We have published the Pilot Professional Competence Scheme Findings Report, marking an important milestone in the development of Ireland's first Professional Competence Scheme for nurses and midwives.  

The report outlines the journey from the development of the draft scheme through public consultation, stakeholder engagement and a national pilot involving registrants and employers from a broad range of practice settings. It also presents the findings from the pilot evaluation and demonstrates how participant feedback has directly informed the final design of the scheme.   

The Professional Competence Scheme has been developed to support registered nurses and registered midwives in maintaining professional competence throughout their careers, while strengthening public confidence in the professions. The pilot, undertaken between January 2025 and April 2026, tested the scheme in practice to assess its feasibility, proportionality and practical application before national implementation.   

Participants generally reported a positive experience of the pilot, with many valuing the structured approach to planning learning, engaging in continuing professional development and reflecting on practice. Employers also recognised the benefits of the scheme in promoting a stronger learning culture and increasing awareness of professional competence within organisations.   

The pilot also provided valuable insights into areas requiring refinement. Participants highlighted the need for clearer guidance, streamlined documentation and a more proportionate approach to recording learning and reflective practice. Audit findings similarly identified opportunities to improve consistency in how continuing professional development activities were recorded and linked to professional competence.   

These findings have informed a number of important enhancements to the scheme, including simplified recording processes, revised guidance materials, strengthened support for registrants and employers, and a more proportionate approach to reflective practice and audit.   

The publication of the report represents the culmination of several years of research, consultation and collaboration with nurses, midwives, employers and key stakeholders. The final Professional Competence Scheme, incorporating the learning from the pilot, will go live on 1 January 2027.  

NMBI would like to thank all registrants, employers, pilot sites and stakeholders who participated in the pilot and contributed to the development of the scheme. Their engagement has played a vital role in shaping a practical, proportionate and supportive Professional Competence Scheme that will underpin the ongoing maintenance of professional competence and support safe, effective care for the public.

The report is available on our website.

We are delighted to announce that will be at this year’s National Ploughing Championships to promote our role in public protection and supporting safe, high-quality healthcare.  

Taking place from 15 to 17 September in Screggan, Tullamore, Co Offaly, the event offers a unique opportunity for visitors to learn more about NMBI and discover how a career in nursing and midwifery makes a real difference.   

If you, or someone you know who is considering a career in nursing or midwifery is attending, you can meet with our team along with nurses, midwives, NMPDU colleagues and Student Ambassadors to learn more about education pathways and life in the professions.   

Speaking ahead of the Ploughing Championships, NMBI Chief Executive Carolyn Donohoe said:  

“We’re delighted to be returning to the National Ploughing Championships and inviting people to visit us at our stand. As Ireland’s nursing and midwifery regulator, engaging directly with the public is an important part of building understanding and trust in the work we do to protect the public and support safe care.  

Whether you are exploring a career in nursing or midwifery or curious about the professions, our team, practising nurses, midwives and student ambassadors will be there to answer your questions. Nursing and midwifery offer a rewarding career that makes a real difference every day and we look forward to sharing the many opportunities available across both professions.”  

NMBI will be located in the Government of Ireland Village, in the Supporting Ireland’s Health marquee, Stand 138, Row 7, Block 4.  

Nurses and midwives will have an opportunity to learn more about the Professional Competence Scheme (PCS) which will be operational in January 2027. The self-directed process supports ongoing professional competence in everyday practice.  

The stand will also provide an opportunity to understand NMBI’s work in regulating nurses and midwives in the public interest and its commitment to strengthening public protection while empowering the professions it regulates.  

Visitors can also take part in hands-on CPR demonstrations and learn this important lifesaving skill.  

We look forward to seeing you there. 

Follow @nmbi_ie on Instagram, LinkedIn or X and join the conversation using: 

#ACareerThatMakesADifference  

#govploughing26   

#ploughing26 

We will be attending the Irish Times Higher Options careers fair, along with our colleagues from the Office of Nursing and Midwifery Service Director (ONMSD) and our Student Ambassadors.  

Higher Options is Ireland's largest education and careers fair for second-level students. This year’s event will take place at the RDS in Dublin from 16 to 18 September 2026. 

Visitors to our stand will have the opportunity to learn more about careers in nursing and midwifery, educational pathways into the professions and the role of NMBI as the regulator of nurses and midwives in Ireland. 

Our aim is to promote the professions and encourage students to consider a career in nursing and midwifery. 

Members of the NMBI team, the ONMSD and our Student Ambassadors will be available throughout the event. 

If you know anyone who is interested in a nursing and midwifery career, they can visit our stand and we will be happy to provide information and answer their questions. We will also be taking part in daily panel discussion to share insights and promote the professions.   

You have a dedicated careers section on our website with information and videos about the options available to students. We would encourage you to share this link with any future nurses and midwives. 

Our CEO, Carolyn Donohoe, recently spoke to the Medical Independent about our priorities for strengthening public protection, supporting nurses and midwives, and our work to support safe, high-quality patient care across Ireland's health services.  

The article highlights our commitment to working closely with other healthcare regulators to address shared challenges across the health system, particularly in areas such as patient safety, interdisciplinary working, and public engagement. 

Carolyn discussed our ongoing work to enhance the Fitness to Practise process, including initiatives to improve support for witnesses and registrants and strengthen preventative approaches through greater use of data and shared learning.  

She also highlighted our preparations for the Professional Competence Scheme, which will support nurses and midwives in maintaining and demonstrating their professional competence through continuing professional development and practice requirements.  

Read the full interview on the Medical Independent website.

We held a webinar on 25 August to launch our Standards for Radiological Referral by Registered Nurses and Registered Midwives (Third Edition).

The webinar provided an overview of the practice and education programme standards and highlighted how they support safe, effective and accountable radiological referral practice in the interests of public protection.

The revised standards replace the Standards and Requirements for Nurse Authority to Refer for Radiological Procedures (2020) and reflect developments in legislation, professional regulation, education, and contemporary nursing and midwifery practice.

The standards establish, for the first time, a combined framework of Practice Standards and Education Programme Standards to support registered nurses and registered midwives to expand their scope of practice to include radiological referral. The standards are aligned with the Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics for Registered Nurses and Registered Midwives (2025) and set out the knowledge, skills, competence, and professional expectations required for safe, effective, and accountable referral practice.

If you were unable to attend, you can watch the webinar back on our website.

We look forward to supporting the implementation of these new standards across practice and education settings.

Have you listened to the latest episodes of NMBI Voice? The podcast series continues to explore the key issues affecting nursing, midwifery and professional regulation in Ireland, with new episodes released on the first Monday of each month. 

In July's episode, our CEO, Carolyn Donohoe discusses how professional regulation supports nurses and midwives to navigate the challenges of modern healthcare while maintaining high standards of care and protecting the public. The conversation explores the role of the Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics, the importance of professional standards, and how regulation acts as a framework that helps practitioners provide safe, effective care while protecting the public.  

August’s episode brings together highlights and key insights from previous discussions across the series. The episode features the Chief Nursing Officer, Rachel Kenna, NMBI Board President, Áine Lynch, and Innovation Fellows Una Rogers and Anne Marie Kieran, alongside advanced practice voices Jess Sears and Emer Shine.  

Whether you're a student, a newly registered practitioner, or an experienced nurse or midwife, NMBI Voice provides practical insights and expert perspectives on the issues shaping professional practice today. 

Listen to the latest episodes now on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

NMBI has published a Fitness to Practise Committee report for the first time, providing greater insight into the regulatory process. This is permitted due to legislative changes which were introduced in 2021. 

The report relates to a public Fitness to Practise Inquiry held across several hearing dates between 2024 and 2025.  

The publication of the report is part of NMBI's commitment to enhancing transparency in its fitness to practise processes. By making the Committee's findings and reasoning publicly available, NMBI aims to support greater understanding of professional regulation and accountability in nursing and midwifery. As the first Fitness to Practise Committee report published, it marks an important development in providing public access to regulatory decision-making. 

The report published on our website.

NMBI has published a transcript of a Fitness to Practise Inquiry on its website for the first time, marking a significant step in its ongoing commitment to openness and transparency.  

The transcript relates to a Fitness to Practise Inquiry concerning allegations made against a nurse in connection with their care of residents in a nursing home during 2020.  

The publication of the transcript provides a detailed account of the Inquiry process, including the evidence presented, witness examinations and the Committee's findings and reasoning.  

As NMBI's first published Fitness to Practise transcript, it represents an important milestone in making regulatory proceedings more accessible and understandable to registrants, stakeholders and the public. 

The transcript is available on our website.

We have published the site inspection summary report for Dundalk Institute of Technology (DKIT). 

As part of our mandate to protect the public, we assess and approve all education programmes in nursing and midwifery across the country, conducting site inspections of university and college departments, and their partner hospitals and health services to ensure high standards of nursing and midwifery education and practice.  

The site inspection of DKIT took place in March 2026 to review both nursing and midwifery education programmes and was approved by the Board of NMBI on 30 June. 

All site inspection reports of education bodies and their practice partners are published on our website and are available to the public. 

The inspection reports provide an in-depth look at each undergraduate programme leading to registration and include a summary of the commendations, conditions and recommendations for best practice in professional education. 

We would like to thank DKIT and their practice partners for their collaboration. 

The reports are available to view on our website.

We have recently published the Practice Standards for NMBI Registered Midwives. 

The Standards are underpinned by the principles of the Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics for Registered Nurses and Registered Midwives and the ICM definition of a Midwife. The standards for registered midwives set out the knowledge, skills, and professional behaviours expected of midwives at the point of registration, having successfully completed a programme of Midwifery Education.   

The Standards are available on our website.

Our Director of Fitness to Practise, Orla Crowe, has shared her remarkable recovery journey following a serious road traffic collision that left her with serious injuries and months of rehabilitation. 

Speaking in a recent interview with RSVP Magazine, Orla described how she sustained multiple injuries, including a pelvis broken in nine places, after being struck by a truck while cycling in Dublin in 2022. Following emergency surgery and extensive rehabilitation, she had to relearn how to walk. 

Throughout her recovery, Orla drew strength from her family, healthcare team and wider community. She has spoken about the profound impact that nurses and other healthcare professionals had on her journey, helping her regain her independence and confidence. 

Today, Orla has returned to an active life and now leads NMBI's Fitness to Practise Department. Reflecting on her experience as a patient, she said it gave her a deeper appreciation of the dedication, skill and compassion shown by nurses every day.  

At NMBI, we are proud to have Orla as part of our leadership team. Her journey highlights resilience, determination and the difference that high-quality healthcare and rehabilitation can make in people's lives.

Our CEO, Carolyn Donohoe was delighted to attend the 80th Independence Day of India celebrations on 15 August at the Embassy of India in Dublin.

We recognise the important role our Indian nursing and midwifery colleagues play in the Irish healthcare system and we would like to thank the Indian Ambassador to Ireland, H.E. Manish Gupta for his hospitality.

The Board of NMBI has published the outcomes of three complaints following the fitness to practise process. The findings are published on NMBI's Findings and Decisions page.