Nursing Associate Revalidation: What the NMC Requires

Nursing associate revalidation works the same way as it does for nurses and midwives: every three years you renew your NMC registration by showing you have met a set list of requirements. The NMC says the requirements for revalidation are the same for everyone on its register, so as a nursing associate you need 450 practice hours, 35 hours of CPD, five pieces of practice-related feedback, five written reflective accounts, a reflective discussion, a confirmation discussion, and two declarations. This guide covers what is different for nursing associates, such as which hours count.

Nursing associates are regulated by the NMC in England only, according to the NMC. This guide reflects the NMC's revalidation guidance as published on its website in October 2026. Most of those pages were last updated in 2021 (the nursing associate page on 27 October 2021) and the main booklet is the May 2019 edition. In July 2026 the NMC announced a consultation on changes to the Code and to revalidation. Those are proposals, and the current requirements below still apply.

Nursing associate revalidation at a glance

Which practice hours count for a nursing associate

The NMC's nursing associate page says your hours must be gained while practising as a nursing associate, not as a student nurse. Specifically:

• Hours before or after a nursing programme count, as do hours worked as a bank nursing associate during the three-year period.
• Nursing training hours cannot be used to maintain your nursing associate registration.
• Hours must be worked while you are registered. The NMC booklet says healthcare assistant and support worker hours do not count, nor do hours in another regulated profession.

The NMC says practice is not only direct patient care. Hours count when you rely on your skills, knowledge and experience as a registered professional, and the NMC's examples include managing teams and teaching others. The NMC recommends using its practice hours log to record dates, hours, employer and scope of practice. Our guide to NMC practice hours and how to record them goes through the log in detail.

If you hold more than one registration, each needs its own hours, and you cannot double-count them. According to the NMC, you need 450 hours for each registration, so a nursing associate who is also a registered nurse needs 900 hours in total. If you have not practised the required hours, the NMC says you must complete an approved return to practice programme or a Test of Competence before you can renew.

CPD: 35 hours, 20 participatory

Your CPD must be relevant to your scope of practice as a nursing associate. The NMC does not prescribe a type of CPD. Participatory learning means any activity involving interaction with one or more other professionals, in person or virtually. The NMC's nursing associate page points out that this does not have to be a study day, and a meeting with colleagues to discuss a recent event or a new way of working can count. The NMC booklet adds that mandatory training unrelated to your practice, such as fire or health and safety training, does not count towards the 35 hours.

For each activity the NMC asks you to record the CPD method, a description of the topic and how it related to your practice, the dates, the number of hours (including participatory hours), the part of the Code most relevant, and evidence that you did it. Our examples of NMC participatory learning show what qualifies.

Feedback, reflective accounts and the discussion

You need five pieces of practice-related feedback from the three-year period. They can come from patients and service users, colleagues, management, team performance reports or your annual appraisal. Keep a note of the content and how you used it, and do not record anything that could identify another person.

You also need five written reflective accounts, each on the NMC form. Each account must refer to a piece of CPD, a piece of feedback, or an event or experience in your own practice, and explain how it relates to the Code. They do not need to be lengthy or academic. See our reflective accounts examples and template for worked wording.

Your reflective discussion about those accounts must be with another NMC registrant, meaning a registered nurse, midwife or nursing associate. The NMC says it should take place face to face. Your partner signs the NMC reflective discussion form. The NMC says you do not submit the forms, but you keep them safe.

Confirmation

Your confirmer reviews your evidence and confirms you have met the requirements. The NMC says that where possible this should be your line manager, who does not have to be NMC-registered. Without a line manager, the NMC recommends an NMC-registered nurse, midwife or nursing associate, and failing that another UK-regulated healthcare professional. Family and close friends cannot act as your confirmer. If your confirmer is not an NMC registrant, you must have your reflective discussion first. Confirmation should take place in the final year of your three-year registration period.

Dates, the application and the fee

The NMC says your revalidation application is due on the first day of the month in which your registration expires, so a 30 April renewal date means an application due on 1 April. Your dates appear in your MyNMC account, and the NMC emails a reminder 60 days before a deadline. The NMC's own pages are not consistent on when the application window opens: the application pages say 60 days before your application date, while the nursing associate page says 90 days. Check the dates MyNMC gives you.

You complete the application online and do not upload evidence. The NMC says it cannot process your revalidation application until it receives your fee, and that you will get an email confirming your renewal once it has both. If you need more time because of circumstances such as illness, the NMC says you can apply for an extension through MyNMC.

If you miss the deadline, your registration lapses and you cannot practise as a nursing associate until you are readmitted. The NMC says readmission can take up to six weeks.

Nursing associates training to become nurses

The NMC says there is no requirement to maintain nursing associate registration during a pre-registration nursing programme. If you do keep it, you can revalidate during the programme, but you cannot use your nursing training hours to do so. If you cannot meet the requirements, you must let it lapse. The NMC says your tutor can act as your reflective discussion partner if they are on the NMC register. Once you register as a nurse, your first revalidation as a nurse is three years after you join the nursing part of the register.

Frequently asked questions

How often do nursing associates revalidate?

Every three years, when you renew your registration. You also pay an annual fee each year.

How many practice hours does a nursing associate need?

450 hours over the three years, according to the NMC practice hours page, as a registered nursing associate.

Do I send my evidence to the NMC?

No. You do not upload evidence with your application, but you must keep it. Each year the NMC selects a sample of applications for verification, and if you are selected you are told within 24 hours and have 21 days to provide more information.

Can my apprenticeship or nursing training hours count?

The NMC says nursing training hours cannot be used to maintain your nursing associate registration. The NMC page does not cover other training routes, so check with the NMC if your situation is unusual.

Next steps

Start your log early: hours, CPD, feedback and reflections are all easier to gather over three years than in the last few weeks. For more professional learning guidance, see our CPD hub.

This article is general information, not regulatory, legal or compliance advice. Check the current requirements on the NMC website and in your MyNMC account.