Reinvigorating a Sigma Chapter: A Quality Improvement Initiative
Lisa Cross, Russell Martin, Carol Gawrys, Leocadya McEnelly, Kathryn R. Small, Marion FrostBackground:
Nursing organizations are well suited to guide ethical professional practice. Encouraging participation in organizations, such as Sigma, during nursing school sets students up for a career in life-long learning. Nurse faculty may struggle to promote and sustain organizational membership due to workload and other role requirements.
Method:
A Plan-Do-Study-Act improvement was used to guide the re-invigoration of a weakened Sigma Chapter. Over a 4 month time period in 2026, nurse faculty leaders prepared for membership recruitment and an induction ceremony.
Results:
Student participation in induction increased (31.1% of invited), three faculty members were inducted as leaders, and over 100 participants, faculty, and guests attended the induction ceremony. Feedback was positive.
Conclusion:
Shared governance, open communication, and collaboration supported the process to increase student awareness, student membership, and membership induction. Continued process evaluation is warranted to sustain the organization.