Become a student information officer: make a difference How you and your fellow student colleagues can benefit Making a difference How you and your fellow student colleagues can benefit As a student member of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) there are real advantages to getting more involved in the RCN’s work. Now there’s a way to get more involved without having to take vast amounts of time away from your studies. Student information officers are a network of RCN students who work closely with the RCN to support and share information with their fellow students. Why not consider becoming a student information officer (SIO) and see how you can engage others with the RCN’s resources whilst developing your career for the future. Benefits of becoming an SIO: • receive quarterly email updates created specifically for SIOs with relevant and up-to-date information • experience to add to your CV or portfolio when you’re applying for that all important first nursing job • be the first to know about upcoming events and training days • become involved in consultations that affect nursing students • experience of working alongside the UK Students Committee member in your country/region and the learning opportunities from working closely with your University’s NUS society • opportunities to attend UK Committee meetings. Benefits for your student colleagues: • your class will be the first to know about local and national student events • colleagues will know how to access the RCN e-library for that essential reference for assignments. We hold over 60,000 books, 350 nursing journals, 1,600 e-books and over 1,000 e-journals • information and news on the RCN’s campaigning work to bring about real improvements in the lives of nursing students • access to information on all the membership benefits that their annual £10 membership fee gets them. 1 How to apply Complete the nomination form overleaf and then return it to us. We will send you contact details for the staff lead and Student Committee member from your country or region. You should contact them to talk through the role, how you would work together and the resources available to you to help with your learning and development. We will then register you as a SIO. Please complete and sign the nomination form ensuring you include a valid email address. Completed forms should be returned to: Governance Adviser (Students Committee) Governance Support Department, Royal College of Nursing, 20 Cavendish Square, London W1G 0RN. We look forward to welcoming you as an RCN Student Information Officer. 2 Case Study Dave Morgan, Nursing Student at Birmingham City University “Taking on an SIO role while studying full time at university might sound a bit daunting but, as I found out, it can also be extremely rewarding. I really enjoyed my SIO experience, in particular the many networking opportunities it provided me with. Not only did I get to meet regularly with nursing students from other universities in my area but being an SIO also gave me access to NHS senior managers and Directors of Nursing – people you don’t always meet on your placements. Having the opportunity to meet so many likeminded people who were as passionate about nursing as I am has been invaluable. I have also engaged with my local MP about key issues affecting nursing students – something I would not have had the confidence to do had I not been an SIO. The RCN has student leads in every country and region who engage regularly with SIOs to ensure they are made aware of relevant training opportunities which I feel is one of the key benefits of becoming an SIO. The training courses I was given access to really complimented my university studies by building on what I had already been taught and giving the knowledge I learnt some context. Through being an SIO, I was also provided with the opportunity to attend Congress as a voting member funded by my branch. Congress is an amazing experience and last year, through being an SIO, I was able to not only attend but also speak for the first time on stage during a debate. My confidence has really increased since taking on the role and I would encourage others to consider doing the same”. With his increased confidence, Dave went on to stand for election to the RCN Students Committee and took up his new role as student member for the West Midlands on 1 January 2015. He is now looking forward to this new phase in his RCN career and continuing to work with local SIOs to promote the issues of importance to nursing students. Find out more at www.rcn.org.uk/students 3 Student Information Officer Application Form Section 1 RCN Membership Number ............................................................................. Name ........................................................................................................... Address ........................................................................................................ ..................................................................................................................... Mobile Phone ............................................................................................... Email Address .............................................................................................. University/College of Study ........................................................................... Campus ........................................................................................................ Branch ......................................................................................................... Training Completion Date .............................................................................. Signature ....................................................... Date ...................................... Section 2 Please set out in 250 words or less why you would like to become a student information officer, the experience you have that will help you fulfil the role and what you would hope to achieve. ..................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................... 4 Publication code 004 821 May 2015