Today I went to the bank (old fashioned I know) and paid my Nursing registration fees to the NMC (Nursing and Midwifery Council)
for another year. So, I hear you ask, and I have asked this of myself, why does someone who appears to have no intention of providing patient care keep herself on the register? Well, firstly and quite importantly, registration is reasonably easy to keep once you have it in the UK right now. This is because I don’t have to physically wipe a brow (or bottom) to demonstrate my abilities as a nurse. I am clear that every day within my job, I do something, say something or make decisions about something that directly impacts on the health / illness / well being of someone. I am involved in service development and I am involved in decisions that affect real people. But technically it is true that I could do these things without being on the register.
Why then don’t I let my registration lapse? Well firstly if it lapses then it will be difficult to get back. Also it is a qualification that was hard earned and that I am proud to posess. It is also something that I know that if I wanted to I could go back to (with a bit of training in the relevant area). Younger nurses would like to believe that what they do now is in some way different to what we learned and practiced when actually it isn’t (give or take a few advances and a bit of technology). No to my mind, today’s £76 was well spent and is tax deductible.
I am a nurse and hope to be one for a long time to come.
I am hoping to become a nurse and am going to school for it. It’s a very rewarding way to make a living and I actually do enjoy helping people and making a difference.
Hi Julie,
I’ve let my UK rego lapse – but am maintaining the Aussie rego for my job. Getting my UK one back should thus be easy as demonstration of nursing prac is constant – if I should ever want to that is.
I’ve recently made it to the dizzy heights of MH Team Leader – not sure what grade UK that is – but essentially I’m clinical head of service in a small rural area, So small, it has no MH in-patient beds and all admissions are made inter-regionally. Should be easy?!
It’s a part clinical role so rego is necessary but if I ever got to the stage I didn’t need it – I’m not sure I’d bother with it. Not that I disown it or such but quite frankly, the rego fees have nothing to assist me – and I’ve had reason to call upon the NMC (then UKCC) and the Aussie equiv. here on occasion for advice – both of whom failed abysmally (but at least I’d checked and covered my arse).
I’ll never stop being a nurse – even without registration – and I’ll gladly stop giving my money to an organisation that fails to provide me personally with any value for money. (even tho it’s cheaper here at about £35 annually!)
Thanks Ian. I think I would let it go if I was sure I would never need it in the future, but I am not so sure. Only a few weeks ago I applied for a job that required registration (didn’t get the job and didn’t actually want it when it came to it) so for now I’ll stay on the register even if it is £76
I think it’s not really all that different… ‘cept we do more of that there book learnin’.