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I’m Alex Knight, a newly registered nurse and proud committee member of the ¹úÄÚ¾«Æ·ÒÁÈ˾þþþø¾’s Early Career Network. My journey into activism didn’t begin with a protest or a headline. It started quietly, at the ¹úÄÚ¾«Æ·ÒÁÈ˾þþþø¾’s Activism Academy in ¹úÄÚ¾«Æ·ÒÁÈ˾þþþø¾ HQ, London. I attended because I was curious, unsure of what to expect, but increasingly aware that something needed to change for early career nurses like me.

That day changed everything.

Hearing from other passionate members, learning how to use our voices to create impact, and being shown that you can be both a nurse and an activist, lit a fire in me I couldn’t ignore. I realised that we don’t have to wait until we’re ‘experienced enough’ to start shaping the future of this profession. We just need to care and be willing to act.

Since then, I’ve thrown myself into the work. I’ve seen passionate, capable student nurses struggle to secure that all-important first job, myself included. I’ve felt the weight of a system that doesn’t always seem built for us. And I’ve heard countless peers ask the same questions I was asking: Where are our voices? Who’s standing up for us?

That’s when I realised that if I wanted to see change, I had to be part of it.

I started by meeting with my local MP to speak candidly about the crisis facing newly registered nurses. About how many of us are leaving university only to find there are no jobs waiting for us. I wanted to make sure those in power understood that this is more than a workforce issue—it’s a failure of planning, of policy, and of support.

Then came Congress.

Speaking in front of thousands of ¹úÄÚ¾«Æ·ÒÁÈ˾þþþø¾ members for the first time was nothing short of terrifying. Not because I was scared of the amount of people in the audience but because of how much the issue mattered. I was speaking on behalf of all the final year student nurse, and newly registered nurses who’ve felt invisible, unsupported, or cast aside by a system that should be championing us. I knew I needed to get it right. I needed them to hear us.

I was nervous, emotional, and absolutely determined.

That moment taught me something: your voice doesn’t have to be polished to be powerful. It just has to be honest.

Now, I’m committed to making sure early career nurses have the platform and the confidence to speak up too. Whether it’s fair pay, better job opportunities, safer staffing, or simply being treated with respect. We have a right to be at the table. Not in five years. Not once we’re “senior enough.” But now.

The ¹úÄÚ¾«Æ·ÒÁÈ˾þþþø¾’s Early Career Network has given me hope. It’s a space where new voices are not just welcomed they’re needed. Because we are not the nurses of tomorrow, we are the nurses of today. And we deserve a say in the future we’re walking into.

So if you’ve ever thought, “I want to do more, but I don’t know where to start”—this is it. Join us. Ask questions. Get involved. Share your story.

You don’t need to be fearless. You just need to care, and I know you do.

If anything in this post resonated with you or if you’re keen to get involved but not sure where to begin please feel free to reach out. I’d love to connect and chat with you.

LinkedIn – Alex Knight
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Let’s raise our voices together.