INFORMATION FOR STUDENTS
The Nursing and Midwifery Council’s overall aim is to protect the health, safety and wellbeing of the public by promoting trust and confidence in the nursing and midwifery professions. This is achieved through ‘Fitness to Practice’ regulations. These regulations are based around 12 principles to ensure nurses and midwives adopt a professional culture which prioritises patient safety and embeds the principles of equality, diversity and inclusion when working alongside patients and service users.
You can find out more about NMC Fitness to Practice
here.
What does Fitness to Practice mean for student nurses and midwives?
Fitness to practice means ensuring that as student nurses and midwives, you have the skills, knowledge, good health and character to do your job safely and effectively. Student fitness to practice is called into question if health, disability, conduct or character issues compromise your ability to:
- meet the required Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) competencies/proficiencies
- practice safely in order to protect the public
If your fitness to practice is called into question, it may affect your ability to continue as a student nurse or midwife. The NMC do not investigate student fitness to practice issues. This is the role of each university – see your programme documents for your own university policy and procedures.
STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES
As a student preparing to register with the NMC, your professionalism is taken very seriously. Developing an understanding of the NMC Code and its application in practice is essential as you progress through the programme.
To demonstrate fitness to practice you are required to behave in a professional manner and meet the programme proficiencies and outcomes in full.
Your specific responsibilities:
- take responsibility for your own mental and physical health and wellbeing, seeking support where necessary to ensure this does not impact on your academic or practice learning
- be aware of the impact of social/digital media on your role as a student nurse and the impact of any misuse on your ability to join the NMC register
- be aware of the requirement to act with honesty and integrity, remain objective and maintain clear professional boundaries with the people in your care
- understand the professional responsibility to adopt a healthy lifestyle to maintain the level of personal fitness and wellbeing required to meet people’s mental and physical care needs (NMC 2018)
Reporting specific issues/concerns
You have a duty to report anything you are concerned about relating to yourself, another student, nurse or midwife which might create a risk to patient safety/public protection or which may impact on fitness to practice. This is known as ‘Duty of Candour’ which is ratified by both the NMC and General Medical Council (GMC).
An additional reporting issue is related to any cautions, police warnings or criminal convictions – all of these must be reported to your programme lead for documentation and investigation as appropriate. It is always wise to report these issues as part of your annual Good Health, Good Character reporting
UNIVERSITY RESPONSIBILITIES
Each university must have a fitness to practice policy in order to be validated by the NMC to offer nursing and midwifery education programmes. You will find details of this policy in your student programme handbook and on the university website. Referrals to fitness to practice committees are taken seriously. There are a range of outcomes, depending on the situation – extremely serious issues could result in a student being removed from the programme of study.
HEALTH CONCERNS
The NMC and universities welcome and value the contribution which all students can make during their studies and in their chosen profession. Universities and practice partners want to support you and provide you with the best opportunity to flourish.
You may already have a condition which changes or indeed worsens during your programme, or you may develop a health condition during this time.
When you apply through UCAS, you can declare a health or disability diagnosis in the ‘disability/special needs’ section. This will enable you to access any support you may require. It is important that the university is aware of any such conditions which might affect your fitness to practice so that the programme teams can support you, ensuring you practice safely and protect the public through considering any reasonable adjustments. Having insight into how your own wellbeing affects others is an important skill for nurses and midwives to develop.
For further information and details of the process and procedure, please see the Fitness to Practice policy on your university intranet.
ENU Fitness to Practice Lead:
QMU Fitness to Practice Lead:
UoE Fitness to Practice Lead:
O.U. Fitness to Practice Leads: