August 2012 Omicron Tau News In this Edition Secretary s message President s message 2012/2013 Events Congratulations Strategic Plan Board of Directors Marita Hoffart President Becky Brodell Vice President Linda Pettersen Treasurer Ashley DeMakis Secretary Sandy Boschee Laurie Dimler Board Member Faculty Counselor Denise MacDonald Governance Committee Judy Beck Linda Haider Janis Neumann Leadership Succession Committee Heather Sys Melissa Fettig Karen Zimmerman Sigma Theta Tau International-Honor Society of Nursing From the Secretary: My name is Ashley DeMakis and I am the current secretary for the Omicron Tau Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau. I thought it would be interesting to do a story on our members in the Omicron Tau Chapter. Each newsletter I am hoping to have a section about one of our members. I graduated Nursing school in May 2001 from the University of North Dakota. At that time, I was inducted as a member of Sigma Theta Tau. I kept my membership to Sigma Theta Tau active, but I did not get involved in the organization at that time. I worked in Grand Forks for 3 years and then my husband and I moved to Minot where I started working at Trinity Hospital. My mom, Alyce Killmer, was involved in the Omicron Tau Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau. She invited me to go to a meeting with her, and the organization accepted me with open arms. It was then that I decided to get more involved with the organization. I started out participating in committees. I then decided to get even more involved and got on the Leadership Succession Committee; I quickly became the chair of that committee. The organization was kind enough to send me to the Leadership Summit in Arlington Texas. It was there that I was able to meet the President of the Sigma Theta Tau organization and other members from all over the United States. When I returned from this conference I was very excited about all the information that I was bringing back! The excitement was overflowing! It was at this time that our Secretary position became open and I decided to step up and take on this position. I am happy to say that I have been in the secretary position for a few years and I just signed on to be in the position for another 2 years! I would like to encourage you to get more involved in the Omicron Tau Chapter! Whether it is attending a meeting, participating on a committee or special project, or getting more involved with the Board of Directors. We would love to see more member involvement in our Chapter! If you would like to learn more information please e-mail me at ashley.demakis@trinityhealth.org. OR, come to our next meeting scheduled in September! We would love to have you there!! Ashley DeMakis RN, BSN
Omicron Tau News Page 2 of 6 President s Message Marita Hoffart, PhD, RN, BSN Greetings Members of Omicron Tau Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International Nursing Honor Society, What does one say in the first edition of the newsletter? I am delighted to again serve as your leader. I have been out of town many of the summer weeks, hence I am at a loss for words. I do hope that you all have been able to take some vacation time to rest and relax. I can hear some of you say, How can I relax?? A good question! At least do something that is different than what you do on a regular basis. I look forward to working with all of you in the business of the chapter. You all have your own special talents that will contribute to the success of the chapter projects. The chapter is now 14 years old, moving into the mid-teens and getting wiser! In recent years the chapter earned the Key Award for the first and second time. Great! Thanks to Rhoda and the other members for their moving ahead on the global events which have been very successful. Sigma Theta Tau International offers a leadership forum every other year for the purpose of developing chapter leaders. Usually a member of the Board or Committee members go to the forum. At this moment we have no one on the list to go. This forum is being held in Indianapolis, Indiana September 20, 21, & 22. If you are interested in going, please let me know: 838-8686, @minot.. Best wishes for the rest of the summer and for a productive Fall. Marita Hoffart, PhD, RN, BSN Omicron Tau News Keep us up to date on you! To change and check your contact information (mailing address, e- mail address, etc.) go to www.nursingsociety.org, click on the membership link, click on my membership, and then contact information so you can receive valuable information from both STTI and Omicron Tau!
Omicron Tau News Page 3 of 6 Upcoming 2012-2013 Omicron Tau Chapter Events Board of Directors Meetings: All members are invited to attend. All meetings are held at Minot State University s Department of Nursing, located in Memorial Hall. This is an excellent way to meet other members, learn about the chapter s events and become more involved! September 11, 2012, Tuesday 5pm 6pm November 13, 2012, Tuesday 5pm 6pm February 12, 2013, Tuesday 5pm 6pm March 19, 2013, Annual Meeting, Tuesday 5pm 8pm May 14, 2013, Transition Meeting, Tuesday 5pm 7pm SAVE THE DATE: 12 th Annual Collaborative Education Conference on Friday April 12, 2013. Topic to be announced at a later date. Location is the GRAND International, Minot, ND. New Member Induction Ceremony tentatively set for Thursday April 18 th 2013 Nurse Day Celebration at the Taube Museum tentatively set for Thursday May 2, 2013 Our Vision The vision of the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International is to create a global community of nurses who lead in using knowledge, scholarship, service and learning to improve the health of the world s people. Our Mission The mission of the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International, is to support the learning, knowledge, and professional development of nurses committed to making a difference in health worldwide. Sigma Theta Tau has over 450,000 nurses in 90 countries working to improve health worldwide. Omicron Tau Chapter, chartered in 1998, is located within the Department of Nursing at Minot State University.
Omicron Tau News Page 4 of 6 Omicron Tau Chapter Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing Mailing Address: Omicron Tau Minot State University Department of Nursing 500 University Ave. W Minot, ND 58707 PHONE: (701) 858-3101 E-MAIL: Contact Us on the website WEBSITE: http://www.minotstateu.edu/omicrontau/ Congratulations New Members! Omicron Tau Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International- Nursing Honor Society held its annual Induction ceremony on April 19, 2012. Jill Fuller, PhD, RN, President and CEO of Prairie Lakes Health System, Watertown, SD, gave the address entitled: What Scholars can do. Fuller is a former nursing faculty member at Minot State University. Of those inducted, Christopher Gordon of Minot graduated in May, 2012. Inducted are the following who will be graduating in December 2012: Sharon Dickman, Juan Quesad and Marlee Wunderlich of Minot and LanaLee Lambrecht, Minot Air Force Base. Heidi Terrell, of Spring, Texas, is a student in the RN to BSN program through MSU. Among the community nurse leaders inducted are Nicola Roed, the chair of the Department of Nursing at Minot State University; Rachel Hmiden, Trinity Homes; Thomas Seabolt, Alicia Rossow, and Jennifer Shaw of Trinity Mental Health. Sigma Theta Tau, an International Society of scholars, focuses on world health through educated nurses. To be nominated for membership into STTI, the students need to have completed ½ of their education program and be in the upper third of their class. Community nurse leaders need to have made excellent contributions to the field of nursing. Congratulations Best Practice Award Winners Congratulations to Judy Beck, Heather Sys and Heidi Bender for being awarded the Best Practice Award for nurses who have been in clinical practice more than 10 years. Criteria for this award include: Licensed to practice nursing Employed in any area of nursing practice for more than 10 years Demonstrates active involvement in chapter activities (must be a member of Omicron Tau Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau) Demonstrates exemplary work for the health of individuals, families, or groups A Sigma Theta Tau member nominates one of their peers for this award, which includes an essay addressing the criteria and why this member should be recognized. This nomination form is then submitted to the Chapter Awards Committee. Congratulations to THREE of our members who received this award!
Omicron Tau News Page 5 of 6 to the following officers and committee members installed on April 19, 2012 to serve the 2012-2014 term: President: Marita Hoffart Secretary: Ashley DeMakis Board Member: Sandy Boschee Governance Committee: Janis Neumann Faculty Counselor and Governance Committee: Denise MacDonald Thank you to the following members for serving on the board of directors and committees over the last two years: President: Rhoda Owens Secretary: Ashley DeMakis Board Member: Amber Widmayer Governance Committee: Linda Haider Faculty Counselor and Governance Committee: Deb Townsend For everyone: We appreciate all your volunteerism, your time, and your commitment to Omicron Tau Chapter! Congratulations to the raffle drawing winners at this year s Nurse Day Celebration at the Taube Museum: Jodi Sweep: Spa Basket Shondell Gantzer: Kindle Fire Paulette Estvold: Pandora Bracelet "Nursing encompasses an art, a humanistic orientation, a feeling for the value of the individual, and an intuitive sense of ethics, and of the appropriateness of action taken." ~Myrtle Aydelotte, 1992
Omicron Tau News Page 6 of 6 Tau Chapter s Strategic Plan for 2012-2013. Membership input is needed regarding projects or activities to be done to meet our strategic plan for the next year. Hold a minimum of two scholarly activities each year included in the annual meeting, collaborative conference, and potential research day. Encourage member involvement in specific projects and/or committee work Invite community nurse leaders and nursing students for induction into membership Involve students in chapter processes Provide mentor opportunities for student members Support two delegates to the biennial convention Support one active member as an officer to attend the Leadership Summit Recognize outstanding performance and service through awards and public relations Hold regular board meetings and an annual meeting Promote member attendance at meetings and activities Publish the newsletter three times a year and send to all active members Maintain chapter web-site to provide information and communication among members Maintain financial stability through membership fees and fundraising Participate in at least one community and one global outreach project annually Maintain partnership with members of the Kilimanjaro Hospice Initiative, Cortez Colorado, to support Machame Lutheran Hospital Palliative Care Program in Tanzania, Africa "The most important practical lesson than can be given to nurses is to teach them what to observe..." ~Florence Nightingale