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| 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.
