NMBI's annual renewal process closed on Friday 16 April. When the online process closed more that 74,000 nurses and midwives had renewed their registration for 2021.

NMBI has introduced changes in how it processes applications for qualification recognition for applicants from certain overseas countries.

Up until now non-directive applications for recognition of their qualifications from nurses and midwives – known as G3 applications - included a need to provide evidence they had practised in the previous five years and evidence of active registration in another jurisdiction.

The work of NMBI’s Preliminary Proceedings Committee (PPC) is one of the most important cogs in the organisation’s work, says its chairman Denis Murphy.

Denis has been a lay member of the NMBI Board for the past eight years and is into his second term as chair of the PPC. He is the Chief Administration Officer with the Association for Dental Education in Europe (ADEE) and an associate lecturer with the RCSI’s Institute of Leadership.

The guiding principles for the administration of medications are outlined in Guidance for Registered Nurses and Midwives on Medication Administration (2020). These guiding principles are designed to assist you to understand your roles and professional responsibilities to safely administer medication across all practice settings. 

The requirement to hold dual registration in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland has always been in place for nurses and midwives wishing to practise in both jurisdictions. Nursing and midwifery are regulated professions, and regulations are in place to ensure patient safety. Any nurse/midwife who wishes to practise in the professions in the Republic of Ireland must be registered with NMBI.

NMBI wishes to announce that the process for selecting mature applicants applying to the nursing and midwifery degree programmes includes assessment tests which are scheduled to be undertaken between Thursday, 22 April and Wednesday, 28 April 2021. Information on the tests is available in a familiarisation booklet which is now on our website.

It took nearly two years from planning to completion, but Wexford now has its first ever ‘water baby’.

For Helen McLoughlin, Director of Midwifery at              Wexford General, and her team the wait was worth it all.

Background: A Digital Roadmap for Nursing and Midwifery (2019) has been developed by the HSE to facilitate national engagement on what actions need to happen for nursing and midwifery and to initiate and progress strategic and policy decisions about information and digital technology in nursing and midwifery.

With new more transmissible variants of Covid-19 now prominent in Ireland, the Government has announced a cautious approach to re-opening society between now and the end of the full vaccine roll-out. Restrictions on travel have eased to allow people to travel within their counties or up to 20km from home for those who live close to county boundaries.

A round up of the latest news stories including:

• Nurse Dawn Wallace honoured with Frontline Hero Award
• Former President of An Bord Altranais appointed to the Board of the HSE
• Nursing professional Justin Kerr is appointed Vice-President of GMIT Mayo
• Covid restrictions sees rise in home births
• Care bundle helped to reduce injury from wearing PPE, RCSI study finds
• Former ICU nurse helped to lead Defence Forces Covid-19 training
• Midwives awarded for their care for mums

• Special publication pays tribute to nurses and midwives during pandemic

Olive Gallagher, Director of Nursing, Cancer Managed Clinical Academic Network, Saolta University Healthcare Group, Galway University Hospital.