In December my second and final term as a member of the NMBI will come to an end. For the last five years I have been both a member and the Chairman of the Registration Committee, and now that my tenure is concluding, I want to reflect some of the many matters that the committee has considered during that time.

On Monday, 28 September MyNMBI, our new online registration system launched as planned. Students and recent graduates have been the first users of the system. As a result of these initial interactions we continue to make tweaks and also consider our escalation process for those who need help. Over the next number of months we have a programme of high vigilance in place to continue to support users as more of you start to use the system.

The annual retention date of 31 December is approaching and the renewal process will be handled this year by the new MyNMBI registration system. We will issue renewal notices in late November with new login credentials for those who have not previously used the site.

We attend Irish Times Higher Options every year with the aim of inspiring Ireland’s next generation of nurses and midwives. It is part of the support and guidance we provide which aims to deliver easy access to career information on nursing and midwifery, including information on education and training. This year like many things, Higher Options has also gone online.

The poll to elect three registrants to be members of the Board of NMBI closed on Wednesday, 23 September 2020 at noon.

The successful candidates in the three categories were: 

Category 1: A registered nurse from the practice of general nursing engaged in clinical practice
Joseph Shalbin Kallarakkal

Category 2: A registered nurse from the practice of children's nursing
Marian Vaughan

Category 3: A registered nurse or a registered midwife employed in the public health sector and engaged in the education of nurses and midwives
Lorraine Clarke-Bishop

The 99th edition of the HPRA Drug Safety Newsletter includes information on the following medicines:

• Erythromycin – Updated warnings regarding cardiovascular risks and infantile hypertrophic pyloric stenosis
• Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) pathway inhibitors – Risk of aneurysm and artery dissection
• Implanon NXT (etonogestrel implant) – Updated insertion and removal instructions due to risk of neurovascular injury and implant migration
• Insulin-containing medicines – Risk of cutaneous amyloidosis and potential for associated changes in glycaemic control
• Leuprorelin-containing depot medicines – Risk of lack of efficacy due to incorrect reconstitution and administration
• Xeljanz ▼(tofacitinib) – Updated recommendations due to increased risk of venous thromboembolism and serious and fatal infections
• Risk of respiratory depression and sedation associated with Epaclob 1mg/ml and 2mg/ml oral suspension (clobazam)

For further details please visit the HPRA website.

Muireann Ní Riain, CNS Acute Hospital Liaison Nurse, St Michael’s House, Ballymun Road, Dublin