Sigma Theta Tau

EmeraldNYL, BSN, RN · May 22, 2003

I'm a member. It cost $70 for me to join. I guess it's an honor, and something else to put on my resume.

katscan · May 22, 2003

I'm a member. I can't remember what it cost, but it is the nursing honorary. I was nominated after school when I was a clinical instructor at Ohio State University. It looks good on your resume and basically is an honor. I was flattered, to say the least, as many nurses were not members.

krisRN2B · May 23, 2003

Congratulations on your recent honor :) . I cannot answer your questions, however

VickyRN, MSN, DNP, RN · Jun 29, 2003

It's a wonderful honor. Looks GREAT on resumes and job applications, too. I say go for it.

ucandoit · Jun 29, 2003

I second that, go for it and congrats

ainz · Jul 3, 2003

I was a member. It is considered an honor for academic achievement. Congratulations!! After I got past the initial "feel-good" of being asked to join, and was able to put it on my resume (by the way, non-nursing people have no clue what it is), I began to look for the substance in the organization. I began to explore how this would benefit me, benefit nursing, benefit healthcare, nursing education and research, patient care, etc., etc. There was a group of members that met every Monday evening. I thought I would attend and "get involved." What a laugh. It was a group of PhD-type nursing instructors who got together for coffee and talked about the world of academia. When I arrived at the meeting all heads turned, you could have heard a pin drop, and they stared at me. I was the only male, the youngest one there, and obviously out of place. The joke of the whole thing is that it is supposed to be nursing's honor society and to do stuff to advance the profession through education and research. Have you seen some of the nursing research?!?!?! I can't believe the federal government actually gives money for some of the research topics I have seen, what a laugh and what a waste. Again!!! Nurses!!!! Let's stand up, face the real issues in our field and profession, get our heads out of the sand, learn the realities of the environment we are working in, be able to deal with the forces in power, and take some meaningful action to advance our profession and improve what we do--take care of patients!! Where is Sigma Theta Tau in this process?!?! Why are we not teaching our student nurses about the business and finance side of things? Why are we not doing meaningful research that ties nursing care to patient outcomes that will demonstrate to the finance-types the contribution an RN makes to the hospital's bottom line in language they can understand??? Who cares about the nursing theories? Please tie them in to efficient and effective patient care in a way a Wall Street analyst will understand and care about!!!!!! Sorry for rambling. . . I would say join it and do something to make it a more meaningful and effective organization to help nursing deal with issues that are killing us. Take a leadership role, stand up and question the status quo, rattle the old PhD intructors cages and challenge them to help you deal with real world issues at the point-of-service (that is the bedside) just in case they forgot.

VickyRN, MSN, DNP, RN · Aug 1, 2003

Very good post, Aniz. I appreciate your point of view. You have changed my thinking in some areas. I agree with you about nursing research and nursing theory (ever read Martha Rogers....). Both need to be made much more practical and down to earth. We are practising in desperate times, and whether we realize it or not, nursing's very survival may be at stake....

purplemania, BSN, RN · Aug 1, 2003

I am a member and each year I question why as their website is difficult to naviagate and I have NEVER heard from the local chapter so don't when, or even if, they meet. I keep thinking I will get time to figure out how to do research on their website but there are too many others that are easier so I don't bother. So basically I am paying $70/yr for an "honor". Oh, you get to be on mailing lists too. Whoopee

CougRN · Aug 1, 2003

I'm a member, looks great on a resume and on a grad school application.

SteelTownRN · Aug 9, 2003

I've been in Sigma Theta Tau for over ten years, and have very much enjoyed that association. I was inducted as a master's student, and really appreciated the support that I received for learning and understanding the research process that I was involved in learning at the time. Also, there have been many local CE programs designed for bedside nurses that I took advantage of. I used to think that it was filled with those nurses who were embalmed in academia, but I was proven wrong. I found a supportive group who answered my questions and encouraged me to grow in my career.

Due to moving, I have been a member of three different chapters. There are, of course, several commonalities among the chapter, that national dictates, like who can be invited to be a member, and especially the induction ceremony. However, I have found that chapters can be vastly different with their programming and functions and scopes. I have seen monthly meetings and newsletters, websites, new member orientation, Founder's Day celebrations, but the degree of success varied greatly among the chapters.

I suppose that you can pay $70 to get inducted and write it on your resume as a honor throughout your career. (However, you should continue to pay annual dues if you would like to be cinsidered a current member. Calling yourself a member after you stopped paying dues is a bit of an ethical stretch.)

I challenge those of you who feel like you get nothing from the chapter to volunteer to run for an office or volunteer to serve on a committee or even chair a committee. If you don't get involved, you can't possibly get anything from any organization. Let people know what your talents are and how you'd like to help the organization. You can't change the chapter in a few eeks, but if you stay an active/paid member, you can make a difference in the long run.

barb4575 · Aug 18, 2003

I was so very honored to be selected into Sigma Theta Tau in graduate school, but I have long since allowed my membership to expire. I could not see paying dues for something that I received no benefit for and why should I pay to be honored? I agree with the nursing topics for research and the simple fact is that the researchers are rarely found at the bedside these days. I had considered becoming involved in some long term care research until I spoke with the investigator...wow, aren't there any PhD-prepared individuals who have personality? Of course, this is from my own experience as a Masters'-prepared RN. I think I will continue and obtain that PhD, perhaps in Education...we shall see.