Royal College Of Nursing

The Royal College Of Nursing

The Royal College Of Nursing is the most reputed nursing college in the United Kingdom. It is also popular as a membership organization, which has around four million members from all around the country. The college was established in the year 1916. However, it earned its Royal Charter only in the year 1928 and its patron is none other than Queen Elizabeth II. Its members include both student nurses as well as registered nurses. However, the membership is also open for healthcare assistants and they make a good percentage of total membership count. The college is more popularly known as RCN.

RCN offices

The headquarters of the Royal College Of Nursing is situated in London at 20 Cavendish Square. However, its branch offices can be found in almost all the parts of the United Kingdom. In England, some of the regional offices can be found in Winchester, Sunderland, Leeds, Nottingham, Exeter, Croydon, Bury St Edmunds, Bolton, Birmingham, and Banbury. The Northern Ireland branch of this college is located in Belfast. You can find the Scottish offices in Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Aberdeen. Cardiff and Conwy are the centers for the Welsh offices for RCN.

Royal College Of Nursing Libraries

There are four libraries in the Royal College Of Nursing, but these libraries are not located at one place. There are four countries in the United Kingdom and each country has one RCN library. These are located in London, Edinburgh, Cardiff, and Belfast. The Edinburgh library also has archives. The London RCN library is more popular as the UK library.

Mission And Services

The mission of the Royal College Of Nursing represents nurses as well as nursing. They regulate the nursing sector in the United Kingdom with an objective to promote excellence in the practice of nursing. The organization is also known for shaping health policies for the country. Its network of members includes union learning representatives, safety representatives, and even stewards. The nurses can also undertake various course programs in nursing. Nursing is a vast sector and now it also includes a variety of fields other than hospitals. No matter which field of nursing you want to make your career in, there is a course program available in this college.

The RCN Institute

The RCN Institute is the academic part of the Royal College Of Nursing. The institute offers excellent opportunities for both professional and student nurses to participate in research and practice development along with higher and continuing education. The institute also runs various workshops and other activity programs in political leadership, primary care, and experiential clinical development throughout the United Kingdom. The institute has currently introduced four new distance-learning programs of study.

There is a council in the Royal College Of Nursing that governs the RCN Institute. There are twenty-nine members in this council. The members are the trustees of the mission and values of the organization on behalf of all other members. The overall governance of the RCN is also the responsibility of this council.

© 2008 Nursing Daily.