Let's go out and change the world!

By Elaine Foster, PhD, RN, dean, Nursing and Healthcare Programs, American Sentinel University, Aurora, Colorado, USA

Elaine Foster

I am so excited to be here at the 44th Biennial Convention. This is the second Sigma conference I have attended. It is wonderful to see nurses from all over the world in attendance.

The conference is off to an exciting start—great opening plenary session, wonderful concurrent sessions, awesome exhibits, terrific food, beautiful receptions, and, of course, last but not least, the wonderful opportunities it offers to network with people from all over the world.

In the short time I have been here, I have spoken with people from the East Coast to the West Coast, from north to south, and from countries around the world. While we are all different and unique, we have one thing in common—we love nursing and are committed to advance and enhance the profession. This is very evident in the various presentations. Listening to people talk about issues they encounter, sharing their passions, frustrations and maybe solutions—this willingness to share bonds us together.

Attending this conference provides me with the opportunity to continue my professional growth. I was honored to have my personal philosophy of leadership published in the online magazine Reflections on Nursing Leadership prior to the conference. Publication of my article gave me the opportunity to share my personal journey and my passion about leadership. The conference has also provided me an excellent venue to present “Starting and Operating an Educational and Executive Leadership DNP Program: From A to Z” in which I share the leadership journey of revising our school’s DNP program.

I am delighted and honored to engage in a profession that allows me to “spread my wings” and have these amazing opportunities. I hope you all have a wonderful conference, establish new friendships, and have safe travels back home. Let’s go out and change the world!

Finnish connection

By Jaana Seitovirta, MNSc, early stage researcher in the Department of Nursing Science, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio

Jaana Seitovirta

Friday, 27 October: After a long flight from Finland, I am sitting alone in a shuttle coming from the airport. As we approach downtown Indianapolis, the driver observes, “You see, everything happens here in downtown all the time” and shows me a big advertisement announcing the 44th Biennial Convention of Sigma Theta Tau International.

I was proud to tell him that I am one of the participants who will be enjoying, together with many others, this impressive international convention. Yes, and as I’ve seen since arriving, here are more than 1,000 oral, symposia, and poster presentations, as well as potential connections with many international colleagues.

I received an email informing me that I could register on Friday and pick up a packet of convention materials. That’s a good idea to have evening registration available, I thought. So, at 6 p.m. Friday, I was walking through the “skywalk” toward the JW Marriott to register in advance of the rush. Along the way, I saw people carrying nice, blue STTI bags, and I knew I was walking in the right direction.

At the registration desk, I found self-service kiosks for quick, efficient badge printing. Perfect—I got my own packet! At that moment, I saw a happy, smiling face. It was Kristy Crowell, a member of the Sigma staff, waving hello to me, and I immediately felt welcomed to the convention.

Saturday, 28 October: For me, everything is so exiting! I was on the go early because 
I wanted to view my preloaded presentations in the Presenter Ready Room.

Next, I needed to find the Grand Ballroom for the opening plenary session. Maybe I appeared to be lost or needing some support, because that was when I experienced Sigma’s Hoosier hospitality. Patricia Thompson, chief executive officer of the honor society, came to say hello and welcome me. I told her I was looking for the opening plenary keynote session. With a gentle and motherly demeanor, she guided me to the third floor and the Grand Ballroom. Somebody near me commented, “She’s a treasure.” I agree!

It’s almost time to officially open the convention, and electricity is in the air. Together, we are stronger!

Author reception

For more photos of the author reception, click here.  

Connecting nurses around the world

By Jordan Tovera Salvador, PhD, RN, assistant professor, Department of Nursing Education, College of Nursing, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Saudi Arabia

Jordan Salvador

Attending the Biennial Convention is an amazing occasion for nurses from around the world to meet and share their wonderful experiences and best practices in nursing education, practice, and research. The convention offers a lot of opportunities for current Sigma nurse leaders to advance in their professional careers while providing stimulating “student engagement” sessions that give those just beginning their leadership journeys ideas on how to make good career choices.

As a graduating PhD student in nursing education from Saint Paul University Manila in the Philippines, I personally witnessed this. I have seen in the eyes of Sigma members the fire of passion as, motivated by our president’s call for influence through action, they seek to advance global health, nursing, and midwifery.

It's colder in Indianapolis than in Saudi Arabia!

As a young nurse leader, I realize that helping other nurses will be one of the greatest achievements of my life. Through philanthropy, we can make a huge difference in the lives of nurses around the world, especially those who have the capacity to be catalysts for change but have no means to fund their attendance at international conventions. As a past recipient of an Edith Anderson Educational Grant, I learned that one way to encourage donations was to share my story. Click here to read it in RNL.

Yesterday, when I visited the kiosk of the Sigma Foundation for Nursing, honor society members and staff greeted me with welcoming smiles as they thanked me for sharing my story. I felt like a Rising Star! I didn’t imagine that telling my story would help the foundation raise awareness and funds for future nursing scholars. I was given a badge identifying me as a nurse philanthropist. Now, I am giving back what Sigma has taught me—“sharing is human caring.” Seeing the joy and excitement of the new scholars motivates me to donate more for this wonderful initiative by the Sigma Foundation for Nursing.

Left: Mohammed Darawad and Jordan Salvador
Center: Salvador with Rose Constantino and Pearl Ed Cuevas
Right: President Catrambone with Salvador

Maximizing connections

By Megan Lippe, PhD, RN, assistant professor at The University of Alabama Capstone College of Nursing in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA.

Megan Lippe

This year marks my third attendance at the Biennial Convention. As I traveled to Indianapolis, I found myself reflecting on the wonderful connections I have made with colleagues from around the world at past conventions. I wondered who I would see as I attended plenary addresses, concurrent sessions, exhibits, and the Foundation booth. Many of these colleagues have shaped who I have become as a nurse, scholar, educator, and servant-leader. Yet, with the gathering’s more than 2,000 attendees, I wondered how I would find my friends among the masses. I wondered if these colleagues would remember me, too, after the passage of years.

Upon arriving, I checked into registration, eagerly anticipating the convention’s scheduled events. As I ventured to my first event, I searched the masses for familiar faces. Within minutes, I began to see many colleagues I recognized. I reconnected with staff members from Sigma who have been instrumental in connecting me to leadership and service opportunities within the organization. Finally, I am able to connect a face with a name for the many staff members with whom I have conversed via The Circle website.

Serendipitously, I found colleagues I met at prior conventions and discussed events from the intervening years. I rejoiced at being able to reconnect with friends from my time as a nursing student. The warm embraces and joyous greetings reaffirmed why I love this organization. Even as Sigma grows its membership around the world, its members continue to enjoy close-knit community. We share similar vision for how nursing can impact the world through scholarship, leadership, and service. We embrace the society’s name, which stands for love, courage, and honor. We have a passion for advancing nursing’s presence on the global stage. We value the importance of connectedness and community.

As my first day at the Biennial Convention ended, I sat in quiet reflection, grateful for the day. Not only am I thankful for reconnecting with dear friends, but I celebrate newly formed relationships. I am eager to continue to meet new people and reconnect with colleagues. If you see me in the masses, I hope you will stop me and say hi.

Flag procession

By Angela Kydd, associate professor, School of Nursing Midwifery and Social Care, Edinburgh Napier University, Edinburgh, Scotland

Angela Kydd

The Greek letters in Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI) represent the Greek words storgé, tharsos, and timé, which, translated, mean love, courage, and honor. Since the honor society’s founding in 1922, more than 360,000 nurse scholars have been inducted. At present, STTI has more than 135,000 active members in more than 500 chapters who work in more than 90 countries and territories. Love, courage, and honor were reflected in the flag processional during the convention’s opening ceremonies.

Because I was in the processional, I had the opportunity to meet all the flag bearers—there were 31 of us—during the practice session. The practice was supervised by tireless STTI staff member Jessica Wendorf, who attempted to keep every flag bearer in order, not an easy task as all regions wanted to break into small groups to take photographs. Each country’s flag is carried by a chapter member associated with that nation. Linda Streit, coordinator for Region 7, carried the flag for Puerto Rico, as delegates from Puerto Rico were unable to attend due to damage sustained by that island during the recent hurricane.

I was proud to carry the Welsh flag for Upsilon Xi-at-Large Chapter. This was confusing for those who know me as English. I understood the confusion. My mother is Irish, and I live in Scotland with a very Scottish husband and work at Edinburgh Napier University. I did feel a keen sense of representing the United Kingdom, however, and I do have a special pride for being a member of Upsilon Xi-at-Large Chapter, which will be 10 years old in April 2018. I have been with this chapter for many years. The flag bearers were lined up in the order that each chapter joined the honor society, so I was No. 24 in line.

I asked Wendorf, who has a long history with STTI, about her earliest memories of the flag-bearing ceremony. She remembers the 1980s, when the only flag in the ceremony was that of the United States. Not long afterward, the U.S. flag was joined by flags of Canada, South Korea, and Taiwan. Then came Australia, representing the early engagement of Asia and Oceania. Europe joined in the early 2000s.

The United Nations flag was first in this convention’s procession, demonstrating STTI’s relatively recent involvement with the UN. In light of its 95 years of abiding by the tenets of love, courage, and honor and its current aim of advancing global health, a procession displaying many of the world’s flags speaks volumes.

I am proud to have carried the Welsh flag for Upsilon Xi-at-Large Chapter. President Catrambone acknowledged our chapter’s work on safe-staffing legislation in Wales in her opening plenary speech. This important work was championed by Sigma member Dame June Clark.

The ribbon is cut and Exhibit Hall opens

CEO Patricia Thompson and President Cathy Catrambone
cut the ribbon to the Exhibit Hall.

    

Tribute to President Catrambone

By Juli Maxworthy, DNP, MSN/MBA, RN, CNL, CPHQ, CPPS, CHSE, FSSH, assistant professor, University of San Francisco School of Nursing and Health Professions; department chair; and director of the school’s BSN-to-DNP program

Juli Maxworthy

President Cathy Catrambone, PhD, RN, FAAN, spoke today at the opening plenary of the 44th Biennial Convention. I first met Catrambone when she served as regional coordinator chair, and I have always been impressed with her kind and down-to-earth persona. In 2015, while attending a reception for her at the 43rd Biennial Convention when she was inaugurated as president, I stood next to her husband. He was so proud of her accomplishments. In March 2016, while attending the Association of Nurse Executives conference in  Fort Worth, Texas, USA, I had the pleasure of spending some time with Catrambone, and it reaffirmed for me her passion for the profession and her family.

President Catrambone speaks at opening plenary ...

... to an appreciative audience.

Over the years, I have spent time with several past STTI presidents, and every one of them has had a strong support system. It takes a village when leaders take on such time-consuming volunteer roles. 

Catrambone’s passion for the profession is echoed in her call to "Influence to Advance Global Health and Nursing" in four areas: advocacy, policy, lifelong learning, and philanthropy. During her time as president of the honor society, she has worked tirelessly to obtain commitment from members, chapters, and regions to advance that call and contribute to the growth of the organization. Under her leadership, the Global Advisory Panel on the Future of Nursing & Midwifery (GAPFON) finalized its work. Click here to access the GAPFON report in the Virginia Henderson Global Nursing e-Repository.

In a recent message to the STTI community, President Catrambone states, “It has been the honor of my life to serve as your president.” I sense that she will be a vital part of the organization for many years to come.

President Catrambone and author in Fort Worth.

Back to our roots in Indianapolis

By Janice E. Hawkins, PhD, RN, lecturer at Old Dominion University School of Nursing in Norfolk, Virginia, USA. Master adviser certified, Hawkins also serves as the school’s chief academic adviser.

Janice Hawkins

I am thrilled to be in Indianapolis for STTI’s 44th Biennial Convention. As nursing scholars, our roots are in this city. STTI was founded here in 1922 by six nursing students, from the Indiana University Training School for Nurses, who sought to advance the scholarship of nursing. Since then, our organization has grown into one of the largest nursing organizations in the world with more than 135,000 active members representing 520 chapters all over the globe. Two thousand of those members are in town this week to participate in more than 800 oral and poster presentations designed to advance nursing science and evidence-based practices. From a review of the abstracts and schedule for this convention, I believe our founders would be proud of the progress we’ve made toward the mission of STTI in “advancing world health and celebrating nursing excellence in scholarship, leadership, and service.”

The Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International has been a significant contributor to my personal journey as a nursing scholar. Providing financial support for nursing research is a core value of the organization and part of our heritage. STTI first began funding nursing research projects in 1936 and currently contributes more than $200,000 each year to support nursing research. Both my master’s degree thesis study and my PhD dissertation study were supported by small research grants from my local chapter. Beyond financial support, my participation in the honor society has provided the opportunity for me to engage with nursing leaders in my hometown and around the world. The conventions, publications, and continuing education programs facilitate lifelong learning. My roles as a chapter leader and delegate for this conference develop my leadership skills and knowledge of the organization.

The 44th Biennial Convention is a continuation of my scholarly journey. In addition to a full schedule of presentations that I plan to attend, I’ll be presenting twice this week on nursing research topics. In my presentation on email interviews, I’ll share strategies and personal experiences about just one of many methods of electronic data collection now available to nurse researchers. I also plan to attend the crowdfunding presentation that’s part of the Innovative Technology in Research session. Though our founders were visionaries in advancing nursing science, I suspect the technological advances since 1922 would have been difficult to imagine. Later this week, I’ll present findings from a recent study on concurrent enrollment, an educational model for ADN-BSN completion.

My most important and exciting plans this week are to engage with nursing students, the future scholars of the profession. STTI was founded by nursing students to encourage scholarship and high achievement. I believe the future of the organization will always be in the strength of our students. I look forward to viewing the invited student poster presentations as part of the Rising Stars of Research and Scholarship session. Three students from my university, Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, USA, are among those rising stars. As presenters and attendees at an international conference, they will have the opportunity to develop professional skills and knowledge in evidence-based practices, oral communication, and poster development. They’ll interact with experts in the field and receive external feedback on their research projects.

Overarching objectives of this conference include promoting lifelong learning within practice and education and expanding scholarly collaboration among nurses. By including students as presenters, the continued professional development that is needed in the nursing profession is advanced. By attending the student poster session and learning more about their research projects, I’m embracing the core values of STTI and honoring our original founders. It’s my most important mission this week.

Welcome to the 44th Biennial Convention!

It’s Saturday morning, 28 October 2017, opening day of the 44th Biennial Convention of the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI). Many of the gathering’s more than 2,000 attendees have already arrived, some to participate in preconvention events, with others arriving this morning. Shortly after noon, Catherine Catrambone, president of STTI and associate professor at Rush University College of Nursing, will welcome them and strike the keynote in her opening plenary presentation titled “Influence to Advance Global Health and Nursing.”

I took a brief stroll this morning around the JW Marriott, venue of the convention, and snapped a few photos to provide a visual taste. I invite you to return to this blog in the next few days to enjoy onsite, eyewitness reports from convention attendees. Welcome to “Convention Connection.”

—James E. Mattson, editor, Reflections on Nursing Leadership (RNL)

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