![Unmasked Exhibition](https://www.rcn.org.uk/scotland/-/media/Royal-College-Of-Nursing/Images/Hero-Images-Full-Screen-1900x380/Countries-and-Regions/Scotland/COVID-exhibition.jpg?h=380&w=1900&la=en&hash=E6C30384B8E508F8DCA5FA19CB3302A6)
Exhibitions in Scotland
Find out about the past, present and future of children and young people's nursing.
Children aren’t just “small adults”. They have different health and care needs, which change as they grow and develop.
This exhibition explores the history of children and young people’s nursing – from the first children’s hospitals in the 1800s to the development of family-centred care.
Nursing for young people has often been ahead of the curve and influenced adult care. Yet this has not always been acknowledged, and children’s nurses have had to fight for recognition of their specialist role. This exhibition shows that by recognising this past and by listening to and valuing young people’s voices, we can better prepare for our future.
The exhibition was co-created with Royal College of Nursing members, many of whom work in children and young people’s nursing or have in the past. The volunteer team was involved in every stage of the exhibition from research, to writing exhibition panels, to exhibition design.
Objects on display include items from Bethlem Museum of the Mind, the Foundling Museum, the Old Operating Theatre Museum and Herb Garret, Southwark Heritage Centre, and objects and stories loaned by nurses past and present.
The exhibition also includes artwork by pupils at St. Columba’s Primary School in Annan, Dumfries & Galloway, Trinity School in Carlisle, Eday Community School on the Island of Eday in Orkney and Westray Junior High School on the island of Westray, Orkney.
If visiting in person, the exhibition is open Monday to Thursday from 10am until 4pm.
If you can't visit the exhibition in person, check out the online exhibition.
The venue is wheelchair accessible. If you have any questions or accessibility needs, please contact us on scotland.library@rcn.org.uk or 0131 662 6163/4.
![text reading 'Once Upon a Time... A history of children and young people's nursing' amongst colourful shapes and a historical image of a nurse with a child in hospital.](https://www.rcn.org.uk/scotland/-/media/Royal-College-Of-Nursing/Images/Library-exhibitions/CYP-Once-Upon-A-Time/CYP-once-upon-a-time.png?h=400&w=800&la=en&hash=A5AF591D7EADE377883DFF8E6738B791)
Upcoming exhibition events:
- 27 June 2024 - Once Upon a Time - Exhibition Launch - Join us for the launch of our new exhibition on children and young people’s nursing
- 15 Aug 2024 - Celebrating Children and Young Peoples Nursing - Join us to celebrate the incredible work of Scotland's nursing staff and hear from expert children's nurses
Our previous exhibition and events
The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the personal and professional challenges that nursing and healthcare professionals face every day. The public looked to them as masked heroes but many felt they were just doing their job.
Yet this pandemic, like others before it, exposed the risks taken by nursing professionals at work. Over 850 healthcare workers are thought to have died after contracting COVID-19 in 2020. The pandemic was not equal, impacting on some staff more than others, particularly those from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds.
The risk of infection occurred everywhere that nursing took place: whether in the community, in care homes, in mental health or in maternity wards.
This exhibition looked behind the masks, to explore the thoughts, feelings and experiences of nursing staff during COVID-19 and past pandemics.
![black and white photo of healthcare worker in PPE with text reading 'unmasked real stories of nursing in covid19'](https://www.rcn.org.uk/scotland/-/media/Royal-College-Of-Nursing/Images/Library-exhibitions/Unmasked/unmasked-title-page.png?h=1000&w=1900&la=en&hash=62B19EFAF330E2C6CC2B3A1F8122F238)
30 Nov 2023 - 16 May 2024
Nursing in COVID-19 - RCN Scotland member stories
Exhibition launch: UNMASKED: Real Stories of Nursing in COVID-19Ā
![Exhibition graphic, reads A History of Care or Control? in green font on pale blue background. Paper doll cutout figure representing a nurse in top right corner.](https://www.rcn.org.uk/scotland/-/media/Royal-College-Of-Nursing/Images/Events-1/Library/Care-or-control.jpg?h=400&w=800&la=en&hash=78CBD2915F99F07DB7AC74AC84457218)
Watch videos of our previous exhibition events:
Exhibition launch event
A conversation with Learning Disability Nurses
Celebrating Learning Disability Nursing
Page last updated - 14/06/2024