Benefits of Sigma Theta Tau International

elkpark · Oct 5, 2015

Hi everyone,
I was invited to join STTI. I was reading other threads about benefits of this membership, and it seems like many people do not think it is worth paying the membership fees.
I have a few questions regarding the membership:
-How helpful is STTI in helping one make connections for jobs?
-Generally, how involved is STTI in the community?
-If I do not pay the fees and attend the induction ceremony, can I still join another year?
-Other thoughts?
Your help would be most appreciated :-)

Networking for employment opportunities and community involvement differ greatly depending on the individual chapter. Some offer lots of opportunities, some don't.

I don't know about the rules for initially joining. I know that, once you're a member, you're a member for life, even if you don't pay the annual dues (you're just not an active member; you can reactivate at any time by paying annual dues), but I don't know if you can choose to not join when you're invited and then have the option of joining later on.

Bluebell. · Oct 6, 2015

Thank you for your response, elkpark. I hope my chapter is actively involved in the community and employment opportunities. I guess I would need to find someone in that chapter and contact them about that.

It is good I will still remain a member if I do not pay those expensive dues for that year; I was confused about this after reading some of the posts about it.

Bluebell. · Oct 6, 2015

For those of you who joined STTI, do you believe this membership is a good investment ? Of course this varies among individuals, but I am curious to know your thoughts.

sailornurse · Oct 6, 2015

I have been invited 3 times to join, have not. None of the chapters are active, they have in induction ceremony and do not do anything else. I don't think if makes a whole lot of difference in getting a job of pursuing further education but that is just my experience & my opinion.

The first time I was invited I was RN to BSN at GCU in the late 1980s'. I did not go to the ceremony because I was informed the day before the induction ceremony & I had to work the night of the ceremony. I also could not afford the dues & did not know who sigma theta tau was.

Bluebell. · Oct 6, 2015

I have been invited 3 times to join, have not. None of the chapters are active, they have in induction ceremony and do not do anything else. I don't think if makes a whole lot of difference in getting a job of pursuing further education but that is just my experience & my opinion.
The first time I was invited I was RN to BSN at GCU in the late 1980s'. I did not go to the ceremony because I was informed the day before the induction ceremony & I had to work the night of the ceremony. I also could not afford the dues & did not know who sigma theta tau was.

I greatly appreciate your input, sailornurse. So in your experience, it seems like the membership was basically more of a "status" symbol. You mentioned that you were invited three times. Do they only invite you while you are enrolled in school, whether you are pursuing a BSN, MSN, etc. ?

sailornurse · Oct 6, 2015

Usually yes they invite you as a student but I have heard of nurses in the community also being invited. And yes the students wear the cords at pinning & graduation & of course list on the resumes but I don't know what they do after that.

elkpark · Oct 6, 2015

The chapter at the school where I did a BSN completion program, and where I was invited to join, has a v. active chapter. They have quarterly meetings that are well attended and always include an educational presentation in addition to the business meeting. They have a number of community service activities going on at any particular time. They offer some limited scholarships for school and some limited research grants. It's a good group for professional mentoring and networking.

The same was true of the chapter of my grad school. As I said, it varies from chapter to chapter. Some are v. active and offer lots of good professional opportunities; others are mostly a formality.

llg, PhD, RN · Oct 6, 2015

I've been a member for many years and don't regret it, but I haven't gotten a lot of direct benefit, either. Having lived in a couple different communities over those years, some of the local chapters were active, some were not so much -- and most of the activities were not focused on my specialty and/or areas of interest.

I still don't regret it as I have enjoyed some of their programs ... and I like the membership discount for buying their books. It's also like a "membership card" to certain factions of nursing leadership -- and as I am in a leadership position, it's nice to have their endorsement. Finally, I do support their work in funding small, local research grants and am happy to contribute to that cause.

emtb2rn, BSN, RN, EMT-B · Oct 6, 2015

I was invited but as groucho said "i wouldn't belong to any club that would have me as a member".

lhflanurseNP, APRN · Oct 7, 2015

It depends what you want in the future. To belong to STTI can be impressive if you are furthering your education or going into management, education, or research. Other than that, why would you want to pay (yes you have to pay for the "honor" of being a member) for this "accolade"?

Bluebell. · Oct 7, 2015

It depends what you want in the future. To belong to STTI can be impressive if you are furthering your education or going into management, education, or research. Other than that, why would you want to pay (yes you have to pay for the "honor" of being a member) for this "accolade"?

That's interesting. I do plan on furthering my education and may possibly be involved in research one day but have no interest in being in a management position or an educator. LOL good point on your last statement!