On November 10, 2016, 70 new members were inducted into the MCCN's Rho Omicron Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI) during a festive and dynamic ceremony held in the Medical Staff Building at Mount Carmel West. The inductees included students and nurses from the undergraduate program, RN-BSN completion program, and graduate program, as well as community leaders. All in attendance had the opportunity to listen to an outstanding presentation given by current board member and past Rho Omicron president, Barbara Barta, PhD, RN. Her message emphasized that every nurse must be a courageous leader. Dr. Barta articulated that, while the concept of courage is one of the hallmarks of the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International, it is not often discussed in professional nursing or nursing education. The Greek letters of Sigma Theta Tau represent love, courage and honor. Love and honor are aligned with love and ethics, two defined and understood concepts in nursing. Recent research published in 2014 by nurse educators Hawkins and Morse reveals that courage is not defined or taught in nursing education. Courage is found to be a learned behavior that, according to psychologist and philosopher Milton Mayerhoff, involves the ability of one to trust and to enact patience. Courage is necessary to assure patient safety and to serve as an advocate in any situation. Dr. Barta also spoke of another hallmark of Sigma Theta Tau, which is leadership, as stated in the organization’s mission. In view of the values and mission of Sigma Theta Tau, Dr. Barta suggested and encouraged the concept of courageous leadership that can be defined as the process of inspiring others, through trust, patience and advocacy, to function at their highest level in order to achieve an outcome.
Rho Omicron would also like to send a warm thank you to our basket donors and the board for their amazing generosity; it is with each of your help, Rho Omicron was able to raise $1,069.00 for scholarships and grants.
Basket Donors: Mary Yoder, Dr. Jill Kilanowski, Jennifer Saffell, Toni Chops, Mary Nibert, Deidre Smith, Cora Arledge, Iris Freisner, Kathy Duke, Vickie Warschauer, Rosanna Bumgardner, Kathy Cassandra, Jean Bohman, MCCN Records and Registration (Karen Greene, Maggie Miller-Rea, Jan Turner), MCCN College Relations.
STTI, an Honor Society of Nursing, is a national organization committed to nursing excellence through service, research, leadership, scholarship, knowledge and professional development all centered on improving world health. MCCN had the honor of establishing its own chapter in April, 2002, Rho Omicron.
Organizational Mission: The mission of the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International is advancing world health and celebrating nursing excellence in scholarship, leadership, and service.
Society Vision: The vision of the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International is to be the global organization of choice for nursing.
Eligibility for membership into Rho Omicron includes:
- Junior or senior students enrolled in the Pre-Licensure Baccalaureate program (Bachelor of Science) who have completed at least half of the nursing curriculum, who are in top 35 percent of graduating class and have achieved academic excellence.
- Second Degree Accelerated Program (SDAP) students who have already earned a bachelor's degree or higher, have completed half of their nursing curriculum, and are in top 35 percent of their class.
- Online RN-BSN Completion program students in the Baccalaureate program who rank in the upper 35 percent of the graduating class and have completed half of their nursing program.
- Students in Master and Doctoral graduate programs who have completed at least one-fourth of their nursing curriculum and have achieved academic excellence.
- Community leaders who demonstrate leadership or achievement in nursing are invited into membership. Contributions by these individuals include achievements in research, publication, administration, consulting, practice or education.
