Self-tracking, governmentality, and Nursing and Midwifery Council's (2016) revalidation policy

Abstract

In April 2016 the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) introduced a new revalidation continuous professional development (CPD) policy. This policy states that revalidation is the responsibility of nurses, and although employers are urged to support the revalidation process, the NMC clearly states that employers have no legal requirement to provide either time or funds for the CPD activities of nurses and midwives (NMC, 2014, 2016; Royal College of Nursing, 2016). The aim of this professional development policy is to ensure that nurses and midwives maintain their professional competency and to promote public safety and confidence in nurses and midwives. A closer look at the process of revalidation suggests that several measures have been introduced to ensure that nurses and midwives conform to the CPD policy, and this paper examines the influence of governmentality and neoliberalism on the NMC's self-tracking revalidation policy. It will be recommended that the responsibility for the revalidation process should be shared by nurses, midwives, and their employers, and that time and money should be allocated for the professional development of nurses and midwives.