Any online CPD course relevant to your scope of practice can count towards NMC revalidation, because the NMC does not prescribe a type of CPD. What it does set is the amount and the record: 35 hours of CPD in the three years since you last renewed your registration, at least 20 of them participatory, with a written record of each activity. A self-paced online course on its own counts as individual learning, not participatory learning, because the NMC defines participatory learning as activity that "involves interaction with one or more other professionals". Our online courses for nurses and midwives are £79 each for 2 CPD hours, with a dated certificate, and Probity & Ethics is CPD certified by The CPD Certification Service (provider no. 13197).
Facing an NMC concern?
A complaint from a patient or family, an employer investigation, an NMC referral or a hearing. You need evidence of insight and of the steps you have taken, before a decision is made.
Collecting CPD for revalidation?
You need hours relevant to your practice, a record your confirmer can check, and material for your five written reflective accounts. This guide covers both.
In short
- The NMC asks for "35 hours of continuing professional development (CPD) relevant to your scope of practice" every three years, of which "at least 20 must have included participatory learning".
- The NMC says "we don't prescribe any particular type of CPD". An online course counts if it is relevant to your scope of practice and you record it properly.
- A self-paced online course is individual learning. Your participatory hours need interaction with other professionals, in person or online.
- The same course can serve an NMC concern: the NMC's own guidance says decision makers look at whether the steps you have taken are relevant, measurable and effective.
What the NMC asks for: 35 hours, 20 participatory
Revalidation is the process every nurse, midwife and nursing associate goes through every three years to stay on the NMC register. CPD is one of eight requirements; the others include practice hours, practice-related feedback, five written reflective accounts, a reflective discussion, a health and character declaration, an indemnity arrangement and confirmation. Our guide to NMC revalidation sets out all eight.
"You must have undertaken 35 hours of continuing professional development (CPD) relevant to your scope of practice in the three year period since your registration was last renewed, or you joined the register. Of those 35 hours of CPD, at least 20 must have included participatory learning."
NMC, Revalidation: Continuing professional development
The NMC also lists what your CPD record must contain:
- the CPD method;
- a description of the topic and how it related to your practice;
- the dates on which the activity was undertaken;
- the number of hours, including the number of participatory hours;
- the part of the Code most relevant to the activity; and
- evidence that you undertook the CPD activity.
Practice hours are a separate requirement. The NMC's minimum is 450 hours over the three years for a nurse, a midwife or a nursing associate, and more for dual or triple registration. CPD hours do not count towards practice hours.
Does an online course count for revalidation?
Yes, for the 35 hours, if it is relevant to your scope of practice. The NMC says: "we don't prescribe any particular type of CPD; we leave it up to you to decide what activity is most useful for your development as a professional."
The question is which part of the 35 hours it counts towards. The NMC defines participatory learning as activity that "involves interaction with one or more other professionals", and says it "can be in a physical environment or a virtual one". Its examples include "attending a conference, taking part in a workshop" and "group meetings outside of everyday practice". A course you complete on your own, at your own pace, does not involve that interaction, so it counts as individual (non-participatory) learning.
| Activity | Counts towards the 35 hours? | Participatory? |
|---|---|---|
| Self-paced online course | Yes, if relevant to your scope of practice | No: individual learning |
| Live webinar with discussion between professionals | Yes, if relevant | Yes: interaction in a virtual environment |
| Conference or workshop | Yes, if relevant | Yes |
| Group meeting to discuss an event or a new way of working | Yes, if relevant | Yes |
Making an online course participatory
You can turn individual learning into participatory hours by discussing it with other professionals: for example, taking the case studies from a course to a team meeting or a peer discussion and recording that discussion as a separate activity. Count the course hours and the discussion hours separately, and mark only the discussion as participatory.
How to record an online course in your CPD log
The NMC recommends its own CPD log template, which makes it easier to show your confirmer how you have met the requirement. For each online course, record:
- Method: online course, self-paced.
- Topic and relevance: what the course covered and why it relates to your practice, in a sentence or two.
- Dates: the date on your certificate.
- Hours: the CPD hours on the certificate, with 0 participatory hours.
- Part of the Code: the theme or standard most relevant, for example "Preserve safety" for a record keeping course.
- Evidence: keep the certificate.
A course can also be the subject of one of your five written reflective accounts. The NMC says each account must refer to "an instance of your CPD", practice-related feedback or an event in your practice, "and how they relate to the Code", and that the accounts "don't need to be lengthy or academic-style pieces of writing". Our guide to NMC CPD evidence for nurses and midwives covers what a confirmer looks for in your records.
Choosing CPD courses for nurses
The NMC's CPD page suggests using its standards to plan: "Consider your scope of practice. What knowledge and skills do you need to practise safely?", then plan CPD to meet the needs you find. The NMC Code is structured around four themes: prioritise people, practise effectively, preserve safety, and promote professionalism and trust. Our courses for nurses cover three subjects, each linked to those themes.
- EthicsConsent, confidentiality, the duty of candour, and decisions where the right course is not clear. Maps to "prioritise people" and "promote professionalism and trust".
- Professionalism and boundariesConduct towards a patient or a colleague, dual relationships, social media, and accountability. Maps to "promote professionalism and trust".
- Record keepingAccurate, timely notes, late entries, and records as evidence. Maps to "practise effectively" and "preserve safety".
Choose courses that match your own scope of practice and any feedback you have had, not only what is easiest to find. A course you can link to a real event or piece of feedback makes a stronger reflective account.
Using the same course if an NMC concern has been raised
If a concern has been raised with your employer or the NMC, the course serves a second purpose. The NMC's fitness to practise guidance, "Has the concern been addressed?", says decision makers assess whether the steps you have taken are:
- relevant, "directly linked to the nature of the concerns";
- measurable: where you have completed a course, "information should be provided to help the decision maker understand the scope of the course, the topics covered and the results of any assessments"; and
- effective, "clearly demonstrating that past failings have been objectively understood, appreciated and tackled".
The same guidance says reflective work carries more weight where you "give examples not only of what [you] have learned following the concerns being raised, but also how [you] have applied this learning in [your] practice". So a course on the subject of the concern is one step, and the reflection you write about it, with examples from your practice, is what shows the change.
Before you reply to the NMC
Speak to your union, professional body or indemnity provider before you send anything to the NMC or your employer. A course does not decide the outcome of a case. Keep the course certificate, the course outline and your reflection together, so you can give the decision maker the scope, topics and assessment result the guidance asks for.
For what happens after a referral, read the NMC investigation process and, if a patient has complained, a patient complained to the NMC: what to do.
Our online CPD courses for nurses and midwives
Online course
Ethics and Ethical Standards for Nurses and Midwives
Self-paced and online, with instant access and a certificate on completion recording the course title, CPD hours and date. Written for nurses, midwives and nursing associates facing an NMC concern, and for those adding ethics to their revalidation CPD. Probity & Ethics is CPD certified by The CPD Certification Service (provider no. 13197).
- £79
- 2 CPD hours
- 7 sections
- 19 lessons
- Certificate on completion
- Overview of healthcare ethics
- The core ethical principles
- Integrity, candour and records
- Patient-centred care and shared decisions
- Professional boundaries and conduct
- Breaches of ethical standards
- Conclusion and assessment
More courses for nurses and midwives
See every course for your register on our page of courses for NMC remediation and CPD. Other UK regulators:
Frequently asked questions
Which online CPD courses can nurses use for NMC revalidation?
Any online course relevant to your scope of practice can count towards the 35 hours of CPD, because the NMC says it does not prescribe any particular type of CPD. Record the method, topic and relevance, dates, hours, the part of the Code it relates to, and keep the certificate. A self-paced online course counts as individual learning, not participatory learning.
How many CPD hours do nurses need for revalidation?
35 hours of CPD relevant to your scope of practice in the three years since your registration was last renewed or you joined the register. At least 20 of those hours must include participatory learning, which the NMC defines as activity involving interaction with one or more other professionals, in person or online.
Does an online course count as participatory learning?
Not on its own. The NMC says participatory learning involves interaction with one or more other professionals, in a physical or virtual environment. A self-paced online course is individual learning. A live webinar with discussion, a workshop or a group meeting to discuss what you learned can be participatory, so record those hours separately.
Can I use the same course for revalidation and an NMC concern?
Yes. For revalidation it counts towards your CPD hours and can be the subject of a written reflective account. For a fitness to practise concern, the NMC's guidance says decision makers look at whether the steps you have taken are relevant, measurable and effective, and gives more weight to reflection that shows how you have applied the learning in practice.
What should a CPD record for an online course include?
The NMC lists the CPD method, a description of the topic and how it related to your practice, the dates, the number of hours including participatory hours, the part of the Code most relevant to the activity, and evidence that you did it. Our certificates record the course title, CPD hours and the completion date.
Are your courses for nurses CPD certified?
Probity and Ethics is CPD certified by The CPD Certification Service (provider no. 13197). Each course for nurses and midwives listed in this guide is £79 for 2 CPD hours, self-paced and online, with a certificate on completion recording the course title, CPD hours and date.
Sources
This guide is based on the following NMC guidance, checked on 22 October 2026.