Student members of Council
Claire Jeeves - Student Member of RCN Council
Email: claire.jeeves@rcn.org.uk
Hello,
I’m Claire Jeeves, one of the two new student members of RCN Council and I’m extremely proud to be in a position that means I can champion student nursing.
Student nurses face challenges everyday that can disrupt the journey to becoming a registered nurse. One of the major issues that students work hard to improve is the stereotypical image and general assumption about student nurses. Poor stereotypes, such as newly registered nurses being "too posh to wash", decrease morale and portray a false image of the reality of being a student nurse.
A second challenge facing nursing students is the awareness of support available to them academically, emotionally and financially, in both university and clinical placements. Although very often both institutions can provide effective and helpful support, communication levels can be low, resulting in students getting confused and feeling unsupported.
Just like a registered nurse, the expectation of expertise and skill from a student nurse is high, with students needing to be educated to an increasingly high standard in order to meet the job requirements post university. However student nurses in some areas of the UK feel that they do not have the security and knowledge about local health care placements, funding to recruit newly registered nurses, and the provision of effective preceptorship support.
Students aspire to be the fantastic nurses that they work with and with their support one day we will be the nurses the future generation aspire to be.
Gary Stockwell - Student Member of RCN Council
Email: gary.stockwell@rcn.org.uk
Hi there.
My name is Gary Stockwell. As a new student member of Council I am very excited to be in this privileged position to voice the concerns of my fellow students, ensuring that any issues arising before Council are considered from a student’s perspective.
As we all know, health care provision is going through many changes which effect both qualified and registered staff, but will also have an effect on the student population.
With the Willis Commission Report due to be published shortly I will be very interested to find out both the positive and negative aspects and hope to work on some action points relating to the outcomes.
I am glad to say that one of the findings Lord Willis has highlighted is the need to dispel the widely held belief that degree graduate nurses lack in an ability to care. As the health system evolves and the role of a staff nurse encompasses more responsibility I believe that the level of training provided should reflect these changes and the move to degree only training is a positive move for students and patients alike.
No matter what, the future of nursing is evolving and I am glad to be able to represent the student body right at the heart of the RCN.