Sunday, 16 September 2018
In development of our Chapter's strategic plan it was recognized that there was a decrease in event participation, acceptance of invitation for membership (less than 100%), and lack of awareness by prospective members of the mission of Sigma and the Chapter. Based on identification of these gaps, the Board of Directors met to establish goals that could address these deficiencies. Strategies needed to be simple, cost-effective, and timely to accommodate tight schedules. The Chapter created the following activities: Coco and Cookies, Portfolio Night, and International Night to increase visibility, engagement, and participation. During the Coco and Cookies event, Chapter members served coco and cookies to students, nursing faculty on campus, and current members in an effort to connect with fellow nurses and students, and to share the Chapter’s goals and strategic plan. Portfolio Night was designed to provide a venue in which freshmen nursing students were provided with tools necessary to initiate a professional portfolio and were also educated on characteristics of a professional nurse. This was accomplished through a formal continuing education presentation by a nurse leader who discussed professional characteristics, a panel of senior nursing students who shared their completed portfolios, and an instructional session that explained the use of a rubric to develop their portfolios. International Night was a forum for sharing scholarly research and educational projects. Presenters submitted poster abstracts that were peer reviewed for scholarship, educational integrity, and a relationship to global health. It was a collaborative event with the Student Nurses Association to promote sharing a global perspective of health care. International Nursing students dressed in their traditional native attire and served ethnic foods representative of their native countries. A panel of International Nursing students shared information about health related practices and access to care in their counties. These strategies have been a simple and cost effective method to familiarize and promote Sigma’s global nursing excellence. These events provided methods to meet Chapter goals in a fun and engaging environment.