April 15, 2025
NMBI is holding a public consultation on the Draft Nurse Registration Programme Standards and Requirements for undergraduate students from 15 April to 20 May 2025.
NMBI is holding a public consultation on the Draft Nurse Registration Programme Standards and Requirements for undergraduate students from 15 April to 20 May 2025.
We would really appreciate your views and we invite you to read the draft consultation document before submitting your feedback through the online survey. Further details are available on the Consultations page of our website.
NMBI, as the regulator, publishes the standards and requirements to guide the design, development, delivery and evaluation of nursing and midwifery registration programmes.
NMBI is mandated to do so under the Nurses and Midwives Act 2011, as amended, which states that NMBI shall set and publish in the prescribed manner the standards of nursing and midwifery education and training for first time registration and post-registration specialist nursing and midwifery qualifications.
NMBI Interim CEO Carolyn Donohoe said “This is a positive initiative with sound reasoning behind it. Building and strengthening the standards and requirements for undergraduate students will mean that they will be better equipped to support population-based care delivery in the community and in hospitals that is based on patient needs.”
NMBI firstly set the regulatory standards, and then the Higher Education Institutions write the curriculum all the while mapping the content of the curriculum to those standards.
Following the public consultation, NMBI will review, analyse and integrate the feedback received into the draft Standards and Requirements.
In late May, NMBI will circulate a draft report on the public consultation for feedback and will facilitate online meetings with key stakeholders in June, prior to submitting a final draft to the NMBI Board in July 2025.
The new standards and requirements and a new curriculum will be in place for student nurses entering third level from the autumn of 2027.
Background
In August 2022, NMBI with the Chief Nurse’s Office in the Department of Health co-sponsored an evidence-based review of the undergraduate education programmes leading to nursing and midwifery education. The RUN-ME research report was published October 2023, which made several recommendations including an increase in community placements for nurses and midwives in line with Sláintecare and national healthcare policies.
From May 2023 to December 2024, the Department of Health Expert Review Body (ERB) and Implementation Action Group 1 co-ordinated a national engagement review, inviting involvement from key stakeholders. Several actions were outlined including the development of new education programme standards by NMBI.
In January 2025, Heads of Schools of Nursing and Midwifery met to discuss updating undergraduate standards and requirements, general principles and timelines.
In February and March 2025, NMBI held focused consultation workshops on the Draft Nurse Registration Programme Standards and Requirements for undergraduate students. Following feedback from these workshops NMBI will commence the public consultation in April.