Royal College of Nursing

Did You Know?

• The RCN produces an online member publication called RCN Magazine (formerly RCN Bulletin).
• RCNi (previously RCN Publishing) produces Nursing Standard and a range of specialist nursing journals.
• The UK headquarters at 20 Cavendish Square is a Grade II listed building; the Cowdray Club occupied part of the premises from 1922 until the 1970s.

History

The College of Nursing Ltd was founded on 27 March 1916 with 34 members as a professional organisation for trained nurses. It was developed on a proposal from Dame Sarah Swift and Arthur Stanley, with Rachael Cox-Davies and Alicia Lloyd-Still, and had five objectives: promoting better education and training of nurses, promoting uniformity of curriculum, recognising approved nursing schools, maintaining a register of persons with certificates of proficiency in nursing, and promoting bills in parliament supporting the nursing profession.

Eleven matrons signed the founding articles, including Margaret Elwyn Sparshott. An attempted amalgamation with the Royal British Nurses' Association was frustrated largely by Ethel Gordon Fenwick. By March 1917 the college had 2,553 members, and by 1919 it had 13,047. It held most nursing places on the General Nursing Council when first established, and by 1925 had about 24,000 members.

Membership was initially restricted to registered general nurses, excluding male nurses and those on mental, mental subnormality, fever and children's nurses' registers. Annie Warren Gill helped found the Scottish board, which first met on 1 November 1916 in Edinburgh, and proposed in 1922 that married members be considered part of the College. In 1920 Annie Pearson, Viscountess Cowdray, bought 20 Cavendish Square for the College's use; the Cowdray Club opened there in 1922.

Council

The RCN is governed by its Council, which makes decisions meeting the RCN's legal and statutory requirements as set out in the royal charter and trade union legislation. As of 2024, Council comprises 17 elected members: 14 are elected directly, including 12 by geographical sections (Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and nine English regions), one by student members, and one by Nursing Support Worker members. These 14 choose three Council officers (Chair, Vice Chair, Honorary Treasurer). All members elect the RCN President, RCN Deputy President, and the Chair of RCN Congress (non-voting). Council members serve voluntarily.

RCN libraries

The Royal College of Nursing maintains libraries in London, Cardiff, Belfast, and Edinburgh. The London location, established in 1921, is the largest and manages the online services; it is said to contain the most extensive nursing library in Europe. Its membership in the London Museums of Health & Medicine group reflects its museum holdings. Special collections include the printed Historical Collection and the Steinberg Collection, which holds over 1,000 nursing theses and dissertations from the 1950s through the 2010s. The RCN Archive is based in Edinburgh, with its services becoming more accessible online.

Fellowships

The RCN awards fellowships to a select few each year for outstanding work in nursing. Honorary fellowships, decided by the RCN Council, go to individuals who cannot join the RCN, such as those from other countries or professions. The number of new fellows is kept small; for instance, 11 fellows and two honorary fellows were chosen in 2021, and five fellows and three honorary fellows in 2022. Those honored may use the letters FRCN or FRCN(hon) after their name.