Since 2017, the nursing department of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (SMWC) has annually inducted qualified students and nurse leaders into the Sigma Theta Tau Nursing Honor Society. On Sunday, April 14, there were 10 inductees that were honored for 2024. They were:
BSN Students
- Madyline Grace Ables
- Hailey Ilene Boardman
- Brittany Joy Caplinger
- Haley Gregory
- Michelle Killion Bailey
- Mittal Madeline Riggs
- Kennedy Trigg
- Kaitlin Thralls Whitford
Nurse Leaders
- Emma Leturgez, BSN, RN
- Jaclyn Nevis, BSN, RN
The featured speaker, Jack Jaeger, MSN, RN, CCRN, the executive director of the Rural Health Innovation Collaboration Simulation Center at Union Hospital, shared some profound words with the nursing students about their upcoming career in nursing. He said, “You’re going to laugh a lot, and you’re going to cry a lot. You are going to impact so many people and you may forget them, but they will remember you for the rest of their life.”
Families and friends watched as each inductee was presented with a certificate of membership and a membership pin, and each signed their name in the record of membership.
Crystal White, DNP, FNP-C, director of the family nurse practitioner program, spoke to the students about the honor of being a member of the Sigma Theta Tau Nursing Honor Society. “The call to action has three components: reflect, respect and respond.” As the ceremony concluded, she told the group of inductees, “We are all so happy and so proud of you. Each of us here in your local chapter is here to guide you along the way.”
Invitations to join the society are based on academic achievement. Member invitations are based on a grade point average of 3.0 or above and ranking in the upper 35% of their class with completion of at least half of the nursing curriculum. A nurse leader member is invited to the SMWC Honor Society of Nursing based on their degree in nursing (a minimum of a baccalaureate degree), registered nurse license in the United States and demonstration of achievement in nursing.