Sunday, 16 September 2018
Transitioning from a nursing honor society to a chartered chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing (Sigma), this chapter’s leaders found that there was an opportunity to engage new members within the chapter as well as support the professional growth of these new members as nurses. In response to this identified need, the New Member Scholarship Program was developed, and, over the course of two years, four scholarships have been granted. Through this ongoing program, the scholarship recipients function in specific chapter roles and are supported in their development of skills related to “…scholarship, leadership, and service” as specified in Sigma’s mission statement (Sigma, 2018, para. 1). These skills are transferable to the scholarship recipients’ professional nursing practice as they are mentored within their roles to both the chapter and the nursing profession. In addition, this new member scholarship program supports the responsibilities of a chapter of Sigma per the International and Chapter Bylaws (Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing, 2016; Sigma Chapter, 2016). It is through this mentoring relationship that the scholarship recipients are empowered to enact change within the chapter as well as with those who they interact with as nurses. Called to lead in various circumstances throughout their careers, this transformational approach enables these nurses to be empowered in their chapter roles and continue to grow as nursing leaders throughout their careers (Hood, 2018). Many of the chapter’s new members are either new to nursing or embarking on a new role within the profession and are in positions to influence tremendous change within nursing. The chapter therefore serves as the transformational leader and functions as a “…role model, influencer, and enabler to promote change” within the chapter and throughout nursing (Kearney-Nunnery, 2016, p. 169). In this presentation, the New Member Scholarship Program will be outlined according to the chapter’s policy (Sigma Chapter, 2017); the experiences of the chapter leaders as well as the scholarship recipients will be reviewed; and the implications for application of this program within Sigma’s global society of nursing will be presented.