Phi Theta Kappa - Haven't we all been invited?

Nurses New Nurse Nursing Q/A

I was recently invited to join Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) and was wondering if anyone who has experience with this honor society has found it beneficial other than it looking nice on resumes. My thinking is that most nursing students qualify for this honor due to the grades that must be maintained/acquired for nursing school. How would this make someone stand out in the field of nursing if most nursing students probably qualify?

Has anyone found that it helped them get any new-grad positions when they graduated? Did it help with scholarships? Did it look good when you wanted to transfer to a university? Did you find it helpful in terms of networking? Did it apply to any or none of the above?

I was also wondering what the GPA cutoff is? How low can your GPA fall before they kick you out? I could always ask this at the orientation meeting, but that isn't anytime soon.

I had also heard of Sigma Theta Tau (specifically for nurses) and was wondering what one would need to do in order to be invited to join?

Thanks for reading.

:mad: To me Phi Theta Kappa is a scam. I mean come on...pay someone to honor me??? Really? That's not usually how honor societies work from my experience. People don't pay to get inducted into the Rock Hall of Fame, people don't pay to get honored by the National Honor Society in high school. I was asked to join too. I was all for it until I saw I had to pay. That's a bit pretentious to me. (Not knocking anyone who joined...I'm razzing the PTK folks).

When the lady from PTK spoke to me about it looking good in my resume...I told her I would simply put PTK offered and I turned them down. :yeah: She didn't speak to me anymore.

I'm a proud member of Phi Theta Kappa, and highly recommend it. Keep in mind that it costs $75 up front, but it only costs $10 a semester after that.

There are many advantages to being a member - not the least of which are the scholarships. Note that some are general scholarships, completely unrelated to specific programs. Also, having PTK on other (non PTK) scholarship apps looks good, too.

I truly believe that universities and employers seriously consider honor society membership when making their decisions - especially if there is significant competition for an opening. I was recently hired at a hospital that swore it wouldn't hire ADNs. But I stood out.

Each chapter will vary in its activities - it depends entirely on the student leadership. And if you're not happy with it -talk to the faculty adviser (that's what they're there for.) If time allows, get involved. Our chapter does some amazing things in our community. I also found it to be a good change of pace and a welcome break from my nursing studies.

And for whoever was asking - you can join at any time during the year. Just find your adviser and get your paperwork processed.

Good luck!

I think it is worth it. Check with your school; my school does NOT put it on transcripts, so it is up to each school apparently. My PTK advisor will not give letters of recommendation unless you do most community events. First event after I joined, only one other person showed up, so it did not happen. Second event, PTK gave us 2 days' notice (I have a job and children, so 2 days notice was not enough for me to get time off work/midterms were also that weekend/or find a babysitter for 8 a.m. on a Saturday). Then the next one they are doing is an all night event; again, with children, I cannot do it. I was so excited to be able to get involed with my community, but it's been nearly impossible for me in my situation. I think I'll be a nurse before I'm able to give back, but that's okay. So, it depends on your situation. I also, because of school-age children, will not be transferring to any university other than the one close to home, so again, there are no benefits for me so far--I have a very high GPA, but when I did my profile for transfer matches, that university did not show up. I'd love to go to Emory, but I can't move my family out of state, ya know! And the tassle or stole, they cost extra, so those are not included in the membership fee (they told us to buy these from PTK website if we want them for graduation). I am happy to be a part of it--although have yet to do anything--it being on my resume is all I have to show for it other than the pin I receive in the mail and the gold seal for the diploma (you place it on your diploma yourself; that is also mailed to you after they verify your graduation).

That being said, it is still an honor and I am proud to be a PTK member and you should be proud for the invite. I just wanted to let you know that not all of the perks are always available to everyone.

:nurse:  There are several reasons to become a member of phi theta kappa. The first one that comes to the top of my head is the $500 in scholarship money you get when you attend a university. It sure came in handy for me ? It is nice to put on your resume as well.

if you are invited, I would pay the membership fee and take advantage of the rewards. Not everyone can become a member. :yeah: Good job!

Specializes in Pediatric Hem/Onc.

I joined, simply because it looks good on a resume and there are scholarship opportunities. I haven't been to a single meeting and couldn't even go to my own induction ceremony because of my schedule. It's like $60 I think? Worth the investment, in my opinion. It certainly can't hurt your chances, you know? :up:

Specializes in CNA.
txrn2b13 said:
I just received an invitation from my community college to join phi theta kappa honor society for two-year colleges. would it be advantageous of me to join ... as in helping me to get into a nursing program over someone not a member, or should I just save my $60 membership fee?

It won't get you into a nursing program, but they do put it right on your transcript. There are also a lot of opportunities to participate in or (more importantly) lead many types of projects.

Nursing school comes with so many commitments, I just don't have time to actively participate in ptk. I like it that it's on my transcript, but even that is only going to matter for my first nursing job. Still glad I did it.

I was pleasantly surprised to see my school has listed it on my official school transcript, along with coursework. That could help (and won't hurt!) when I apply for BSN programs.

When I joined, and was surprised there was no one else from Nursing who did. Don't know why - I'm guessing money and that strange perception that as nursing students, we aren't really part of the general student population.

When asking my professors for the recommendation letters, they both went on about what a big deal it is and how good it looks in the academic world.

Specializes in CVICU/ER.

I was a member of both Kappa Iota and a current member of Sigma Theta Tau. It's just another thing to add to your resume. Anything that you can do stand out to a potential employer is smart in my opinion, especially in this job climate. Like the old lady said when she peed in the ocean, "Every little bit helps."

It will not help you to get into the nursing program, but it has many benefits. Are you planning to continue on for your BSN after you are done? Phi Theta Kappa is on your transcript, and it looks good to perspective schools and employers. There are tons of scholarships that are only available to Phi Theta Kappa members. Additionally, Phi Theta Kappa not only speaks of your GPA, but it also speaks of your work ethic. At a time when many institutions are considering grades as part of the, decision process, the Phi Theta Kappa stamp helps you stand out from the competition a little.

You need to look at the pro's and con's for you. I am a member of Phi Theta Kappa and I believe there are definitely more pro's than con's. One of the school that I am looking to transfer to (major 4 year university) offers a 100% tuition for two years for 25 Phi Theta Kappa members. Some of the others that I looked at offer several thousand dollars towards tuition. These scholarships are only available for Phi Theta Kappa members. I felt that it was well worth the $75 that I paid.

I don't know if this helps at all. I am sure others will not share my opinion.

Specializes in PICU/Pedi.

Yes, by all means, JOIN! I have been a member for the last 1 1/2 yrs, and was the VP of scholarship in my local chapter last year. It's about $70 to join, but that's all you will ever pay, and it is totally worth the investment. You will always be a member once a member, even if your GPA falls. It looks great on a resume and at my school at least, is the only honor that is actually listed on your transcript. There are lots of volunteer activities, if you like that, but you can be as active or nonactive as you want. Obviously, you will get better referrals if you are somewhat active, though. They take trips to places, and at my school if you go on a trip with them, they pay for EVERYTHING - air fare, hotel, food, ect. We went to a conference in Austin last year and spent some time at the conference and alot of time sight-seeing and having fun. The conference was cool, too - all kinds of intellectual discussion on interesting subjects. It's cool to have a place where I can hang out with other overachievers. And yes, when I graduate, I will have my gold cord and sash and will graduate with honors, which looks REALLY awesome! At my school, too, we get a certificate every year at the honors convocation, just for being a member, even if you're not active. Oh, and some universities are starting a sister group to Phi Theta Kappa for the four-year school. I know our local university is. And, yes, lots of scholarship opportunities out there for tranfer students, just for being a member. I have been awarded several academic and nursing scholarships and an externship and I really believe that being a member (esp. being an officer) helped.

I joined PTK and what it did for me was put me on a ton of college transfer student mailing lists. I already had a BA (and a BSN now!) and joined PTK while doing my prerequisites at the local community college. I was not eligible for most of their scholarships because I already had a BA, and joined right at the end of my time doing prerequisites so didn't really have an opportuity to get involved with the school chapter.

I think in other situations it would be helpful though. There are a ton of scholarships advertised if you don't already have a BA and if I'd gone to the nursing program at the community college I'd have been able to wear the PTK honors paraphenaila at graduation. If I'd stayed at the community college, I'd also have been around to get involved in the community service stuff with my chapter.

I just joined STTI and plan to be actively involved with my chapter too. I think these types of organizations are always about what you make of them.

Specializes in Critical Care, Clinical Documentation Specialist.
So does anyone have any first hand experience recieveing a PTK scholarship? I know that you have to be a member to recieve these scholarships but has anyone actually gotten one? I'm invited to join each quarter which doesn't surprise me since most pre-nursing students have qualifying GPAs. Also has anyone been told by admissions into a nursing program that being a PTK member made a difference rather than the GPA that was high enough being what mattered. I'm a poor single mom so $75 is a lot for me and my kids to spend on something that *might* be worth it.

Thanks for the advice

I have been awarded a 500/semester PTK scholarship to the University I'm transferring into next month. The U itself awarded me another 1000/semester scholarship because of my grades. For both scholarships to renew each subsequent semester, I have to maintain a 3.5 GPA and be a full time student.

My PTK membership will not make a difference in my actual Nursing School application because acceptance is strictly GPA based, but a potential $3000 (6 semesters) just for the PTK scholarship sure makes it worthwhile to me! If you are transferring to a 4yr program, I highly recommend it.

BTW, in my first post on this thread I said that there are two separate pools of money from my school. That was from a different U than I am starting at in January.

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