Dear Donna Hits the Airwaves
by Donna Cardillo, RN, MA

Recently, I was privileged to be a guest on NBC’s Weekend Today. The segment was about how, during the nursing shortage, people can advocate for loved ones who are in the hospital. The piece was based on an article that ran in USA Weekend, a Sunday newspaper supplement to which Nursing Spectrum writers had contributed (read “The Nursing Shortage & You.”) I’ve been getting so many questions from nurses about the experience that I decided to share the details with you. Here’s how it all happened.

Preparation

I get a call from Nursing Spectrum’s Publisher and President Patti Rager, RN, MSN, MBA, a little over a week before the broadcast to see if I was available to appear on the show. I feel a surge of both excitement and extreme nerves at the prospect. I’ve been on cable television many times, but I’ve never been on live network TV. I realize I’m not just representing Nursing Spectrum, but my profession as a whole — so the pressure is on!

The week before the broadcast, I have two lengthy phone conversations with the segment producer. We hash out the details of what will be discussed, based on the article. The segment will last for only four and a half minutes, so we have to condense the article’s original 10 points to four or five major ones. The producer tells me what questions I’ll be asked, which is helpful. Of course, I know from experience that the host may not stick strictly to the script. I have to be prepared to elaborate, if necessary, and talk about issues like the nursing shortage if I’m asked.

I prepare for the show by doing Internet research on related topics and talking to other nurses. I rehearse out loud and time my responses. Besides getting my facts and thoughts together, I need to keep my nerves under control. There’s good potential for panic to set in, so I spend considerable time getting mentally prepared. I meditate, use positive self-talk, and visualize myself being successful on the show.

Weekend Today is broadcast from New York City. I’m already in the area on business, but the show puts me up in a nice hotel the night before the broadcast. That evening, I feel compelled to pore over my notes and rehearse my responses over and over again. But I remember lessons learned from taking state nursing boards and tell myself, “You’ve prepared as well as you can. Take time to relax.” So I do just that, as best as I can. I know I’ll need a good night’s sleep to look good and perform well in the morning.

Show Time!

7:15 AM: I’m picked up by private car and taken to the studio. It’s thrilling to walk in and actually have a reason to be there! I breathe a sigh of relief when I find out they have my name on the roster of guests. I’m directed to the “green room,” a waiting area for guests that isn’t actually green. There, I’m greeted by an intern who explains how things will go. There are doughnuts, fruit, and other snacks all around. In an adjacent room, there is every imaginable breakfast food and drink. No one starves around here! The actor Dylan McDermott, also a guest on the show that morning, is walking around with coffee in his hand. He looks pensive, so I don’t talk to him. I just smile to myself. Since it’s Saturday, Katie Couric and Matt Lauer have the day off. Darn!

7:50 AM: I am escorted to “hair and makeup.” One woman fixes my hair and another does my makeup. In the course of conversation, I discover that the makeup artist is also a nurse! We’re so versatile.

8:20 AM: I head down to the studio — much smaller than you’d imagine — which has three sets. I sit down on “my” set and am hooked up to a microphone.

8:30 AM: Campbell Brown, my interviewer, sits down across from me and introduces herself. We have a brief conversation, and she tells me her sister is a nurse. She then focuses on her notes and gets ready to roll. Very bright lights are turned on, and I take some deep breaths.

8:40 AM: I hear someone counting down, “Five, four, three, two, one,” and we’re on! Campbell asks the questions and I answer. She has her notes in front of her and the use of a TelePrompTer, but I have to rely on my own thoughts. The segment whizzes by and is over before I know it. I don’t get to say even half of what I’ve prepared because of time constraints. We get to only four of the five points we’d outlined. Campbell thanks me and tells me I’m a natural at this. I’m thankful that the segment is over.

8:45 AM: I’m escorted back to the green room to pick up my belongings and am directed back to the street where a car is waiting to take me back to the hotel. I call home to see how I did, since I have no idea how it came across to viewers. After getting some positive feedback from my family, I drive home both exhilarated and relieved.

All in all, it was a great experience. Would I do it again? In a heartbeat. The media is a powerful way to get nursing’s message across and show the world we’re intelligent, articulate healthcare experts. Nurses need to take every opportunity to represent the profession in a positive, public way.

Copyright Nursing Spectrum Nurse Wire (www.nursingspectrum.com).
All rights reserved. Used with permission.

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