#RCN26 RCN Congress - Nurse Education
If you think hard-enough all the debates at RCN Congress connect to 'education', but two are laser-focussed:
Protecting nurse education
Resolution submitted by the Education Forum
That this meeting of RCN Congress asks RCN Council to lobby UK governments to protect nurse education from university sector economic pressures.
Quality of clinical placements
Matter for discussion submitted by the Students Committee
That this meeting of RCN Congress discusses ways in which the quality of clinical placements can be ensured and consistent across all 4 countries.
For more senior colleagues, you may momentarily think back - all rose-tinted - to the pre-undergraduate Schools of Nursing, but you also realise change was needed and inevitable. A new millennium was fast approaching.
Now, however it seems within the university ecosystem, nursing is a threatened subject and discipline. Nurse education is exposed and itself vulnerable. In the 21st century fitness-stakes - finance wins:
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At RCN Congress, the status of nursing as a profession in the USA, was raised. Looking online, I found the following at the U.S. Department of Education: Myth vs. Fact: The Definition of Professional Degrees.
In January 2025 I posted about the situation at Cardiff University. At Congress the matter of the quality of clinical placements, became a resolution. The protection of nurse education provoked an impassioned and emotional debate. Student nurses seeing what is happening to nurse faculty. Nurse faculty seeing the years of experience 'walk' be-pushed out through the door. It seems there is no collective noun for a group, or collection of redundancies. Mass comes to mind, especially in this instance. A 'rash' seems appropriate. But, the condition is more serious and bears further investigation:
As a Google search demonstrates - https://share.google/SViFPWuJovKWhErEE
IT doesn't stop there ...
How many of us (nurses, and other 'professionals') are seeing job offers(?) such as:
Remote
Contract
$35/hr - $80/hr (this is lower than others ...)
Contract
$35/hr - $80/hr (this is lower than others ...)
About the job
Nursing Informatics Specialist (AI Training)
About The Role
Your clinical knowledge is more valuable than you think — beyond the bedside. We're looking for experienced nursing professionals to help train and evaluate AI systems built for healthcare. As a Nursing Informatics Specialist at Alignerr, you'll apply your frontline expertise to ensure AI understands real-world clinical workflows, EHR systems, and nursing documentation the way actual nurses do.
This is a unique opportunity to work at the intersection of nursing practice and cutting-edge AI — on your own schedule, from anywhere.What You'll Do
- Organization: ---------
- Type: Hourly Contract
- Location: Remote
- Commitment: 10–40 hours/week
Who You Are
- Evaluate AI-generated clinical content for accuracy, safety, and alignment with real nursing workflows
- Review and annotate EHR documentation scenarios, flagging errors or gaps in clinical reasoning
- Translate nursing practice knowledge into structured feedback that improves AI model outputs
- Assess how well AI systems reflect clinical informatics best practices across areas like documentation, data integrity, and care coordination
- Provide expert insight on health IT tools, including EHR platforms such as Epic or Cerner
- Work independently and asynchronously on task-based assignments
Nice to Have
- Registered Nurse (RN) or equivalent clinical background with hands-on experience in a healthcare setting
- Familiar with EHR systems and clinical documentation workflows
- Able to analyze clinical scenarios and communicate clear, structured feedback
- Detail-oriented with strong written communication skills
- Self-motivated and comfortable working independently in a remote environment
- No prior AI experience required — your clinical expertise is what matters
Why Join Us
- Experience in clinical informatics, health IT, or nursing informatics roles
- Familiarity with data annotation, quality review, or evaluation processes
- Background in quality improvement, patient safety, or clinical education
- Exposure to health data standards (e.g., HL7, FHIR, SNOMED)
- Work on cutting-edge AI projects with leading research labs and AI teams
- Fully remote and flexible — set your own hours and work at your own pace
- Freelance perks: autonomy, variety, and global collaboration
- Apply your nursing expertise in a completely new and impactful way
- Contribute to AI that could meaningfully improve how healthcare technology serves patients and clinicians
- Potential for ongoing work and contract extension
You might think (no pun intended!):
'Well this all about informatics. Don't worry - it will all work out fine!'
But, please notice, the clinical and nursing requirement:
"Registered Nurse (RN) or equivalent clinical background with hands-on experience in a healthcare setting."
Not exactly, Hodges' model is it? Even if specific to this role, what does it say:
- about :: the title of 'Registered Nurse'
- about :: Nurses and Nursing as a Profession
- and :: to search engines and agentic AI?
So be aware, and concerned (worried even!) for nursing and nurse education ...
for the humanity of healthcare:
de-humanisation | BIG TECH |
| Nursing Faculty Universities as Institutions that reflect Society Why is there an echo in here? It's been hollowed out. |
P.S. I am not a technophobe. Previously: 'AI' : 'SOCIO-technical'
orcid.org/0000-0002-0192-8965
