CEO Carolyn Donohoe: On Career Journey And Regulator Leadership

Nurses and midwives need clarity on regulation's dual role protecting public whilst actively supporting their professional development.Carolyn Donohoe, NMBI CEO, explains how right touch regulation balances proportionate standards with fairness, why undergraduate education now incorporates equality diversity inclusion and social determinants of health, and how strategic focus on plain English communication makes professional requirements accessible.With a nursing background spanning intensive care teaching to hospital management, she shares a career journey from bedside's instant gratification to broader leadership impact, maintaining public trust consistently ranking top two professions in Ipsos surveys, and encouraging registrants to engage without fear through road shows, webinars, and consultations whilst doing their best with available resources.THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUTCareer journey bedside nurse to CEO Regulation means setting standards based risk Right touch proportionate fair transparent approach Undergraduate reform equality diversity holistic care Supporting registrants plain English accessible communicationGUEST DETAILSCarolyn Donohoe is CEO of Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland, appointed permanently summer 2025. She leads strategically for the protection of the public by shaping and developing professional regulation for the nursing and midwifery professions. Her nursing career spans intensive care clinical facilitation, hospital management, and strategic education leadership before joining NMBI, bringing expertise in regulatory frameworks and translating clinical experience into effective governance.MORE INFORMATIONNMBI is the statutory body which sets the standards for the education, registration and professional conduct of nurses and midwives. We advise on how nurses and midwives should provide care to patients, their families and society. Our mission is to protect the public and the integrity of the professions of nursing and midwifery through the promotion of high standards of education, training, and professional conduct. We achieve this by providing leadership to registered nurses and midwives to support them to deliver safe care through innovative and proactive professional regulation. Our functions in safeguarding the public involve establishing and maintaining the Register of Nurses and Midwives. We also establish procedures and criteria for the assessment and registration of nurses and midwives. Visit the Registration section of our website to learn more. Additionally, we set the standards and requirements for nursing and midwifery education programmes. We approve education programmes and further education programmes for the purposes for nurses and midwives. Visit NMBI.ie to learn more.QUOTESIt's just trying to be more valuable to society. So for the next 10 years, what's the value add of nursing and what's the value add of midwifery? - Carolyn DonohoeIt was about human interaction and those connections and how you could help and make people better. - Carolyn DonohoeWe set rules for nurses and midwives in this country to practice, because we recognise they have the opportunity to interact with very vulnerable people and to do jobs that could potentially cause a lot of harm if they didn't, if the nurse or midwife didn't know what they were doing. So you have to put in kind of safeguards around that. - Carolyn DonohoeKEYWORDS#NursingRegulation #MidwiferyStandards #PublicProtection #ProfessionalCompetence #RightTouchRegulationWhat is NMBI Voice?NMBI Voice covers the key changes and challenges facing our profession today.Whether you're dealing with new regulations, maintaining your professional development, or navigating ethical decisions in your daily practice, NMBI Voice breaks down complex topics into practical guidance you can use.You'll hear from NMBI experts and colleagues who understand the realities of our work environment, offering clear explanations of what new policies mean for your practice and career.New episodes air on the first Monday of every month, giving you the information you need to maintain excellent standards while focusing on what matters most – caring for your patients.