nurses Complete Revalidation with Ease
The NMC revalidation framework is designed with permanent posts in mind, but all requirements are achievable through agency work, often with greater ease than nurses expect. Here's a breakdown of each requirement and how BNA can help you to achieve it:
| NMC Requirement | How BNA Helps |
|---|---|
| Practice hours: 450 hours for a nurse or midwife; 900 hours if practising as both |
|
| CPD: 35 hours of continuing professional development, with 20 hours participatory |
Store and provide evidence of both participatory and online training completed via the A24Group. Additional CPD resources: |
| Practice-related feedback: 5 pieces of feedback from patients, service users, carers, or colleagues |
|
| Written reflective accounts: 5 written reflections that are self-authored | These are written independently. You can draw on reflections from your annual BNA appraisals, feedback received following mandatory training, observations, or incidents from your placements. |
| Reflective discussion: 1 discussion with a registered nurse based on your reflective accounts | Arrange this with a colleague, mentor, or peer. Plan it well in advance of your renewal date. |
| Health and character declaration | Standard declaration submitted at the point of revalidation. |
| Professional Indemnity | You are to obtain and maintain your professional indemnity with evidence independently; however, we are able to offer guidance, just contact us. |
| Confirmation: sign-off from a confirmer (registered NMC professional) who has observed your practice | Line up a confirmer in good time; a manager or senior nurse from a placement where you have worked sufficient hours. Contact our team via WhatsApp to help identify a suitable confirmer and use your Staffshift profile to evidence your hours. |
What the NMC Review May Change
The NMC has begun a review of its Code and of revalidation, drawing on nine years of learning from the current model. A formal public consultation is expected in the second half of 2026, with any new revalidation model unlikely to take effect before or around October 2027. Early signals point to a refreshed focus on areas; such as equality, diversity and inclusion, conduct outside professional practice and the use of social media.
The practical message is simple: nothing has changed yet, so keep meeting the current requirements. Stay alert to the consultation when it opens, because it is your chance to shape the model, and watch for confirmed changes rather than acting on speculation.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Most revalidation problems come down to leaving things too late. Nurses who wait until the final weeks often struggle to gather five pieces of feedback, or to arrange a reflective discussion and a confirmer in time. Another frequent slip is recording CPD hours without noting which were participatory, then finding the 20-hour minimum is not clearly evidenced. Reflective accounts written months after the event tend to be thin, because the detail has faded.
The fix for all of these is the same: treat revalidation as a running habit rather than an end-of-cycle scramble. A few minutes logging hours, learning and feedback as you go removes almost all of the last-minute stress, and produces far better evidence.
A Simple Checklist
Stay on top of revalidation throughout your registration period; don't leave it to the last few months.
Track your practice hours from day one, ideally through Staffshift
Log CPD as you complete it, and note which hours were participatory
Save feedback whenever you receive it
Write your reflective accounts soon after the experience, while it's still fresh
Arrange your reflective discussion and confirmer a couple of months before your renewal date
Submit through NMC Online with time to spare
Why Revalidation is Worth Taking Seriously
It is easy to view revalidation as a box-ticking exercise, but the nurses who get the most from it treat it as a genuine review of their own practice. Writing reflective accounts and seeking feedback prompts you to notice what you do well and where you want to grow, which is the point of the model. Approached this way, revalidation becomes a useful professional habit rather than an administrative chore, and the evidence almost looks after itself because you are simply recording the development you are already doing.
The Bottom Line
Revalidation rewards good habits more than last-minute effort. For agency nurses, in particular, keeping a running record of hours, learning and feedback turns what looks like a hurdle into a simple administrative task. BNA is here to make the evidence side easy, so you can focus on your practice.
Need a hand evidencing your hours or finding a confirmer? The BNA team is here to support your revalidation, get in touch.
