The opportunity to attend RCN Congress as a voting member for your branch is open to all members, and those who have experienced Congress will often urge others to take part.
The deadline for voting member applications for Congress in Brighton next year is fast approaching – you need to apply by 9am on 7 December. Apply now on the Congress page.
This is what some of the members who attended the last Congress has to say about the experience.
Natalie:
It’s difficult to describe Congress. It’s a place where RCN members can develop and improve knowledge, but it’s more than that. It’s where you find passion and pride in what nursing is and the drive to improve and create new ideas to develop the nursing voice and value. RCN Eastern prides itself in making sure we have diverse group of people representing our members. We have the ethos of supporting and encouraging all voices as this is how we will improve and develop nursing and RCN.
Tunde:
As an internationally educated nurse and first year RCN member, I applied as a voting member thinking I would not be considered. But attending Congress has opened to me numerous opportunities of the various ways of engaging with people in different regions of the country. Congress also afforded the opportunity of giving our views to a larger audience. I feel so highly honoured and relevant in the decision-making.
Patience:
I had the honour of attending the RCN Congress in Glasgow for the first time last year. What a privilege it was to participate as a voting member. I was able to participate in every discussion because of this. I had the chance to debate and engage in discussion about several very important issues that were particularly important to me, such as safe staffing, future nursing standards, overworking and ethical recruiting of overseas nurses. We had a strong presence especially from the Eastern Region and unquestionably enhanced our profile. The Eastern region were particularly active and supportive. Glasgow 22 was a fantastic experience for me. It is astonishing how much joy there is in meeting new people and seeing so many diverse faces. We had so much fun together and I made so many friends. I continue to watch the viral video of my Indian dancing moves that I learned from my new friends. I can't wait to attend it again because it was so amazing and entertaining. Attending RCN congress is one thing I would encourage every nurse out there to do. Please make time to attend this event, and you will be glad you did. Together we’ve built power as the Eastern region to support everyone to say their piece. Congress is a melting pot where everyone’s collective wisdom is necessary and valued.
Anthony:
It’s a great place to network. It’s a great place to learn. And Congress is a great place to shape our profession. We’ve been able to have so many voices come forward and smash it as a region and I hope that people reading this will see how supportive we are of seeing new voices and leaders out on that podium as a member of RCN Eastern.
Find out more about becoming a voting member on the Congress page.
