Contribute your old nursing tech to our Digital Nursing exhibition

Do you have any old nursing tech stashed away? Then you could help the RCN Library and Museum tell the story of the past, present and future of technology in nursing!

We are looking for members who can loan us electronic devices, clinical equipment or digital tech that they’ve used in their nursing practice, past and present. 

We’d be interested in:

• Communication devices such as pagers or old mobile phones
• Patient monitoring devices such as pulse oximeters or even pocket calculators that you might have used on your ward rounds
• Wearable tech for patients to monitor their health such as fit bits. 

We’re interested in items from as far back as you can remember right up until 2026! We will be displaying items in secure display cases, so they’ll be safe and sound and they don’t need to be in working order – broken tech that tells an interesting story is welcome! Please note that we can’t accept items larger than 40cm x 40cm as they need to fit in a display case. We will be looking to borrow items for 12 months from early September 2026-September 2027.

Get in touch with your contribution

If you have a piece of old tech that you’d be happy to lend us for the exhibition, please e-mail audienceengagement@rcn.org.uk by Monday 1 June.

Please include a short description of your item and how you used it in your nursing role. If you have a photograph of the item, please attach that to your e-mail. A member of the Museum team will get back to you.

Image: "Electronic Gadgetry Takes over in Hospital." Nursing Times, vol. 67, no. 35, 2 Sept. 1971