By Donna Cardillo
Curious about listing volunteer work as a nurse? I received this message recently... Dear Donna, Should I list volunteer work on my resume, and if so, how and where? I have been volunteering since I was in high school. How far back should I go? Dear Wondering About Volunteer Work on a Resume, Certain volunteer work can enhance your resume and showcase some additional skills and attributes. If you have done a lot of volunteer work, as many nurses have, it may not be necessary or practical to list it all. If you are a new nurse who went directly to nursing school from high school, then your high school volunteer activities might be relevant because they are more recent and you don’t have a body of work experience yet to show. If you have been out of nursing school for a while, unless you did something extremely relevant or out of the ordinary in high school for volunteer work, I would not go back that far. Overall, be selective with what you choose to include. Make sure to include past and present activities that demonstrate leadership and other important and relevant skills and experiences, as well as civic involvement. Be sure to include all healthcare-related volunteer experience and work with youth groups, the elderly, the homeless, etc. Be cautious when listing work with organizations that would reveal religious or political affiliations. Aside from being personal and protected, this type of information can work against you. You can use a separate heading on your resume such as “Volunteer/Community” to list these activities. This heading should go toward the end of your resume after more important headings such as Education, Licenses/Certifications and Professional Affiliations. Best wishes! Looking for your next healthcare speaker? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to make your healthcare event a success!
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By Zonya Foco
As a dietitian and parent, I am always shocked by some of the alarming health statistics related to poor nutrition reported across the nation. And the biggest shocker for me is that many of these statistics affect a younger age group every year - some as young as 7 years old!! For instance, did you know: • The American Institute for Cancer Research has determined that while 30% of all cancers are related to smoking, 35% of all cancers are related to our diet? • Heart attacks, strokes and triple bypasses are no longer just for the aged? These life-threatening diseases have now found their way into the lives of 20-year olds. • "Adult-Onset Diabetes" had to be renamed "Type 2 Diabetes" due to the vast numbers of children developing this lifestyle-induced type of diabetes? • Autopsies from young accident victims found 50% blockages in arteries of children as young as 7 years old? • As a result of our high-fat, high-sugar, refined-flour diets and our rather sedentary lifestyle, this will be the first generation of children predicted to NOT outlive their parents? Creating Healthy Habits in Children I know it isn't always easy getting kids to eat healthy, so I'd like to help. In addition to parents leading by example, here are a few tips parents, grandparents, teachers and caregivers can use to foster healthy habits in children. Maybe together we can turn some of these alarming statistics around before it's too late... Make vegetables FUN! Allow - no, encourage - them to eat broccoli like dinosaurs! (Stick the stalks in their pile of mashed potatoes and go "Grrrrrr" as they grab with their hands, eating like dinosaurs!) Buy carrots with the green tops so kids can eat like Bugs Bunny and say "What's up Doc?" Try serving fresh leaves of baby spinach overhead, holding the leaves in your outstretched hand as if they are leaves dangling from trees. Suggest to your children that they are a giraffe and see how far they can stretch their necks out to eat the leaves from the tree. (Warning: You will be amazed at how hungry your little "giraffe" can be, so make sure you have lots of fresh spinach.) Get sneaky Turn pinto beans into dip by pureeing them with salsa in the blender. Use the food processor to whirl fresh or frozen spinach, broccoli, peppers or carrots into spaghetti sauce. Camouflaged into tiny little pieces means they won't suspect a thing! Or stir-fry veggies in sweet-and-sour sauce, dip in light dressing or top them with melted, reduced-fat cheese. Make "fruit and vegetable" desserts Carrot cake, pumpkin muffins, blueberry buckle, cakes and cookies are all great ways to incorporate fruits and vegetables. Simply use reduced-fat and low-sugar recipes with whole-grain flour. Slash the sugar A 12-ounce can of regular soda pop contains 40 grams of sugar which is the same as 10 teaspoons!!! Have your kids choose soda OR ice cream OR a cookie for their sweet treat of the day, but NOT all three. Also save their favorite high-sugar cereals to be used sparingly as special "toppers" on healthier whole-grain, high-fiber cereals. Snack on ready-to-eat vegetables Always keep a bowl or plate of ready-to-eat-vegetables in the fridge for snacking. When kids ask for a snack before dinner, place the bowl on the table and just say, "You can eat whatever is on the table." They may refuse at first, but the chances of their eating vegetables are best when kids are the HUNGRIEST and veggies are AVAILABLE. Create a "5-a-day" strategy Present one fruit and/or vegetable at EVERY meal and EVERY snack. Limit the amount of "bad" and "ugly" fats Certainly children need fat in their diet, but not the "bad" saturated fats or the "ugly" trans fats. Too much saturated fat from meats and dairy, and trans fat from foods containing partially hydrogenated oils clog arteries, cause weight gain, increase cancer risks and cause poor physical performance in sports and play. • Start serving low-fat milk (1% or less), reduced-fat cheeses and low-fat ice cream • Select lean cuts of meats and make sure the portion sizes don't get out of control even for children • Use olive and canola oil instead of butter or margarine – even for your grilled cheese sandwiches • Start walking away from the ever-present fast-food French fries and commercial nachos covered in "plastic" cheese. Give foods a fun and tasty name Kids would much rather eat dessert than a salad, so change your Crunchy Apple Salad to Crunchy Apple Dessert. Also get creative with names, like Pizzucchini- (zucchini casserole that smells and tastes like pizza). Get them involved Include your kids in the shopping of this week's fruits and vegetables. Ask them to pick one new vegetable or fruit that the family has never tried before. Have them help prepare healthy snacks and even a complete meal. (Don't forget to take their photo holding the dish they've made!) Watch their self esteem skyrocket along with these invaluable new life skills. Let them name their creations and they'll take ownership and pride as well as feeling like they've had choices. Explain WHY we can't eat candy all the time I suggest describing healthy foods as "GROW FOODS" and unhealthy foods as "not GROW FOODS." Then they decide themselves which ones they want to eat the most of, without calling certain foods "good" or "bad." Disband the "Clean Plate Club"Training children to eat past "no longer hungry" promotes a lifetime of overeating and not listening to what our body truly needs. Teach yourself and your children to listen to their GUT FEELINGS so it becomes a natural process to stop eating when no longer hungry. • Instead of saying, "clean your plate," say, "when your stomach tells you you've had enough, you can be excused." Then cover unused portions and refrigerate for the next meal or snack. • Remember that when serving dessert, everyone should save room for this additional intake instead of cleaning your plate so you can have dessert. • When your child eats a big meal, avoid the temptation to say, "good boy" or "good girl." Instead stay focused on their gut feelings and say, "Wow, you were hungry, weren't you?" • Teach children to say "NO!" to super-sizing! Remember that persistence pays Kids may balk at broccoli, spinach, beans or even fruit at first, but studies have shown that children and adults alike generally accept a new food by the eleventh try. Looking for your next healthcare speaker? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to make your healthcare event a success! By John O'Leary. This was originally posted on JohnOLearyInspires.com. When John O'Leary was 9 years old, he suffered burns over 100% of his body and was expected to die. He is now an inspirational speaker and bestselling author, teaching more than 50,000 people around the world each year how to live inspired. John's first book, ON FIRE: The 7 Choices to Ignite a Radically Inspired Life was published March 15, 2016. John is a contributing writer for Huff Post and Parade.com. John is a proud husband and father of four and resides in St. Louis, MO. Order John’s book today anywhere books are sold.
No way. Not likely. Never happening. If you’re like most, these are your likely reactions when you think of the word “Impossible.” But what if that word just means “not yet” rather than never? Consider this: every existing building, bridge, vehicle, technology, and medication was at one point considered impossible. In fact, every single tool we use, every system we enjoy, every human accomplishment we have attained was considered an impossibility before it became a reality. What does this reality mean for you, the challenges we face and the future before us? Mick Ebeling certainly know what it means to him. Not Impossible Labs’ EyeWriter Starts a Revolution Against the Absurd The notion of making things better was etched into Mick as a child. Whether hiking with family at a state park or hanging with friends at school, he was challenged by his parents to leave everything better than he found it. Later in life, Mick turned this not only into a mantra, but into a business that is challenging current thinking and changing countless lives through technology and story. He searches for things that are broken, unfair, and considered impossible. Mick then surrounds himself with bright, divergent thinkers, and together they discover ways to make the impossible a reality. They call it a revolution against the absurd and it’s a war they’re winning. This revolution started almost a dozen years ago when Mick learned that renowned graffiti artist Tempt One had developed ALS. Paralyzed from his neck down, he was unable to create his art. Bothered that Tempt had so much life, creativity and possibility within him, but was unable to unleash it, Mick wondered if it might be possible for the artist to create again. With his team, they created the EyeWriter. For the first time in years, Tempt One was free to create art again. First, onto a screen, but Mick’s team eventually tied the tool to lasers allowing Tempt from his hospital bed to create public art again outside the confines of his hospital room. Driven by a belief that if you help one, you can help many, they then put all their research from the project and instructions on building the EyeWriter online so others facing similar challenges could create their own. But that wasn’t the end. It was just the beginning. Living With Beautiful, Limitless Naivety The team at Not Impossible Labs continued seeing things they felt were absurd, broken, impossible. And they kept asking the question, What if? Their audacious way of viewing the impossible, freely asking questions, and living with beautiful, limitless naivety continues leading to innovative transformation around the country and around the world. They’ve discovered a way to use 3D printing to create prosthetics for those in war-torn parts of Sudan, freed a jazz musician with Parkinson’s disease to play the piano again, gave a man who hadn’t spoken in more than a decade due to ALS the chance to rediscover his voice, helped a little boy losing his sight to see again, and much more. What Mick Ebeling’s Example Means in Your Life Challenging current thinking. Determining to make things better. Seeing around you things that are broken, unfair, impossible. Surrounding yourself with bright, divergent thinkers who come together to discover ways to make the impossible a reality. What if this was not only Mick’s idea at changing lives through storytelling and technology, but your mantra at making the world, starting with the one you see in the mirror, a little better today than it was yesterday? What if you applied this in your school, in a classroom or with one child? In your business, your teams, your projects? What if instead of being about someone else doing the impossible in their lives, it was about you living with beautiful, limitless naivety in your own life? My friends, it turns out that impossible is just a word thrown around by small people who find it easier to live in the world they’ve been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact, but an errant opinion. And impossible isn’t the end; it’s the potential for a new, better beginning. Looking for your next healthcare speaker? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to make your healthcare event a success! By Courtney Clark
It’s hard not to feel beaten down and hopeless when you see the daily news, no matter your political affiliation or personal beliefs. When the world seems like it’s too much to handle, it may be because your brain is tricking you into one of the following overwhelming mental traps: I’m only one person, I can’t do anything to help. The world’s problems are bigger than any one person can solve. And when we look at them in one giant mass, like on the front page of a news website, it’s easy to feel completely powerless. But the next time you catch your brain saying “I can’t do anything to help,” correct it. Tell your brain, “No. You can’t do everything to help. But there is something.” Do you have specialized skills that are needed? Can you donate money? Can you educate yourself and be a resource for others? If there’s nothing you can do today, think long-term. Can you teach your children to end the cycle? Can you consider a run for public office? When we feel hopeless, that feeling can start to spiral and invade other areas of our lives. But the good news is it’s easy to correct by taking action in a single area. Decide one thing you can do to make the world what you think it should be, and that hopeless feeling will start to fade. As it does, you’ll feel yourself able to take on more and more. But if I turn off the TV, I’m just turning a blind eye. I applaud anyone who thinks “Sure, I could turn off the TV or shut down the computer and not have to look at it. But the people living in X situation don’t have the privilege of walking away.” That’s a compassionate thought. But my concern is this: engaging in a solution is activism. Engaging in a solution is positive. Engrossing yourself in a problem is mental torture. Activism is literally the foundation of the United States of America, but recently I’ve heard many people say they can’t sleep or even talk to other people because they’re so outraged over the current state of affairs. If you are so disturbed by current events that you can’t function, you may be unable to turn your feelings into positive outcomes. Stepping away from the news, if it puts you in a better mental state to take action on your beliefs, is the best help you can offer. I don’t even know what to believe. Social media has become a major source of many people’s information. Yet nearly every time I log on to Facebook, I see someone sharing something that appears (on the surface) to be research, but at closer look it’s not. My recommendation, if you’re overwhelmed with conflicting information is to get off social media, or at least don’t get your information from there, even if an article appears to be legit and it agrees with your beliefs. Do your own research. If you’re looking to find balanced media sources, I’ve seen this infographic floating around. I also just ran across this online self-test to help you identify whether or not you can tell the difference between facts and opinions (this is a non-partisan quiz!). In complex situations, there often isn’t one single, magic-wand of a solution, and therefore not one entirely right answer. If the flood of conflicting opinions on social media is making you want to scream, it’s okay to log off. Engage, but engage where it really matters (which often isn’t the internet.) As the world becomes smaller and smaller thanks to the speed of digital information, it’s easier than ever to see the suffering and the conflict. You cannot fix the problems of the world unless you are as strong and resilient as possible. Avoid the overwhelm, then you can be a champion for the causes you believe in. Looking for your next healthcare speaker? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to make your healthcare event a success! By Vicki Hess
More than 800 healthcare leaders responded to the Voices of Healthcare Management™ survey I recently completed, and an interesting insight they shared is that that one of the top 3 most challenging engagement behaviors for leaders is taking time for reflection and self-awareness. I’m not surprised, are you? If you pulled out your calendar right now, where would “reflection” show up? I’m guessing nowhere. What if your boss walked into your office and you were sitting behind your desk with a faraway look on your face thinking? You might be embarrassed and thought of as "wasting time." That couldn’t be farther from the truth. We know that self-awareness and self-management are two key elements of emotional intelligence. We also know that emotional intelligence is a critical skill for getting along in the world. The great news is that these two skills can be learned and practiced through reflection. According to Barbara Mackoff, in Nurse Manager Engagement: Strategies for Excellence and Commitment, engaged (nurse) managers leverage lessons from experience. They look for clues about themselves and others in the workplace and observe the effect of their own behavior on others. It makes sense that these behaviors would apply to everyone in an organization, regardless of your role. Here are 3 ideas to jumpstart your reflection abilities: 1. When something good happens and you are feeling satisfied, energized and productive (AKA engaged), stop and reflect on how your behaviors contributed to the positive results. 2. You know what’s coming next. When you experience results that you aren’t happy with, stop and reflect on how your behaviors contributed to the negative outcome. 3. Build reflection into your day with intention. Before you dive in to start your next project, stop and reflect on your progress to date. Take 2 minutes to sit quietly and think about what you want to accomplish and how things are going so far. Taking time for reflection and self-awareness allows you to find joy in your own work and to connect to others in a more positive way. Looking for your next healthcare speaker? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to make your healthcare event a success! By Christine Cashen
My son started at a new high school at the beginning of this school year. As he knows no one, his motivational-speaker mom provided this brilliant advice: “I bet there are a lot of new kids. Just say hello and introduce yourself. Ask them about themselves and before you know it, you’ve started a conversation and maybe made a new friend.” Easy breezy. He’s a great kid. He’s got this! Then day #2… my son comes home with this, “Why can’t kids just talk to each other? No one asks questions. Everybody just looks at their phones. No one asked me a thing. They just want to talk about themselves.” Ugh. My pitiful response is that adults are not much better. With technology taking over, face-to-face communication has taken a back seat and people are getting rusty. Let’s bring the art of conversation back. So what kills conversations? What makes conversations killer (that means good)? Check out these common ways convos can either get hijacked or fly high…. The Conversation Karate Chop These people start or end a sentence with, “No offense," which is really code for: This is offensive, but I am going to say it anyway. The phrase means nothing except prepare to be offended. Don’t just cut “no offense” from your vocab, but also x-out what you were going to say before or after that. Stop using a phrase that tries to make insults socially acceptable. They’re not. Saying, “No offense” doesn’t excuse what you said. I’m just sayin’ (see what I did there?). The Yelper Do you know someone who posts to YELP every time they get bad service? We all have opinions, but could we be honest in the kindest way possible? Or better yet, do you need to give your view on everything? If you wonder whether you should post a negative comment, don’t. Do you have something more useful to do than try to change the opinion of someone else? Are you trying to make yourself look smarter or better than others? Maybe someone needs more support and less criticism. What can you do to be more of a helper — and less of a yelper? The Verbal Tee-Up This is the phrase you say before you criticize. “Don’t get mad but…”, “Let me be honest with you…”, “I hate to be the one to tell you this…”, and the infamous, “with all due respect.” Really?!? This should not be par for the course. The Unfiltered Before you say (or write) something, ask: Is it kind? Does it need to be said right now? Does it need to be said by me? Does it need to be said at all? Yes, you can think it, but filter, people, FILTER! “That dress is a little too clingy.” “That tattoo is unfortunate.” Just because you think it, doesn’t mean you have to say it. The Pretender This is when you think you can multitask, but you really can’t. Have you ever grabbed your phone to check a quick text? Ever sneak a peek over someone’s shoulder to see who else is around? Come on! Do you think the other person doesn’t notice? Sometimes you can even see in a person’s eyes that they are only half listening to you, and instead of thinking of what they want to say next. The Distracted Turn your phone face down. Consider turning it off (GIANT GASP)! Look someone in the eye. Be in the moment. Engage fully with another human being. Listening is not a performance. Just listen. The Boomerang These are people who always turn the conversation back to themselves. No matter what you say, this conversation narcissist will find a way to steal the conversation spotlight. “Oh, you said you are hungry? I had dinner at the best place last night.” These people may feel as though they are bonding, but they are doing the opposite. “You think that is embarrassing, you should hear my story.” Even though I can beat anyone with an embarrassing story, I work hard to zip it. The Competitor It is a conversation, not a competition. The best exchanges go back and forth. Make sure you share the spotlight. Try being more interested than interesting. Ask questions, listen to the answers, and if you feel like you are dominating the convo, say, “Enough about me — what about you?!?” I challenge you to join the conversation — in the right way — and work on being a convo master, not a disaster. Improve relationships, build rapport, and leave people feeling better for being in your company. If you don’t agree with me, well, “Bless Your Heart.” Looking for your next healthcare speaker? Get in touch with us today to make your healthcare event a success! By Kristin Baird
I was working with a long term care facility a little while ago that had horrendous turnover of nurses and aids – over 50% annually. Drilling down to learn more about turnover, I asked several questions about the culture and what made the particular organization stand out from its competitors. The focus went immediately to the physical amenities for the residents and other perks. There was lots of stuff people could point at to attract new residents, but not once did the HR manager mention the staff as an asset. Now, mind you: This is long term care where relationships between staff and residents are key satisfiers for both the residents and the family members. This sent up a big red flag. When I asked the HR director why she thought turnover was so high she said, “It’s the industry. People will leave us in a heartbeat for 25 more cents per hour. We can’t compete with that.” My question back to her was, “What would this organization have to do in order to create such intense staff loyalty that employees would stay in their positions even if the competition could pay a bit more?” After a moment of silence, she said, “I don’t think that is possible. People will always leave for a quarter per hour.” Perhaps this HR manager was a big part of the problem. Since she truly believed that money was the main loyalty-builder, nothing would change. The truth is: Although people want a competitive wage, they also want to work in an organization that values them and where they know they can make a difference. It’s all about culture. During focus groups with the staff, they talked about what is most important to them about their work. Nearly every person talked about wanting to make a difference for the residents they serve. I also asked what inspires them to do good work. Not one person spoke of money. What they crave is recognition from their supervisors and a respectful, mission-driven organization. These crucial elements, they felt, were missing from the culture. It’s easy to point at salaries when it comes to explaining turnover. But I contend that if leaders take time to create and sustain a culture of respect, recognition and ownership, great things will happen. I’ve seen it. Looking for your next healthcare speaker? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to make your healthcare event a success! |
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