Student information officers (SIOs)
As a student member of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) there are real advantages to getting more involved in the RCN's work. You will get more information, more access to specialist groups and members, have more awareness of the support available to you and inevitably, become more ready for that all important first nursing job.
The student information officer nomination form (PDF 634KB) [see how to access PDF files] is now available to download.
One of our recently qualified nurses was told he was appointed to his first job because he appeared to understand the wider political and social issues affecting nursing at the moment. He believes that was due to his involvement with the RCN.
Now there is a new way to get more involved without having to take vast amounts of time off your studies.
Why not consider becoming a student information officer and join our network of students who share information from the RCN with their fellow students? Let your class know about student events, tell them where to access the RCN e-library for that all important reference for assignments. Become the conduit through which the RCN will make sure that its student members are aware of all that their annual £10 membership fee gets them.
In return, we will ensure you have immediate access to all information affecting students. You will receive a monthly SIO Update email containing a vast range of information which will keep you up to date with all new developments and publications that you would find useful. You will be the first to know about upcoming events and training days, consultations that affect nursing students and we will facilitate you having your say.
Local events and issues will also be flagged up to you and there may be the opportunity for you to represent the RCN on various committees if you wanted to get even more involved.
We would like to see a student information officer in every university, every cohort and every class to make sure that all students get the most from their RCN membership. Come and join us.
All you need to do is download the nomination form above, ask one student colleague who is also an RCN member to nominate you by signing the form and then return it to us. What could be easier?
Read what others say about it:
Tamara
In the two years since Tamara Morgan became an SIO, her list of achievements has kept on growing. From attending Mardi Gras in Cardiff and being at the opening of the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board to walking in the procession at the Lord Mayor’s Show in London and attending the Florence Nightingale memorial service in Westminster Abbey, Tamara has fully embraced these opportunities. “If I had to choose my best bit, it would be attending RCN Congress and the huge involvement that I had. It was amazing to be part of the voice of nursing knowing I was making a difference,” she says.
The role involves being a point of contact for her university colleagues and signposting them to the relevant up to date information from the RCN. Tamara has also been involved in campaigns to support nurses and students in Wales and the UK. She explains: “I enjoy knowing I make a difference by getting the nursing voice heard loud and clear and showing that we are passionate about our profession.”
One of the challenges Tamara has faced has been the mixed reaction to her role as an SIO. “My close colleagues see it as a positive and come to me for advice and support. Most tutors at my university are very supportive of me using my free time to show my dedication to the profession.”
Tamara is studying adult nursing at the University of Glamorgan in Wales and qualifies in March 2012. Since becoming an SIO she’s also become a student member on the Wales Board and part of the student executive team. It’s been a fantastic opportunity for Tamara and she’d do it all over again if she could. Thinking to the future and her engagement with the RCN after she qualifies, she says “I can’t ever see myself not being a part of RCN activities and being active with the RCN - it's become something of a hobby.”
Hannah
Hannah Marriage is in her third year of mental health nursing at City University in London and being an SIO has opened doors for her that she didn’t know existed. She was encouraged to put her name forward as student member of the London board and has been representing London students for the past year. Hannah said: “Being an SIO has given me a voice to challenge things which I have felt could be done better within my course, to help future nurses. These ideas have been addressed by the university and in some areas have already been adapted into the curriculum.”
Attending RCN Congress and getting to know her local branch well are just some of the opportunities Hannah has enjoyed. She said: “Last year a group of SIOs got together and organised a study seminar on nutrition which was a brilliant success.”
Hannah soon met up with another SIO and they began to challenge things together. This made it easier, and as time went on the university became more accepting of the role. Her role as an SIO became more established within the university and this led to Hannah being invited to student representative meetings. She said: “I have spoken to many students across the three years, and many people have said I have inspired them about nursing and encouraged them to get more involved with the RCN.”
Hannah plans to begin training to be an activist as soon as she has completed her preceptorship and hopes to become a learning representative. She also plans to continue to remain active within her branch, get more involved with forums, and become more involved with the RCN. She said: “I feel that being an SIO has given me an additional passion for nursing and helped keep my level of enthusiasm up. It has also helped me realise that you can challenge things and change things for the better, which is something that I hope to continue to do throughout my nursing career.”