Student Ambassador useful resources

Work within the parameters of your role

Signposting and support

Protect your own health and wellbeing by maintaining and health work/life balance. Ask for support when required. Act as a role model for student members:

• RCN Healthy workplace, healthy you
• RCN Library subject guide - Wellbeing, self care and resilience 
• The Student Nurse Handbook (available from the RCN Library)

Connecting and campaigning

Organise opportunities to be visible and share the scope of your role with local student members, branch, forum and the Students' Committee:

• Get involved with the RCN as a student
• Get involved with your country or region
• Activate July 2020: The voice of nursing students

Questioning and influencing

Promote the RCN and recruit student members, encouraging them to become and remain active with the RCN throughout their nursing career:

• Student membership of the RCN
• Get involved with the RCN as a student
• Get involved with RCN forums
• Get involved as an RCN Rep

Promote equality of opportunity and inclusion for all RCN student members

Signposting and supporting 

Signpost student members to the RCN inclusion strategy and to seek expert RCN advice if they feel that they have been treated unfairly:

• RCN Diversity and Inclusion 
• Get help from the RCN: Discrimination advice
• Get help from the RCN: Bullying and harassment advice

Connecting and campaigning 

Connect with student members and give them the opportunity to share their experiences of equality and inclusion and contribute towards RCN campaigns:

• RCN Students Facebook page
• Get involved: campaign with us
• RCN Peer Support Service - information for students
• RCN Inclusion Café

Questioning and influencing 

Share examples of good and poor practice and organisational culture with the local branch/office to influence the wider RCN inclusion agenda:

• RCN Students magazine: Nurse training with a disability
• RCN Peer Support Service - information for students
• RCN guidance on raising concerns

Organise student members to engage with the work of the RCN on local and national levels

Signposting and supporting

Support students to develop networks so that they can help each other through challenging aspects of their course and signpost to national events:

• RCN Students Facebook page
• RCN Bulletin: Ten top tips for using social media
• RCN news and events
• RCN membership information for Newly Qualified Nurses

Connecting and campaigning

Encourage student members to engage in wider RCN campaigns and events. Organise groups of members, with the support of RCN staff, to attend RCN Congress:

• Get involved: campaign with us
• RCN Students magazine: Do not be afraid to use your voice
• RCN Fund our future campaign
• RCN Staffing for safe and effective care campaign

Questioning and influencing 

Encourage student members to question and influence on student related issues by networking with local branches and forums to influence the Congress agenda:

• Get involved with your country or region
• RCN UK Students Committee
• RCN Congress
• The Sheila McKechnie Foundation

Empower student members to access and use information and advice appropriately 

Signposting and supporting

Direct student members to current and credible sources of information and resources to support their nursing education and practice experience:

• RCN professional practice
• RCNi
• RCN Get Help
• RCN Library subject guide: Doing your dissertation

Connecting and campaigning

Promote the professional services of the RCN Libraries and encourage student members to attend local events:

• RCN Library
• Getting started using the RCN Library
• RCN Library subject guide: Critical appraisal
• RCN news and events
• Get involved with your country or region

Questioning and influencing 

Use social media to encourage members to share their feedback on the value of RCN resources and generate ideas of how they could be developed further:

• RCN Students Twitter, Facebook and Instagram
• RCN Twitter,  Facebook and Instagram 
• RCN Libraries Twitter and Facebook
• RCN Knowledge Twitter

Most countries, regions, branches and forums also have their own social media accounts. 

Develop and support partnership working between the RCN and other stakeholders, sharing intelligence and promoting effective communication

Signposting and supporting

Signpost student members to their local branch and professional forums to share experience and gain support from other members:

• Get involved with RCN forums
• Get involved with your country or region
• Follow and engage with relevant RCN social media accounts

Connecting and campaigning 

Develop networks and connections with student members to enhance effective communication and work collectively:

• RCN Student Ambassadors network/forum (Facebook)
• Follow and engage with relevant RCN social media accounts

Questioning and influencing 

Create a link between the university, local RCN office, branch and student members to share intelligence and promote positive partnership working:

• RCN UK Students Committee
• RCN Students magazine
• Council of Deans of Health