Strategic Plan for the College of Nursing Honor Society

Goal #1: Promote the visibility of the Honor Society within the College of Nursing, DMC and the larger professional nursing community.

Strategies:

Maintain communication with the Office of Institutional Advancement (IA) to insure coverage of programmatic events such as Induction, Distinguished Speakers.
Build the Honor Society link on the College of Nursing Website into a robust source for members, alumni and potential future members: posting upcoming events, exchange of member information via a bulletin board system, electronic voting.
Send all adjunct faculty, preceptors, and the chief nursing officer of affiliated clinical agencies, a formal letter announcing the creation of the College of Nursing Honor Society, and listing the inaugural inductees and their institutional affiliation.
Encourage each member of the College of Nursing faculty, in particular the Faculty Counselor(s) for the Honor Society, to promote the Honor Society within their respective student cohorts.

Strategies:

Conduct a member survey to identify and prioritize areas of interest: (e.g. application of evidence-based practice; legislative and regulatory issues related to Scope of Practice and patients' access to nursing services; health disparities; basic and applied research; formation of special interest groups (SIGs) related to specialty practice &/or status – e.g. new graduates and the preferred mode(s) of delivery – e.g. electronic; on-site program.
Develop, implement and evaluate programs based on analysis of member input. Provide contact hours/cme credit, as appropriate, each type of offering.
Work in concert with the College of Nursing's Associate Dean for Research to maximize the effectiveness and cost efficiency of Honor Society offerings.
Explore opportunities for collaborative program offerings – e.g. with the Dept. of Nursing, DMC (research days; trans-cultural nursing); other DMC academic units; in conjunction with establishing a Dean's Distinguished Lecture series.
Provide resources to foster research projects with the guidance of the College of Nursing's Associate Dean of Nursing Research, and seek grants for approved research.
Provide a variety of on-site forums and electronic platforms to support the incorporation of research findings into practice.
Establish College of Nursing Honor Society Awards for scholarly achievements and the implementation of evidence-based practices into clinical practice setting(s).

Strategies:

Promote leadership development and mentoring opportunities by identifying mentors within the College of Nursing, affiliated clinical agencies, the Brooklyn Nursing Partnership, and specialty nursing organizations, and establish formal mentoring agreements with those willing to serve in that capacity.
Establish a mentorship program within the Honor Society to develop future elected and appointed officials, e.g. President-elect, Vice President, etc.
Incorporate health policy as a key thread in Honor Society programming. Seek out nurse leaders in health policy as potential mentors.
Plan an interactive program with Nurse Leaders within the community setting, which will provide insight and direction regarding pathways to leadership development for current members and new inductees.

Strategies:

Explore opportunities for collaborative programming, to enhance marketing appeal and cost sharing.
Seek commercial sponsorship for programmatic activities.
Expand chapter membership beyond student and recent graduates, to include Community Nurse Leaders.
Plan and conduct an annual Induction Ceremony.
Generate non-dues revenue to support Honor Society programs and activities, e.g. silent auction.