March 31, 2025
We are encouraging our nursing and midwifery colleagues and the public to provide their feedback as part of the public consultation on the Draft Nurse Registration Programme Standards for undergraduate students from 15 April to 20 May 2025.
We are encouraging our nursing and midwifery colleagues and the public to provide their feedback as part of the public consultation on the Draft Nurse Registration Programme Standards for undergraduate students from 15 April to 20 May 2025.
As the regulator, we publish education standards to guide the design, development, delivery and evaluation of nursing and midwifery registration programmes.
We are 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 sets the regulatory standards and then the Higher Education Institutions, with their practice partners, write the programme curricula that map to these standards.
Our Interim CEO, Carolyn Donohoe said “We are preparing our students to take on the healthcare challenges of the future. This is a positive initiative with good reasoning behind it. This builds on evidence-based research and wide consultation over the last three years. The aim is for undergraduate students to be better equipped to deliver a care model both in the community and across population-based settings.”
Following the public consultation, NMBI will review, analyse and integrate the feedback received into the draft standards.
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 curricula will be in place for student nurses entering third level from the autumn of 2027. A key difference will be dividing the internship between community and registration specific sites, which is in line with national health policy and Sláintecare. The students will undertake their paid internship for three months in the community at the end of third year and six-months in their registration specific practice areas in fourth year.
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. Included in the recommendations is an increase in community placements for nurses and midwives in line with 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 with NMBI to discuss updating undergraduate standards, general principles and timelines.
In February and March 2025, NMBI held focused consultation workshops for the General, Children's, Intellectual Disability and Mental Health programmes. Following feedback from these workshops, NMBI will commence the public consultation in April.