I was shocked and so, so excited when I heard the news I’d been elected. I still can’t believe it to be honest. Until we have our first committee meeting on 12 February it probably won’t feel real.
Although I was very nervous, I went for it because the things you really want are often out of your comfort zone and if you really want them you’ll push yourself. The seat only comes up every two years and I have the skills to represent students so it felt right. Applying for the position was way out of my comfort zone; I’m a very private person. I try and separate my professional and personal life and now people are finding out a lot about me. In a way that putting myself out there is making myself vulnerable.
It felt like a natural step from being the course representative of my cohort in the first year of my nursing degree in the first-ever BSc adult nursing degree programme at the university. In my second year I became the subject representative for nursing, a paid student union role I still hold in my third year. It involves representing students on all the nursing programmes, to make their student experience as good as possible.
I always knew I wanted to be a nurse. It's been my lifelong dream. I didn’t want to go straight to university from school though; I went travelling for two and a half years, living in New Zealand and Canada. I wanted to meet people from different backgrounds. I think if you understand people when they’re well you’re more able to understand them when they’re at their most vulnerable. Meeting people from different cultures and backgrounds makes it easier to relate to people and represent them.
It would be great if every student RCN member signed up to be an e-campaigner and spread the word about our #safestaffingsaveslives campaign. We’re not aiming to target nursing staff, it’s more about the reaching the public, so please talk about the nursing workforce crisis with your friends and family to make them realise the reality of it.
The RCN’s Fund our Future campaign is so important. The Government has now said it will give every nursing student at least £5000 towards living costs, but that doesn’t cover tuition fees. Nursing students can’t afford to work full time alongside full-time placements and university commitments. If you have children, a mortgage, high rent or have to travel far to your placement it’s impossible.
I’m really passionate about how we can support each other’s mental health and wellbeing, so that nurses want to stay in the profession. We need to make it easier for mature students to join too.
My main message to students of the South West is please engage with the RCN - get involved, find out what’s happening with your local RCN branch and introduce yourself. I did it and it was brilliant. Many branches don’t have student members on their committees and they need them. In return you get a lot of opportunities to represent the student voice and learn skills such as public speaking, debating, communications skills, and people skills, which will ultimately make you a better nurse.
Although I was very nervous, I went for it because the things you really want are often out of your comfort zone and if you really want them you’ll push yourself. The seat only comes up every two years and I have the skills to represent students so it felt right. Applying for the position was way out of my comfort zone; I’m a very private person. I try and separate my professional and personal life and now people are finding out a lot about me. In a way that putting myself out there is making myself vulnerable.
It felt like a natural step from being the course representative of my cohort in the first year of my nursing degree in the first-ever BSc adult nursing degree programme at the university. In my second year I became the subject representative for nursing, a paid student union role I still hold in my third year. It involves representing students on all the nursing programmes, to make their student experience as good as possible.
I always knew I wanted to be a nurse. It's been my lifelong dream. I didn’t want to go straight to university from school though; I went travelling for two and a half years, living in New Zealand and Canada. I wanted to meet people from different backgrounds. I think if you understand people when they’re well you’re more able to understand them when they’re at their most vulnerable. Meeting people from different cultures and backgrounds makes it easier to relate to people and represent them.
It would be great if every student RCN member signed up to be an e-campaigner and spread the word about our #safestaffingsaveslives campaign. We’re not aiming to target nursing staff, it’s more about the reaching the public, so please talk about the nursing workforce crisis with your friends and family to make them realise the reality of it.
The RCN’s Fund our Future campaign is so important. The Government has now said it will give every nursing student at least £5000 towards living costs, but that doesn’t cover tuition fees. Nursing students can’t afford to work full time alongside full-time placements and university commitments. If you have children, a mortgage, high rent or have to travel far to your placement it’s impossible.
I’m really passionate about how we can support each other’s mental health and wellbeing, so that nurses want to stay in the profession. We need to make it easier for mature students to join too.
My main message to students of the South West is please engage with the RCN - get involved, find out what’s happening with your local RCN branch and introduce yourself. I did it and it was brilliant. Many branches don’t have student members on their committees and they need them. In return you get a lot of opportunities to represent the student voice and learn skills such as public speaking, debating, communications skills, and people skills, which will ultimately make you a better nurse.
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