RCN Peer Support Service - Information for students

If you are studying to be a nurse, or thinking about doing so, and you have an impairment and/or consider yourself to be disabled, this page is for you. 

Universities are generally well versed in how to support students with impairments, and often have Disability Support Officers or equivalent who can work with you to identify and put in place the support you need to have equal access to your course of study.

In general, the student members who contact the Peer Support Service don’t have access issues in the academic setting, but on placement. 

This is for a variety of reasons including:

• Student’s fear about disclosing their disability;
• The way information is shared between university and placement;
• Lack of knowledge about how to support colleagues with disabilities amongst placement staff;
• Incorrect assumptions about the implications of a disability for being able to perform a nursing role.

However, in reality:

• Students with impairments can, and do, complete nursing degrees and go on to work as nurses.
• A diverse cohort brings benefits for all as student with protected characteristics bring valuable lived experience, increased resilience and resourcefulness.

We’ve been working with the University of Brighton on guidance and case studies that show just what is possible – and the processes that facilitate success. We’ll be ready to share this soon and you can get involved:

• If you have a success story to share, please fill in our form
• You can also send questions and suggestions for the guidance to peer.support@rcn.org.uk
• See our guidance on reasonable adjustments for placements below