I think being active can mean many things, different for every person but here is my story of being active in the RCN… so far.
I became an RCN representative because I had received amazing support while going through a sickness issue in 1987 and always promised that when my children had grown up I would give back to the organisation.
I was very well supported during my RCN stewards' training and learnt so much that I could use to help members when they needed support in the room at HR meetings. I quickly realised how closely the health and safety representative role links with the steward role so undertook that training as well.
RCN regional continuous learning and development days increased my knowledge and network of colleagues to share information with. These days and also the RCN national ‘joint reps’ conferences have given me the opportunity to make many friends as we have shared our learning experiences in these safe environments.
In 2014 I attended RCN Congress for the first time which invigorated me to become even more involved within the RCN.
In 2015 South West Council seat was up for election so decided to stand as I wanted to have the regional voice heard at the top of the RCN. To my amazement I was elected.
I was well supported by the outgoing Council member. I was grateful for this as I got to grips with the governance of a large, complex national professional body and trade union. It’s a steep learning curve. RCN staff in the regional office were also very supportive and helped me develop into my role, providing advice and training at every step.
The time commitment required was mainly for preparation – reading papers etc - for meetings and travel. In my time there was no MSTeams, so today’s Council and Board members are called upon to travel less often. Committed time to read the papers is so important so that you can be actively involved in the discussions and make sure that you are truly representing the members from your region/ branch, not just yourself. In addition, as a Council or regional Board member we are answerable to our members so being available to answer, in a reasonable timeframe, contact from members is vital. To do these jobs you must be in touch with members with different experiences of the workplace than you.
On standing down from Council I returned to my branch chair role for the Plymouth branch, which is all about grass roots membership. This is a role where you need commitment and connections with local members to ensure you are arranging training events and meetings which meet their needs. Branch executive roles including Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, Treasurer are vital elected positions as it’s these people, with knowledge of the nursing issues at grassroots level, who inform Board and Council of the needs of the wider membership.
It wasn’t long before a regional board role became available, so I stood to represent my branch, Plymouth. The South West Board is the conduit between members, branches and Council. As a board member it is vital that you attend the branch meetings you represent and that these meetings are engaging for members to attend; how can you represent them if you haven’t spoken with them? The Regional Board meets four times a year as a core timetable; however we will meet at other times, often online, for example during the pay campaign we met very regularly to ensure we were fully involved in the work as it developed. Once again it is vitally important to prepare for the meetings by reading papers thoroughly and question everything. You’re there for your members.
I am now the elected Chair of the South West Regional Board. My motivation for standing for this role was a desire to develop a cohesive, positive board to truly represent members from all over the South West in all settings.
I love, and have loved, every one of my roles within the RCN. My employer, an NHS trust, is extremely supportive of me undertaking these roles – even though I challenge them - often. I have discussed with them each time I wanted to stand for an elected post. It’s important to be able to negotiate paid time to undertake the roles. I can assure you that most employer organisations like to have elected members of reputable organisations such as the RCN in their workforce.
Please consider training as a steward, a safety representative or a learning representative. You will make such a difference to your workplace and colleagues. Talk to your local reps to understand the different roles. You will get excellent training and will get so much support from your fellow reps as well as support from RCN staff, locally, regionally and nationally.
If you wish to stand for a branch, board or Council position please talk with the present members who are listed on the RCN South West website, we are all keen to share our experiences, support you and grow our future committees.
I became an RCN representative because I had received amazing support while going through a sickness issue in 1987 and always promised that when my children had grown up I would give back to the organisation.
I was very well supported during my RCN stewards' training and learnt so much that I could use to help members when they needed support in the room at HR meetings. I quickly realised how closely the health and safety representative role links with the steward role so undertook that training as well.
RCN regional continuous learning and development days increased my knowledge and network of colleagues to share information with. These days and also the RCN national ‘joint reps’ conferences have given me the opportunity to make many friends as we have shared our learning experiences in these safe environments.
In 2014 I attended RCN Congress for the first time which invigorated me to become even more involved within the RCN.
In 2015 South West Council seat was up for election so decided to stand as I wanted to have the regional voice heard at the top of the RCN. To my amazement I was elected.
I was well supported by the outgoing Council member. I was grateful for this as I got to grips with the governance of a large, complex national professional body and trade union. It’s a steep learning curve. RCN staff in the regional office were also very supportive and helped me develop into my role, providing advice and training at every step.
The time commitment required was mainly for preparation – reading papers etc - for meetings and travel. In my time there was no MSTeams, so today’s Council and Board members are called upon to travel less often. Committed time to read the papers is so important so that you can be actively involved in the discussions and make sure that you are truly representing the members from your region/ branch, not just yourself. In addition, as a Council or regional Board member we are answerable to our members so being available to answer, in a reasonable timeframe, contact from members is vital. To do these jobs you must be in touch with members with different experiences of the workplace than you.
On standing down from Council I returned to my branch chair role for the Plymouth branch, which is all about grass roots membership. This is a role where you need commitment and connections with local members to ensure you are arranging training events and meetings which meet their needs. Branch executive roles including Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, Treasurer are vital elected positions as it’s these people, with knowledge of the nursing issues at grassroots level, who inform Board and Council of the needs of the wider membership.
It wasn’t long before a regional board role became available, so I stood to represent my branch, Plymouth. The South West Board is the conduit between members, branches and Council. As a board member it is vital that you attend the branch meetings you represent and that these meetings are engaging for members to attend; how can you represent them if you haven’t spoken with them? The Regional Board meets four times a year as a core timetable; however we will meet at other times, often online, for example during the pay campaign we met very regularly to ensure we were fully involved in the work as it developed. Once again it is vitally important to prepare for the meetings by reading papers thoroughly and question everything. You’re there for your members.
I am now the elected Chair of the South West Regional Board. My motivation for standing for this role was a desire to develop a cohesive, positive board to truly represent members from all over the South West in all settings.
I love, and have loved, every one of my roles within the RCN. My employer, an NHS trust, is extremely supportive of me undertaking these roles – even though I challenge them - often. I have discussed with them each time I wanted to stand for an elected post. It’s important to be able to negotiate paid time to undertake the roles. I can assure you that most employer organisations like to have elected members of reputable organisations such as the RCN in their workforce.
Please consider training as a steward, a safety representative or a learning representative. You will make such a difference to your workplace and colleagues. Talk to your local reps to understand the different roles. You will get excellent training and will get so much support from your fellow reps as well as support from RCN staff, locally, regionally and nationally.
If you wish to stand for a branch, board or Council position please talk with the present members who are listed on the RCN South West website, we are all keen to share our experiences, support you and grow our future committees.
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