RCN Award of Merit

Every year at RCN Congress, Council makes an Award of Merit. The award is to recognise an individual who has delivered exceptional service to the RCN over and above the contribution made by many Activists. It is not a long service award.

Any RCN member (except employees of the College), Board, Branch or National entity can put forward a nomination, which is then reviewed by the RCN Awards Panel which in turn makes recommendations to Council. The nominator will be asked to provide three referees from a range of backgrounds to demonstrate the impact of the nominee's work. Both nominators and referees may only support one nomination in any single year.

Nominees can be anyone who is considered to have made an exceptional service to the RCN, other than current members of Council and RCN Staff. While nominees do not have to be nurses, they must, however, have acted in a voluntary capacity. Posthumous nominations are not accepted by the Panel.

What constitutes an exceptional contribution?

An exceptional contribution can be made in a variety of ways. It is for the proposer to demonstrate how the nominee has made an exceptional contribution to the work of the RCN. Considerations may include the level of involvement an individual has in the work of the RCN, the nature, time span and consistency of that work and the impact it has on the RCN and its work. You will be asked to provide a summary of the nominee's activities as part of the application process.

Should I get the nominee's consent to put their name forward?

No - it is suggested you do not make the nominee aware of the application. This will avoid disappointment should the nomination be unsuccessful.

Timetable for nominations:

The timetable for nominations is posted annually on the RCN website and published in Bulletin; nominations are usually sought between August and November.

The nomination form is available on the website. Hard copies can be obtained from the Governance Support Unit at RCN Headquarters by telephoning 0207 409 3333.