Patricia E. Thompson, RN. EdD, FAAN

Pediatric nurse, university administrator and past honor society president, Patricia E. Thompson, RN, EdD, FAAN, leads the honor society during a period of unprecedented global expansion. She directs the 134,000-member organization as it moves boldly to develop nurse leaders around the world.

Dr. Thompson became the honor society’s chief executive officer from her position as associate dean for academic programs at the College of Nursing, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, where she served in several high-ranking positions since 1992, including associate dean for baccalaureate education, department chair of nursing education, and chair of the parent/child department.

Her clinical career began as a pediatric staff nurse at Schumpert Medical Center in Shreveport, Louisiana, USA). In the early 1970s, she obtained her BSN from Northwestern State University (Natchitoches, Louisiana, USA), and an MSN in Pediatrics from the University of Alabama in Birmingham (Birmingham, Alabama, USA). In the early 1980s, she returned to the classroom and earned her EdD in Higher Education Administration and a minor in Business Management from the University of North Texas (Denton, Texas, USA).

Dr. Thompson, an honor society member for more than 30 years, has served in many volunteer leadership roles, including president (1999-2001) and chair of the board of directors of Nursing Knowledge International, an honor society subsidiary. She is passionate about the honor society and believes the organization accomplishes its goals.

“I’ve belonged to a lot of different organizations inside and outside of nursing. Many spend a lot of time talking and planning, but they rarely get to the implementation phase,” Thompson says. “The honor society plans strategically, and then moves its members into action,” she adds.

“It is an exciting time to be a member of the honor society, when our leadership, scholarship and knowledge offerings are the pinnacle of professional development for the nurses and global communities they serve,” Dr. Thompson says. “Volunteer, get involved, and you will receive so much more back, both professionally and personally, then you give.”