Student nurses showcase leadership skills at RCN Northern Ireland challenge

The event brought together six student teams, with two teams representing each of Northern Ireland’s universities, in a day designed to mirror the pressures and complexities of real clinical environments. The challenge aimed to help participants develop essential management skills in a safe and supportive setting, while testing their ability to respond quickly and effectively to demanding clinical scenarios.

Students were assessed on a range of competencies, including managing patients with delirium, deteriorating patients and safely caring for a patient in a corridor bed as they worked collaboratively to navigate simulated situations commonly faced in healthcare settings.

 Top honours for Ulster University

At the end of the competition, Ulster University’s Team 6 was named overall winner, impressing judges with their strong leadership, communication and decision-making. The Open University’s Team 2 finished as overall runner-up after also delivering a high standard of performance across the challenges.

In the individual scenario awards, Queen’s University Team 4 secured first place in the delirium and restraint challenge, with The Open University Team 2 once again taking the runner-up spot. Queen’s University also triumphed in the deteriorating patient scenario while The Open University’s Team 5 was named runner-up in that category.

Building confidence for future practice

The student leadership challenge forms part of the RCN’s wider commitment to supporting the next generation of nurses as they prepare to enter the profession. By replicating real-life scenarios, the event enables students to build confidence, strengthen teamwork and refine decision-making skills before they begin practice as registered nurses.

Linzi McIlroy, RCN Northern Ireland Lead for Students, praised the participants for their performance and commitment throughout the event.

“The calibre of nursing students who competed in our student leadership challenge was outstanding,” she said.

“The RCN supports nursing students in a variety of ways, and this particular challenge tested them on delirium and restraint, the deteriorating patient and patient safety. This was a great opportunity for students to learn and develop as a team in an environment they haven’t faced before, as well as learn more about how the RCN can support them when they become registered nurses.”

Supporting the future workforce

Events such as the student leadership challenge play an important role in preparing nursing students for the realities of modern healthcare. As students transition from education into practice, initiatives like this help bridge the gap between theory and real-world application, equipping them with the leadership and resilience needed in today’s demanding health and care environment.

For RCN Northern Ireland, the challenge reinforces its ongoing commitment to supporting student members, not only during their studies but throughout their professional careers.