The mission of Sigma is to advance world health and celebrate nursing excellence in scholarship, leadership, and service. Based on this mission, Theta Epsilon’s Nursing Excellence Awards were created in 2017. These awards are given to 1-3 members a year, depending on the number of nominations received, and each recipient receives a monetary prize. The award categories are Scholarship, Leadership, and Service.
Applications open each year from April 1st to May 21st. Self-nominations are accepted. The winners are announced yearly at Theta Epsilon’s Spring General Meeting. Click here for more information on our General Excellence Awards.
In 2019, the winner of Theta Epsilon’s Nursing Excellence in Leadership Award was Erica Hoyt, who took the time to answer some questions about nursing and scholarship.
How long have you been a Sigma member?
I joined Sigma in 2000 after completing my MSN.
How long have you been a member of the Theta Epsilon chapter?
I transferred my Sigma membership to Theta Epsilon in 2002 when I became faculty at UCF.
How long have you been a nurse?
I graduated with my BSN from UCF in 1993. I was in Dean Sole’s first group of nursing students as a junior in fall of 1991. She had only taught seniors. Dr. Sole kept telling us we would all be seniors by the end of our first semester of nursing school; she was right, she taught us a lot! My career has taken me from a cardiac IUC nurse, to the emergency department and flight nursing, and now I’m faculty at UCF College of Nursing. I still get to practice nursing volunteering at Shepherd’s Hope and through teaching clinicals.
What inspires you to be involved in scholarship?
I love nursing and I love teaching. To me, scholarship means seeking the best evidence to guide nursing and teaching actions to obtain the best results. I strive to reach goals using the best method. I often ask, Is there a better way? How does research evidence guide my decision making? Scholarship may be achieved by reading abstracts from quality peer-reviewed journals to conducting or participating in the research process. The professors from my BSN program instilled in me the importance of using research evidence to guide decisions.
What is a project you have done related to scholarship that you are especially proud of?
I just defended my dissertation “Use of Video-Enhanced Debriefing in Clinical Nursing Skill Acquisition: Indwelling Urinary Catheterization as an Exemplar.” In this study, participants were very satisfied with the use of peer video recording while learning how to insert indwelling urinary catheters. Participants rated clinical skill feedback higher when receiving video-enhanced debriefing with a trained debriefer in comparison to those who video-recorded their skill without the expert feedback. The participants without expert debriefing were able to replay their recording to view their own skill performance or to review the performance with a peer. Students improved performance with video-enhanced debriefing and video-recording their skill without expert feedback, indicating learning via self-recorded video is an effective teaching strategy to enhance student satisfaction with learning.
What advice do you have for other Theta Epsilon members who want to become more involved with
scholarship?
Keep reading quality research articles. The articles may be “Greek” to you (especially the data analysis section) but keep reading. The research process becomes more familiar as you continue to read articles. When research studies become available at your workplace, ask to get involved!! Researchers need quality data collectors. And finally, be curious!
Is there anything you would like to add?
Many Theta Epsilon members are active in research, network with the researchers. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and get involved!