Nsg. Honor Society?

Nursing Students General Students

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Specializes in ER, Medicine.

Aaah...school sucks. I didn't get the e-mail saying I'm in the Nursing Honor Society. I mean, I doesn't really bug me too much because just making it this far is happiness. Does it really make a difference anyway? Can I still get in it after my second semester? Is it worth the $90? Is anyone here in it?:rolleyes:

Specializes in NICU, Infection Control.

Which one?

"never trust a 35 weeker" -- and have puzzled over it. Having taken care of a preemie with RSV yesterday, I now understand... :)

NurseFirst

Specializes in NICU, Infection Control.

I've explained it before, too! :D

A 35 wk premie can trick you: they breathe ok, eat ok, seem to be fine, so if they're gaining wt, they are often sent home. Where they promptly realize that they are only 35 wks and they don't have to know how to breathe and/or eat, and if there are any germs in a 10 mile radius of their body, they'll get septic. So they often bounce right back to the unit. Any time I hear anyone start discussing sending a 35whr home, I start getting palpitations.

Specializes in ER, Medicine.

Sigma Theta Tau International

Specializes in MICU, CVICU.

To get in to STT at my school you have to be in the upper 35% of your class...You also have to be AT LEAST HALF way through the nursing/upper division curriculum. So, if the same standards hold for your school not only are you not eligible now, you wouldn't be eligible until at least your third semester. I'm in my third semester (of 4) and just got a nomination form. I would check with the school but I'm pretty sure these requirements are for everyone. So don't panic you still have more than enough time to get nominated.

Specializes in NICU, Infection Control.

If you get nominated or invited, I think it's an honor, and you should join. It's a great thing to have to put on a job application. If you ever go for grad school, it'll look good there, too.

Specializes in critical care; community health; psych.

It'll look great on your resume.

Our instructor's always mention that you can join Sigma Theta Tau in the future as well - as a working nurse.. but I'm not sure how that works?

Specializes in ED.

Since I'm not in a bachelors program, I'm not in a nursing honors society. I am in the college's honors society though and I'm taking my Pediatrics elective as an honors course.

I just figure that anything that can make my transcripts and resume stand out when reapplying for a 4 year degree, scholarhips, or job will be well worth it!

I was also an active member in Phi Theta Kappa which is the Honors Society for Two Year Colleges. They send out member information to a mailing list which other universities can subscribe to so they write to you about scholarship and application information. Maybe the nursing honors society does the same?

I guess STT has changed the standards -- it used to be that the top 25% of the graduating class was invited to join, so you only became eligible at the end of your junior year.

For those who didn't get invited to join in schol, there is also a "community leaders" category, in which members can nominate nurses who have been nursing leaders in their community since they have been out of school and the local chapter decides whether to invite them to join or not.

STT is somewhat controversial in some nursing circles, because of the arbitrary 25% (now 35%?) rule -- the same top quarter of every graduating class gets offered membership without any consideration of the caliber or rigor of the school. For example, I finished a BSN at a local state university where, quite frankly, the program wasn't all that demanding. I then took an MSN at an Ivy League university with a v. rigorous program. The same top 25% of the class at the Ivy League university was eligible as at the state university. However, even the bottom-ranking student in the Ivy League undergraduate program had done much more demanding work and maintained a much higher academic standard than the top student at the state university -- but STT doesn't recognize any difference ...

Whether or not it's worth the $90/year is a v. personal choice. Yes, it looks good on a resume and applications for further academic work. They publish a pretty good research journal and tabloid newsletter. Some chapters are v. active and offer excellent networking opportunities, and some chapters are barely alive (and many are somewhere in between) -- that depends on your location.

Specializes in ER, Medicine.

Thanks for the replies everyone...if anyone else has anything to add please do so!

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