How to nominate RCN Fellows
About the awards
The RCN elects a small number of new Fellows and Honorary Fellows each year.
The RCN Fellowship and Honorary Fellowship recognise practitioners, researchers, educationalists and leaders who share the RCN's commitment to advancing the art and science of nursing and the improvement of health care.
Nominees are put forward by peers to acknowledge their experience, accomplishments and dedication to the nursing profession.
Fellows and Honorary Fellows are entitled to use the letters FRCN after their name.
The RCN often calls on the expertise and experience of Fellows to help with developing our professional policy positions, practice standards and services.
For more information about the RCN Fellowship, please read this guidance note.
How to nominate
RCN members can submit nominations at any point during the year using this nomination form.
You can only nominate or support one candidate per year.
Country or regional boards, branches and forums can submit group nominations.
RCN staff and RCN Council members cannot submit nominations for this award, but they can write supporting statements.
Nominees for the RCN Fellowship must be on the NMC register and have been a member of the RCN for at least five years.
RCN staff and current members of RCN Council are not eligible to be nominated.
Support for your nomination
You will need three other people to support your nomination. They do not have to be RCN members but must not be RCN staff or RCN Council members.
Each supporting statement should show how the nominee has made an exceptional contribution to nursing or health care.
The recommendations should come from a range of backgrounds to show the reach of the nominee’s work.
We advise that you do not tell the nominee about the nomination, so they will not be disappointed if it is unsuccessful.
What to submit
The nominator and supporters should write testimonials about the nominee and submit these with the form.
If you require assistance writing Fellowship nominations, we encourage you to email the Fellows Co-ordinating Committee at RCNFellows@rcn.org.uk for support and advice. You can also download How to write a successful supporting statement for more information.
You also need to submit contact details and the nominee’s CV. We understand that it is hard to find out details about another person – especially while keeping it a secret – so just put as much information as you can. We can, for example, find the person’s RCN membership number for you.
How the decision gets made
Eligible nominations will be considered by the Awards Committee and evaluated against the following eight criteria:
- Impact: Is there evidence of outstanding impact within the nomination to demonstrate a significant contribution to nursing knowledge, innovative nursing practices or techniques, or novel ways of working (including clinical practice, education, management, leadership or research)?
- Originality: To what extent is the innovation/unique contribution totally original in context/application or derived from the work of others?
- Evaluation: Has the innovation/unique contribution (new knowledge, new practice, new way of working) been rigorously tested? (e.g. peer reviewed, published etc.)
- Dissemination: How has the new knowledge/practice/way of working been shared with the rest of the profession, not only in the academic press, but in the national nursing press, conferences, workshops, seminars, radio/TV interviews, personal networking, national/international media outside of nursing?
- Transferability: To what extent has the innovation/unique contribution been incorporated more widely into nursing or used as a model in other fields of nursing? Sustainability of the innovation/unique contribution could also be considered as an element of this criteria.
- Recognition: To what extent is the work recognised by others working in the same field?
- Sustained contribution to the RCN: How has the individual supported and engaged with the RCN over a number of years.
- Equity, diversity and inclusion: How has the individual demonstrated an active commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion
For more information about the RCN Fellowship, including the full criteria, please read this guidance note.
When to submit
RCN members can submit nominations at any point during the year using this nomination form. Nominations that were received by Monday 13 January 2025 will be considered for presentation at the RCN Awards 2025.
The Awards Committee
The Awards Committee comprises of the President, Deputy President, Chair of Council, Vice-Chair of Council, the Fellows Convenor, the Chief Executive & General Secretary, the RCN Chief Nurse, Representatives from the Professional Nursing and Trade Union Committees.
It was lovely to be nominated. There are so many unsung heroes. I don't know why we, as nurses, don't celebrate what we do. We're doing amazing things.
