Return to Practice: Nursing & Midwifery
Subject and course type
- Short course
Regain your confidence, update your clinical skills and return to nursing or midwifery with Kingston University's expert-led short course programme.
Ready to restart your nursing or midwifery career?
If you've ever thought about returning to nursing or midwifery, now is the time to do it.
This Return to Practice course is tailored for nurses and midwives aiming to regain their Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC) registration. It’s designed for those with limited practice hours in recent years and provides the training needed to deliver safe and effective person-centred care.
Nurses from all fields of practice (adult, mental health, learning disabilities and children’s nursing) and midwives can undertake this course.
Key features of our Return to Practice course include:
- Flexible clinical placements (150–400 supernumerary hours)
- Opportunity to rebuild confidence and update clinical, digital and literacy skills
- Structured for nurses and midwives with fewer than 750 practice hours in the past five years or fewer than 450 in the last three
Why choose this course
Our Return to Practice: Nursing & Midwifery course includes a mix of theoretical and practical learning, supported by practice partners across acute, community and general practice settings.
You'll be required to complete Trust induction sessions too. You can also expect:
Comprehensive Support: Access to Kingston University's expert faculty and extensive placement network
Enhanced Skills: Update your numeracy, literacy, and technological literacy in alignment with NMC standards
- Readmission Ready: Meet the NMC standards of proficiency for registration renewal or readmission
Course and application information
- Funding and support: A £1,000 bursary is provided by Health Education England at the start of the course. Course and placement fees are fully covered.
- Clinical placements: Opportunities include placements in NHS Trusts, independent healthcare settings, or general practice nursing environments.
- Practice-based learning: Supervised by nominated Practice Assessors, Supervisors, and Educators. Placement partners are eager to employ students post-programme and offer preceptorship support after re-registration.
- Skills and knowledge development: The course updates clinical, digital, and literacy skills and prepares you to deliver safe, compassionate care.
Upon successful completion, participants meet the NMC's proficiency standards for nurses and midwives and are eligible for re-registration.
30 credits at Level 6
- Professional Practice: Critically reflect on your practice to ensure it aligns with the NMC's professional standards of behaviour and practice.
- Health Promotion and Prevention: Assess and apply relevant theories and strategies for health promotion, protection, and prevention of ill health in the care of individuals.
- Holistic Assessment and Care Planning: Apply the knowledge and skills necessary to conduct holistic assessments and create person-centred, evidence-based care plans.
- Evidence-Based Care: Provide safe, compassionate, and evidence-based care, working in collaboration with individuals, families, and carers to evaluate its effectiveness.
- Leadership and Collaboration: Analyse and apply leadership and management principles within nursing/midwifery care, and collaborate effectively within the interdisciplinary team.
- Clinical Governance and Quality Improvement: Discuss and apply relevant frameworks, legislation, and regulations related to clinical governance and quality improvement in clinical practice.
- Coordinating Complex Care: Explore the nurse's or midwife's role in coordinating, leading, and managing the complex care needs of individuals across multiple organisations and settings.
Assessment
Learning outcomes will be assessed through a case study and a practice-based document.
- Nursing intakes: September and January
- Midwifery intake: September only
September 2025
Study days will be on Tuesdays and Wednesdays between 9 September and 8 October. The dates are as follows:
- 9 September
- 10 September
- 16 September
- 17 September
- 23 September
- 24 September
- 30 September
- 1 October
- 7 October
- 8 October
January 2026
Study days will be on Tuesdays and Wednesdays between 20 January and 18 February. The dates are as follows:
- 20 January
- 21 January
- 27 January
- 28 January
- 3 February
- 4 February
- 10 February
- 11 February
- 17 February
- 18 February
- Application Deadline: The closing date for submitting applications is at 11:59pm on 30 May 2025. Applications submitted after this deadline may be deferred to the next intake if appropriate.
- Interview Schedule: Interviews for shortlisted applicants will mainly be held on Wednesdays in June 2025. Eligible applicants will be invited for a virtual interview via Microsoft Teams.
- Review changes in nursing by visiting resources such as the Department of Health, Royal College of Nursing, and NMC websites
- Be prepared to discuss your motivations for returning to practice
- Provide evidence of prior NMC registration, such as a statement of entry or a printout of your previous registration
- Credits: 30 credits at Level 6
- Assessment:
- Academic assignment: A 3,000-word case study.
- Practice Assessment Document (PAD) for nurses or Midwifery Ongoing Record of Achievement (MORA).
- A minimum of 150 hours of supervised clinical practice.
Funding
NHS Health Education England covers all tuition and placement fees.
Students also receive a £1,000 allowance for childcare, travel and book costs.
For funding queries, email returntopractice.london@hee.nhs.uk.
Who teaches this course
The Return to Practice Nursing course is led by Emily Marron, while the Midwifery course is guided by Tina Woodford and Georgina Sims.
Ready to restart your nursing or midwifery career?
Applications for the next intake of our Return to Practice programme are now open.
