Royal College of Nursing

Three PhD Nursing students Yakubu Salifu, Zaki Albelbisi, and Dalhat Khalid from the School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences participated in a one-day training course at the Royal College of Nursing’s (RCN) Headquarters Cavendish Square, London. The three are members of the RCN and also Student Information Officers (SIO) representing the East Midlands region. The event which was sponsored by the RCN brought together SIOs from across the UK for a parliament training session focused on furthering understanding of government and political engagement. The training covered the following topics:

• learning how the UK Parliament works;
• understanding the difference between Parliament and Government;
• understanding the roles of MPs and Lords; and
• the RCN’s approach to political engagement

Additionally, participants were also taken through a toolkit on meeting and influencing your Member of Parliament (MP). The well-attended event also afforded the SIOs the opportunity to learn how they can get involved at the annual RCN Congress which is scheduled for May 12-16 2018 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The student officers also discussed the need for the RCN to have a strong relationship with the National Union of Students for the interest of all nursing students across the UK.

All student nurses from the University of Nottingham and within the East Midlands are welcome to inquire about RCN student events through our SIOs who are very happy to help. Much appreciation to David Kirwan, RCN Operational Manager for East Midlands Region, who facilitated the attendance of the three SIOs from the University of Nottingham.