Professor Rita Devlin

Professor Rita Devlin is Executive Director of the Royal College of Nursing in Northern Ireland. As Executive Director, she is responsible for representing RCN members across Northern Ireland. She is the executive lead for the development and implementation of the RCN Strategy and is the Executive Lead for Corridor Care elimination across the UK.

Rita has held a range of clinical roles from ward sister in emergency departments and general medicine. She has undertaken a number of senior corporate nursing roles within Health and Social Care Trusts, leading on issues including the development and implementation of person-centred care, nurse development, service and quality improvement, and patient safety. She has a particular interest in leadership, management, service improvement to improve patient experience, and human factors training.

In nursing, the transition from caregiver to change maker is shaped by impactful experiences enabled with the support of mentors who model and demonstrate compassionate leadership. Mentors help nurses see beyond daily tasks and routines to the deeper purpose of nursing work. They help to reinforce the meaning and purpose found in advocating for patients,  families and communities by improving systems, and influencing outcomes at a wider level. Through encouragement, shared wisdom, and sharing experiences, mentors empower nurses to recognise their influence and the power of their voices as valuable and their roles as catalysts for change. By developing this sense of meaning mentors help to transform nursing from a profession often viewed as centred solely on care delivery into one driven by impact, innovation, and lasting improvement in health care and improved outcomes for patients. In this Professorial Address, Rita will illustrate how throughout her life and career mentors have shaped her as a person and as a nurse and nurse leader.