The active membership shall consist of candidates for an associate, baccalaureate, or graduate degree in an allied health program, candidates for post-degree certificates in allied health programs, faculty in allied health programs, and alumni of the programs.
Summary of Chapter Eligibility
Chapters may be established at institutions of higher education with three or more allied health programs. These programs should be distinct and have a clinical component. Specific requirements for the institutions are detailed in the current Bylaws. The institution should be regionally accredited.
Each chapter shall be designated by its institutional affiliation and chapter number.
Petition to establish a chapter shall be sent to the national Secretary who submits the petition to the Executive Council (Board of Directors) for consideration. Two-thirds of the Council must vote affirmative for chapter establishment to be approved.
General Guidelines for Chapter Eligibility
The organizational unit in which these programs reside (Department, School, College or University) applies for membership. The intent is that there be assurance that the various allied health programs are under a designated organizational administrative structure. The institution that contains this organizational unit should be regionally accredited.
The Bylaws state that a unit must offer a minimum of three allied health programs leading to associate, baccalaureate or graduate level degrees. Each of these programs must have a distinct clinical component. Effective with the Bylaws amended in September 2019, member institutions of the Association of Allied Health Professions (ASAHP) are also eligible to apply to host a chapter of Alpha Eta based solely on the requirements for ASAHP membership at the time of application to Alpha Eta.
Entry-level Nursing Programs cannot be considered for membership for two reasons: 1) Nursing is not traditionally considered to be an allied health program, and 2) Nursing has its own Honor Society (Sigma Theta Tau International). However advanced nursing programs that are part of an allied health unit may be considered. The institution should offer degrees at the bachelor’s Degree level or higher. This is to ensure that the faculty members at this institution are engaged in productive scholarly activities. However, if the faculty at an institution that offers only associate degrees may apply for chapter membership if they can demonstrate that the faculty is involved in productive scholarship. Technical and vocational programs granting less than associate degrees are not eligible, as the honor society is to recognize individuals for academic, scholarly and clinical accomplishments in colleges and universities.
Specific Actions that Need to be Taken to Apply for Membership
The following guidelines will help you prepare the information needed for consideration of the establishment of a chapter of Alpha Eta National Allied Health Honor Society. The purpose of completing such an informational packet is to assist the Executive Council (Board of Directors) in determining whether or not the unit meets the Eligibility for establishment of a chapter and to have an assurance that the honor society will have high standards.
To apply the chapter must submit the following:
A cover letter requesting consideration that contains the following information:
Name of institution sponsoring the Chapter
Name of Unit in the institution that will be sponsoring the Chapter
Name of Administrator of that Unit
Chapter Contact
Mailing Address of the Chapter Contact
Telephone Number of the Chapter Contact (including Area Code)
Email Address of the Chapter Contact
In addition the following must be supplied. Where appropriate, some of this information may be taken from the college/university catalog:
Letter from the unit administrator acknowledging their approval of the submission of this application and the unit’s responsibility for overseeing the functions of the local chapter
List the allied health programs you would like to have eligible for inclusion, together with specific degrees granted
A short statement of general admissions policies for the unit (or for the individual programs if admissions policies vary). For example, it must be stated if enrollment into various programs is limited and applicants screened by an admissions committee, or is there an open admissions policy. It must be stated what are the major criteria for admission into the programs.
For each academic program explain how clinical experiences fit into the overall academic program and how the students' clinical experiences are evaluated.
Copy of the curriculum for each of the programs eligible to have students considered for membership.
Copy of the proposed chapter bylaws modeled after the National Bylaws.
It is preferred that the information be scanned as a single document, returned electronically to: dd1026@nova.edu
Or, the completed information packet can be mailed to:
Dr. Debra Dixon
154 West Branch Circle
North East, Maryland 21901
dd1026@nova.edu
