Draft Nurse Registration Programmes Standards

NMBI is holding a public consultation on the Draft Nurse Registration Programme Standards for undergraduate students. 

We would really appreciate your views. Your first step is to read the draft consultation document below; and then submit your feedback by completing the online survey.

The closing date for submitting your feedback is 5pm on Tuesday, 20 May 2025.

About the standards

As the regulator, we publish education standards to guide the design, development, delivery and evaluation of nursing and midwifery registration programmes.  

NMBI sets the regulatory standards and then the Higher Education Institutions, with their practice partners, write the programme curricula that map to these standards. 

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. 

On 7 and 8 April, NMBI held a number of information sessions which you can watch in the video below.
 

Timelines

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.  

Feedback from the RUNME report

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.