Supporting the NMC Standards for Education and Training in Northern Ireland

The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) updated their standards for education and training in 2023-24. These standards along with the standards of proficiency for the nursing and midwifery professions set out their expectations regarding delivery of all pre-registration and post-registration NMC approved nursing and midwifery education programmes.

These standards and proficiencies raise the ambition in terms of what’s expected of a nurse and midwife at the point of registration and provide nurses and midwives with the knowledge and skills they need to deliver excellent care across a range of settings now and in the future.

The NMC Standards for education and training are set out in three parts:

Part One: Standards framework for nursing and midwifery education;

Part Two: Standards for student supervision and assessment;

Part Three: Programme standards, which are the standards specific for each pre-registration or post-registration programme.

The NMC Standards of Proficiency are the skills, knowledge, and attributes that all registered nurses, nursing associates and midwives must demonstrate to practice safely and effectively and should be read with the NMC Standards for education and training.

NIPEC, in collaboration with its key partners, successfully led the implementation of the NMC pre-and post-registration standards into clinical and education settings. This strategic work ensured that education and clinical practice providers across Northern Ireland (N.I.) were comprehensively prepared and effectively supported in adopting the NMC standards.

This page provides regionally agreed guidance and supporting resources, developed in collaboration with key stakeholders, to help nurses, midwives, their employers, education providers, and students effectively implement and apply the NMC Standards within practice settings.