By Donna Cardillo
National Nurses Week is the “official” time to shine a spotlight on nurses. But the truth is, we should be celebrating nurses and nursing every day throughout the year. So how can you get the ball rolling and start the party? Here are five ways: 1. Reflect on all that nursing has to offer. When you compare nursing to many other occupations, you’ll find that it offers good pay and benefits and a multitude of opportunities with a variety of work settings, specialties, and schedules. It even offers a growing number of opportunities for self-employment and advanced practice. I don’t know of any other profession that is more diverse. And the best part is that you have an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of others and contribute to the health and well-being of the planet. Where else can you use your heart and your head every day to have a positive impact? The grass sometimes looks greener in someone else’s yard, but the fact is that nursing is one of the hottest professions around. 2. Study nursing’s rich history and spread the word. Nurses have literally changed the face of healthcare for the better and continue to do so — some in very dramatic ways. If each of us were more aware of our history, we would feel so much more proud and empowered to be part of such an amazing group. Read books about nurses and nursing history such as “Nursing, The Finest Art: An Illustrated History” by Patricia Donohue. Visit the American Nurses Association Hall of Fame page and acquaint yourself with incredible nurses — past and present. Do an Internet search for ‘ANA Hall of Fame’ to find it. 3. Attend nursing awards ceremonies. These events, such as the annual Nursing Spectrum/NurseWeek Nursing Excellence Awards, are a celebration of all that is good and positive about nursing. These events serve to shine a light on nurses who exemplify what nursing is all about and what it is possible to achieve. When one nurse is honored, the entire profession is honored. These events may be held at your place of employment, through your professional associations, through media outlets, etc. And be sure to nominate someone you know for an award! 4. Share nursing’s stories. We all have those touching, funny, heartbreaking, and unforgettable moments that each of us has experienced over the years. Get together with nursing friends and colleagues and ask everyone to share a story or relate a pivotal moment. We don’t often talk about the work we do but we all have stories to tell. There is power, validation, and energy in sharing experiences. Read and share “Tenderly Lift Me” by Jeanne Bryner – a unique combination of poetry, stories, and photos that honor and celebrate everyday nurses. 5. Spread the word about nursing. Participate in career days at high schools, colleges, middle schools, and scouting events. When you meet a great nurses aide or tech or someone considering a career change, ask them if they’ve considered nursing. Sometimes in talking about nursing, you realize how special the work you do is and how much others admire the profession. Refer interested parties to the Johnson & Johnson www.discovernursing.com Web site for information and inspiration. You can get free promotional materials there, too, to help get the word out. Browse the profiles yourself as another way to celebrate nursing. Don’t wait for National Nurses Week each year to celebrate nursing. Get the “party” going now and keep it going all year long. Looking for your Nurses Week 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 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! By Donna Cardillo
I always marvel at how hung up on age so many of us are—even when we’re still relatively young! I often receive Dear Donna questions such as: “I’m 28 years old. Am I too old to become a nurse?” or “I’m 48 years old and just got out of nursing school. Will anyone hire me at this age?” or “I’m 55. Is it too late to go back to school for a higher degree?” If only I had a nickel for every time someone asked me if they were too old to do something—I’d be rich! Recently, while in a stationery store, I saw a card that read, “What age would you be if you didn’t know what age you were?” What a great question to contemplate. Some people feel old at 28, and others feel young at 75. So many people in their 50s talk to me as if their lives are almost over, even though life expectancy is at its highest point ever. I always ask, “But what if you live to be 100? What do you want to do with the rest of your life?” How can you stay young at heart, mind, and spirit and get the most out of life and your career? Here are four ways: Never stop learning. The day you stop learning you become old—at any age. Just as weightlifting is to your muscles, learning is to your brain. To keep it sharp, strong, and high functioning, take a class, engage in self-study, do more challenging reading, take music lessons, learn a new language, talk to people who do something different from you. Learning keeps you young and makes you feel alive and engaged in life. Keep laughing. There is an expression: “You don’t stop laughing because you get old—you get old because you stop laughing.” There is humor in almost every situation if you look for it. Learn to laugh at yourself. Humor is therapeutic. It reduces stress, lightens the load, and keeps you young at heart. Set goals. As soon as you stop setting goals, you switch from fast forward to stop or even reverse in your life and work. You need to be continually striving for something, challenging yourself in some way. Stretching yourself helps keep you feeling strong and brave and enthusiastic. Step out of your comfort zone. Always be trying new things, whether a new project at work, applying for a higher-level position, or working in a new specialty. Otherwise, you get stuck in a rut and start to decline. The comfort zone is a danger zone because you’re not learning or growing while you’re in it. And if you’re not growing, you’re stagnating or even worse—decaying. Whether 25 or 85, you’re only as young or old as you determine yourself to be. Stay engaged in life, live every day to the fullest, and continue to learn about yourself and the world around you at every age. 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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