<p>My daughter has been invited to join he college’s chapter of the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International.</p>
<p>Naturally there is a cost to join and we are wondering if it is worth the fee. In this case, the fee is $95 which is not exactly peanuts, so I’ve come here for advice. </p>
<p>Background: She has her ADN and is already an RN. She has an offer to work as an ER nurse at local hospital and that position will begin in 2 weeks. She is currently enrolled in the BSN program at a local university and this is the chapter that has invited her to join. </p>
<p>It is my understanding that in nursing, to get a job, it is all about what experience you have on your resume. Since she already has a job, I have to wonder if a note about being in this honor society will have any additional value. (Note: she is a member of the honor society for 2 year colleges: Phi Theta Kappa.) </p>
<p>My oldest son joined the honor society for history majors. It didn’t make an iota of difference in him getting a job as the phrase summa cum laude on his resume told prospective employers everything they needed to know about his grades. </p>
<p>Thanks in advance for any advice you have to offer.</p>
<p>When I graduated with my BSN, I was not already a RN like your daughter is. I needed every advantage to get into a critical care internship. Sigma Theta Tau, in addition to a very high GPA, helped score me that internship. </p>
<p>And if you have a high GPA, is the honor society necessary? I mean, if you resume lists your GPA, doesn’t that tell a prospective employer/internship what they need to know? </p>
<p>I"m wondering what the purpose is? I also joined the honor society of my major and after I graduated, I had no further contact with it. So, the cynic in my says that it is just a money making scheme. Am I right? Am I wrong?</p>
<p>^^^ Sigma Theta Tau was not just about GPA-not everyone with a high GPA was invited. When I was in school, the fee was pretty minimal. There are some honor societies which are not really associated with universities which I’ve heard are really for money making. While it’s certainly not necessary in order to become a good nurse, I don’t think STT is any kind of “scheme.” Among nurses I’ve known it is viewed as quite legit and a nice honor. It funds scholarships, nursing research, and puts out journals in order to disseminate information on evidence based nursing practice.</p>
<p>^^^As far as honor societies in general, it’s hard to know for sure if they are ever “worth it.” My daughter was invited to join several “honor societies.” All of them charged a fee. The only one she joined was Phi Beta Kappa. Did that help her get into grad school? We don’t know for sure-but getting into a fully funded Ph.D program straight from undergrad is definitely not easy in her area of study, and she was accepted into several good programs and starts her Ph.D program next fall. I don’t know if Phi Beta Kappa was a tipping point, but I suspect it did help; it certainly did not hurt. In spite of the fact that there is an initiation fee to join, I’ve never heard it referred to as a “money making scheme.”</p>
<p>Perhaps ‘scheme’ is the wrong word and perhaps I am too jaded. </p>
<p>I’m trying to understand the value of membership. I’ve wrestled with this question before and have not been able to come up with a good answer. Now I am wrestling with it again. Especially since the membership fee is not a nominal amount.</p>
<p>Ditto post #5, except in addition to PBK, D also joined the honor societies of her two majors. She is now choosing from fully funded programs, and I suspect those helped.</p>
<p>There may be no immediate “value” or payback for your D. Many nurses I know joined and/or remain active because of a sense that they are helping the profession. Some good nursing research grants have been funded by STT; I knew a woman who got a nice scholarship from them. You can get free CE’s to maintain your license in the journals. </p>
<p>She can go through her professional life and never miss being a member. It’s not THAT big of a deal, and certainly not worth any amount of “wrestling”. But it is the second largest nursing organization, and there is good being done by it, rather than just taking fees and paying administrators. Seriously, if you are that “jaded” about it, tell her you are not going to fund it, because you probably won’t be satisfied if you don’t see some kind of immediate, tangible benefit.</p>
<p>What I like about CC is that I get to learn new things. In the information that the college sent my daughter, did not include the fact that ‘you can get free CE’s to maintain your license.’ Thanks for pointing that out. </p>
<p>In fact, as I look over again the information that was sent, I notice that it did not provide much of a reason as to why the students should join. It did say that it is “one of the largest and most prestigious nursing organizations in the world.” The email author noted that “As a member, I have personally considered my induction into the honor society as one of the most important highlights of my nursing career” but she never said why she considered it to be a ‘important highlight’ of her nursing career. So, my daughter and I were left to wonder about the benefits of joining.</p>