Dishonesty and probity

Dishonesty Explored: an online course for nurses and midwives

Understand why regulators treat dishonesty so seriously, how dishonesty is assessed in law and in NMC guidance, what can make a case more or less serious, and how to reflect meaningfully if honesty has been called into question.

Instructor: Cathryn WattersFounder & mentor, Fit 2 Practise

5.0 out of 5 (23 reviews)500+ nurses and midwives supported

Healthcare professional facing a difficult challenge, representing the Dishonesty Explored course for nurses and midwives
About the course

About Dishonesty Explored

Honesty sits at the heart of public trust in nursing and midwifery, which is why allegations of dishonesty are among the most serious concerns the NMC deals with. They also cover a wide range of situations, from falsified records or timesheets to undeclared convictions or misleading job applications.

This course explains what dishonesty means in a regulatory context and why regulators take it so seriously, the legal aspects of dishonesty charges including how dishonesty is tested, and how dishonesty allegations are approached and defended. Each topic has a quiz, and a final module quiz checks your understanding.

Whether you are facing a concern about dishonesty yourself or want to understand the regulatory expectations better, the course helps you think clearly about integrity, candour and insight.

What you'll learn

  • Explain why regulators treat dishonesty so seriously and how it affects public trustPromote professionalism and trust
  • Understand how dishonesty is assessed in law, including the two-stage test from Ivey v Genting CasinosFtP process
  • Recognise the factors NMC guidance treats as making dishonesty more or less seriousFtP process
  • Distinguish the professional duty of candour from dishonestyPreserve safety
  • Understand how a dishonesty charge is approached and defendedFtP process
  • Reflect honestly on integrity and show genuine insight and changePromote professionalism and trust

Skills you'll gain

  • Probity and integrity
  • The Ivey v Genting test
  • Duty of candour
  • Seriousness factors
  • Reflecting on honesty
  • Responding to an allegation

Details to know

  • Certificate of completionDownloadable PDF with a verification ID
  • Taught in UK EnglishWritten for the NMC process in the UK
  • Counts towards CPDRecord it as CPD evidence for revalidation
  • Lifetime accessLearn on any device, at your own pace

Who this course is for

  • Facing a dishonesty allegation

    Your case includes a concern about honesty or integrity.

  • Reflecting on probity

    You need to show insight into why honesty matters so much to public trust.

  • Managers and educators

    You want to understand how dishonesty concerns are approached by the regulator.

  • Strengthening your practice

    You want a clearer understanding of candour, integrity and professional honesty.

The NMC process

Where this course fits in the NMC Fitness to Practise process

Highlighted stages are where Dishonesty Explored helps most. Read our guide to every stage.

1Referral & screeningConcern assessed2InvestigationEvidence gathered3Case examinersCase to answer?4HearingFacts to sanction5Outcome & afterReviews and return1Referral & screeningConcern assessed2InvestigationEvidence gathered3Case examinersCase to answer?4HearingFacts to sanction5Outcome & afterReviews and return

NMC guidance recognises that not all dishonesty is equally serious. Factors such as a one-off, spontaneous act with no personal gain are treated differently from premeditated, long-running dishonesty or dishonesty that puts patients at risk. Context, insight and remediation matter at every stage, from your response at investigation to case examiners and any hearing.

If you deny an allegation of dishonesty, take advice from your union or a regulatory solicitor about how to reflect without contradicting your position on the facts. The insight and reflection prompts included with this course can help once you have that advice.

Fit 2 Practise is independent and not affiliated with the NMC. Our courses are general education, not legal advice. For advice on your case, speak to your union (such as the RCN, Unison or RCM), your indemnity provider or a regulatory solicitor.

Related reading

How to show insight and remediation to the NMC

NMC sanctions explained: caution to striking-off

How to structure an NMC reflective statement

The NMC Fitness to Practise library
Course curriculum

What's inside the course

Work through the lessons in order, at your own pace. Quizzes check your understanding as you go, and your progress is saved in your course hub.

8 steps4 lessons · 4 quizzes · about 3 hours
  1. An overview of the course and how the three topics fit together.
  2. What dishonesty means in a regulatory context, and why it strikes at public trust in the professions.
  3. How dishonesty is tested in law and what that means for how allegations are framed and decided.
  4. How dishonesty allegations are approached and defended, and the role of context, insight and remediation.
  5. What dishonesty means in a regulatory context, and why it strikes at public trust in the professions.
  6. A short quiz to check your understanding before you move on.
  7. A short quiz to check your understanding before you move on.
  8. A short quiz to check your understanding before you move on.
Earn a certificate

Get a certificate of completion

When you finish the course you can download a PDF certificate with a verification ID. Keep it as a record of your learning and continuing professional development.

Your instructor

Cathryn WattersFounder & mentor, Fit 2 Practise
Meet your instructor

Offered by

Fit 2 PractiseIndependent CPD courses, templates and 1:1 mentorship for nurses and midwives
About Fit 2 Practise
Included downloads

Resources included with this course

Practical templates and checklists that go with the course. Free when you enrol, or £2.99 each on their own.

Workbook · 5 pages

Dishonesty concerns: insight and reflection prompts

Guided questions to help you understand why honesty concerns are treated so seriously and to evidence genuine insight and change.

Free with this course · £2.99 on its own

Your resource is free when you enrol

Open it from your course hub once you have enrolled. Looking for something else? Every template and checklist is also sold on its own.

Browse all resources
Your instructor

Learn from people who understand Fitness to Practise

Cathryn Watters

Founder & mentor, Fit 2 Practise

Cathryn is a registered nurse with lived experience of the NMC Fitness to Practise process. She founded Fit 2 Practise to help nurses, midwives and nursing associates understand the process and respond to it with confidence.

She also founded NMCWatch: registrant care CIC, a peer-support and advocacy community for registrants, and mentors people one to one through every stage of their case.

About Fit 2 Practise 1:1 mentorship

Want personal support alongside the course?

1:1 mentorship with a registered nurse who has been through Fitness to Practise: help to understand your case, structure your reflection and prepare for each stage.

Explore mentorship Free intro call
Reviews

Ratings and reviews

How learners rate Dishonesty Explored.

5.0 out of 5 from 23 reviews
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All 23 learners who reviewed this course rated it 5 out of 5.

Questions

Dishonesty Explored: frequently asked questions

Straight answers about the course and the part of the NMC process it covers. Can't see your question? Get in touch or read the general FAQs.

Very seriously, because honesty and integrity are central to public trust in nurses and midwives, and the Code asks you to act with honesty and integrity at all times. NMC guidance explains that dishonesty varies in seriousness, and decision makers look carefully at the circumstances of each case.
No. NMC guidance lists factors that can make dishonesty more serious, such as deliberately covering up when things go wrong, abusing a position of trust, vulnerable victims, personal financial gain, premeditated or long-running dishonesty, or a direct risk to patients. It also recognises less serious forms, such as a one-off, spontaneous act with no direct personal gain. Panels consider the whole picture, including insight and remediation.
Courts and regulatory panels apply the test from Ivey v Genting Casinos (2017). First, the panel establishes what the person actually knew or believed about the facts. Then it asks whether their conduct was dishonest by the standards of ordinary decent people. It does not matter whether the person themselves thought it was dishonest.
The professional duty of candour means being open and honest with patients when something goes wrong with their care that causes, or could cause, harm: telling them, apologising, and explaining what will be done. It also means being open with colleagues and employers. A mistake is not dishonesty, but covering it up can become a dishonesty concern.
Focus on what happened and why, the pressures you were under, the impact on trust in you and in the profession, what you have learned about integrity, and the specific safeguards you now use. Take advice first if you dispute the facts. The reflection prompts included with the course help you structure this.
No. The course explains the principles so you understand them. For advice on your own case, speak to your union, indemnity provider or a regulatory solicitor.

More questions?

Talk to us, read our free guide, or book a free call to find the right support for your stage.

Keep learning
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