Hello. My name is Wendy and I have worked for MSI in my role as a Clinical Interviewer for almost six years. My background was as a nurse and currently as midwife, roles which I have undertaken since 1979. Having worked in the NHS for all of that time, I am now fast approaching 43 years in the profession working clinical on the front line for York NHS Trust in North Yorkshire.
When revalidation started in April 2016, it became apparent that some of our staff were struggling to find a practitioner to do the reflective interviews and a confirmer for their revalidation. Revalidation was new to all of us and despite reassurances from the NMC and our union colleagues, many found the process challenging and difficult to comprehend. As a supervisor of Midwives and manager with many years’ experience, I had the knowledge and understanding prior to revalidation in supporting staff through processes where validation of their competence was necessary on an annual basis. I felt confident that the training I received through the Royal College and within my Trust, coupled with experience of multiple roles and specialities in the NHS, was sound grounding for supporting the staff in MSI through the revalidation process.
I feel that revalidation gives each of us time to reflect on ourselves professionally and truly celebrate the achievements we have made in our working lives as nurses, midwives and health visitors. It allows us to build on the qualities we have and refresh ourselves for the next revalidation period. This is a time that we can share, in confidence, the highs and lows of the past three years and to gain strength and build resilience for the future of our profession. I feel having a positive reflective discussion re-ignites our enthusiasm for the role we play in our society, the care we give individuals and families and refreshes us in the core values that we hold dear.
As a clinical interviewer, the task of completing a revalidation is one I take very seriously. With my supervisor’s head on, I like to feel that revalidation is the gate we have to unlock to progress forward in our career. As such the compliance team and I like to support our nurses, midwives and health visitors to produce high quality evidence, which if reviewed by the NMC, would more that stand up to scrutiny.
I am proud to say that so far, all our revalidation candidates have expressed thanks for the support they have received from our team and have engaged in the process in a really positive way.
About the author
Wendy Beagles is a Registered Nurse and Midwife with a BA Hons Health and Social Care, currently working at York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. She also works as a Clinical Interviewer with MSI Group.
