As a member of the Students Committee, my role is all about speaking up for student members in Northern Ireland, listening to their questions and concerns, and taking them forward with my fellow committee members and RCN staff to find solutions for nursing students. Being on the committee is also a great way to get involved in important RCN campaigns like Fair Pay for Nursing, ensuring that the nursing student voice is heard on the crucial issues of nurse recruitment and retention. While I am regularly in touch with the committee and with student members in Northern Ireland, the role only takes up a few hours of my time per month on average.
My time on the committee has given me the chance to meet members of the nursing workforce and members of the RCN that I wouldn’t have had otherwise. It has improved my understating of the challenges that nursing can bring, as well as the rewards that nursing can give you. Being a committee member and Student Ambassador has also led me to develop key skills such as public speaking and organisation which have helped me at university and on placement.
If you want to make a difference and support your fellow nursing students, then joining the committee is the perfect opportunity for you. Your voice can be heard at a national level on the important issues facing nursing education. Over the next couple of years, the issue of pay, and the related challenges of recruiting and retaining more student nurses, are sure to remain high on the agenda and it is essential that students have a significant voice within the RCN. So why not stand for election to the committee and be that voice, what have you got to lose?
Are you ready to follow in Gary's footsteps by standing for election to the RCN Students Committee? Submit your nomination by 4:30pm on Monday 17 October. Find out more here.
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