Preface 

As an NRN or nursing student in the UK in 2022, it is inevitable that the COVID-19 pandemic will have had an impact on you.

As an NRN starting your career or a nursing student nearing the completion of your programme, the impact is likely to have been significant, as you negotiated changes to placements and to the end of your university course.

For up-to-date COVID-19 advice for members and students, go to: rcn.org.uk/covid-19 

The importance of looking after yourself, and your physical, emotional and mental wellbeing, could not be greater than it is now, as you embark on your final placements or as newly registered nurses across all health care settings.

Keep engaged and active in the RCN

The RCN promotes excellence in practice, shapes health policy and provides you with the tools and resources to help deliver high-quality patient care. But we also know that you deliver your best care when you have fair employment terms and conditions, a safe and healthy workplace, and your continued professional development is protected and promoted.

As a joint Professional Body and Trade Union, the RCN has a unique strength as these two elements provide members with a powerful voice. Sometimes that voice takes the form of individual support, resources and guidance, or representation at times when members feel most vulnerable and alone. Sometimes it’s a strong collective voice, influencing for change to nursing practice, policy and employment.

We are committed to life-long learning and the professional development of our members with RCN publications and access to the largest nursing library in Europe.  Our professional services include tools to improve the culture of your workplace, RCN Accreditation, RCN Credentialing and leadership programmes.

Members say they want a visible RCN presence in the workplace. They want a person they can talk to who has the knowledge and skills to support them, but also has a network of organisational expertise to call on. Members also want the RCN to be at every table where decisions are being made, leading and influencing from the nursing perspective. They want their own lived experience, views and ideas to be heard and respected.

So the RCN needs to be local and national, personal and powerful, and it needs to listen and be listened to. It needs to be everywhere you need us to be and that’s why active and engaged RCN members are so vital. Active RCN members build relationships in the workplace and professional communities and networks. They foster an understanding between members and staff, sharing what is important to them and ensuring the RCN leads the way in nursing. In a nutshell, it’s the members that make it happen.  

As a student member, you will have seen and experienced some of the ways in which the RCN supports nurses and nursing. You may have had contact with an RCN student ambassador who guided you through our resources, connected you into our professional networks, and worked within your university on issues that were important to you. You may have also worked with your student committee member and your council representative, who provide leadership and influence on your behalf to shape our work.

They are a valued part of a huge network of active RCN members and, now that you are stepping into your career as a registered nurse, we’d like to show you how you can keep that connection with the RCN, find support when you need it, get your voice heard, and get more active as a member.

As you make your way through this handbook, we’ll signpost you to relevant RCN resources, activities, and active members that you might want to connect with to help you in those areas. Later in this handbook we’ll talk more in depth about RCN roles and how you can get involved if you feel ready to step up and become more active as a member.