Ciara Benham
Staff Writer
Extraordinary nursing graduates have been recognized for their academic achievements by being inducted into an honors society.
Sigma Theta Tau is an international honors society for nursing students who have excelled in their schooling. On Dec. 13, 2019, Sigma Theta Tau inducted 10 new members for their exceptional achievements in the Murray State nursing program.
These inductees included Madison Vandiver, Olivia Chapman, Sydney Snyder, Amber Dublo, Taylor Crouch, Josephine Hubele, Brittany Shelton, Elizabeth Arend, Mesa Trimm and Emma Benson.
“It was a great honor to be inducted into such a prestigious nursing honor society,” Hubele said. “Standing there being recognized for all my achievements in front of family, friends and professors made all my hard work worth it.”
In order to be inducted into Sigma Theta Tau, students must meet a certain set of requirements and be invited by nursing professors.
According to the Sigma Theta Tau website the criteria includes, “completing half of the nursing curriculum, achieving academic excellence by having a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher, ranking in the top 35% of the graduating class and meeting the expectation of academic integrity.”
This organization provides members with exclusive resources and opportunities that allow them to excel in the nursing field. In particular, Sigma Theta Tau focuses on helping nurses with research.
“Through Sigma, research is conducted for the advancement of knowledge to improve the health of the world’s people,” Shelton said. “Belonging to this organization offers the opportunity of advancement in the nursing profession through continuous research provided by this organization.”
Many of Sigma Theta Tau’s new inductees talked about how this organization will help them continue their nursing careers.
“As of now, myself and the other members have access to academic journals to research nursing and possible changes,” Snyder said. “Another benefit is the connections it provides. There are connections all across the world where Sigma nurses can come together to better healthcare as a whole.”
For these newly graduated nursing students, Sigma Theta Tau is an impeccable honor that reflects their feelings about nursing.
“The organization is important to me because it represents my role as a nurse leader and allows me to have additional resources to continually strive to improve myself and to have an impact on other people’s lives and the healthcare system,” Hubele said.
The organization also provides continuing nursing education courses, as well as a place to disseminate research and evidence-based practice materials.
New nursing graduates will be inducted into Sigma Theta Tau at the spring 2020 graduation ceremony.