Dear Donna’s Expert Advice
by Donna Cardillo, RN, MA

Here’s a sampling of some recent questions and answers from my online Dear Donna advice column. I’m waiting to hear from you!

Dear Donna,

I was employed at the same institution for four years. My first year was in the float pool working with various patient populations. The remaining years were spent in peds. I list both positions separately on my resume to highlight my ability to adapt to various situations and patient populations. Do I list the responsibilities twice, as they are similar?

Duplicate Responsibilities

Dear Duplicate Responsibilities,

It’s not productive to list the exact same responsibilities twice. Besides, it makes for a boring read. There are a few ways to handle this.

If you did practically the same things in both positions, you may want to list them together (one directly under the other with accompanying time frames), and list the responsibilities once. Otherwise, you could just list the last position you held in peds and make the last bullet point under that job something like, “Member of facilitywide float pool 1997.”

If you want to separate them, try to say a few different things under each. For example, under float pool you could mention that you took care of a diverse patient population and were able to successfully adapt to an ever-changing work environment. You don’t really need to say more than that because it’s understood that you rendered general patient care.

Be sure your resume doesn’t read like a job description. Rather, it should focus on accomplishments and more interesting, unique, and marketable skills. “ Resume Writing Tips for Nurses” should give you more information.

Donna

Dear Donna,

I thought that the person being interviewed always sent a handwritten thank-you note to the interviewer. A recent column mentioned sending a word-processed thank-you note. Can you clarify when it is appropriate to send handwritten notes and when it is acceptable to send word-processed thank-you notes? Is it ever appropriate to e-mail a thank-you note?

Politely Yours

Dear Politely Yours,

The notion of the handwritten thank-you note for a job interview is somewhat outdated. In today’s world, the word-processed thank-you letter has become the standard. And while a few people may say that they still prefer a handwritten note because it’s more “personal,” in most circles a handwritten note would be looked on as unsophisticated and unprofessional. Remember that an interview is a formal business/work situation and should be treated as such. Handwritten notes are best left for informal networking and personal greetings and thank-yous.

E-mail is a very informal mode of communication and should not be used for a traditional interview thank-you unless you’re applying to a technology company or time is of the essence. It can also be used as follow-up to subsequent interviews with the same person, as noted in “ The Right Approach for the Right Interview ”.

Donna

Dear Donna,

I’m interested in becoming a health and wellness coach (life coach). How can I find a program and info about this field?

Nurse Coach

Dear Nurse Coach,

Coaching is a hot thing to do these days. And nurses make great coaches because we’re caring and nurturing and great teachers. There are so many different types of coaching that nurses are getting into these days.

“Health and wellness” coaching and “life” coaching are actually two different things. Life coaches work with people to be happy, get organized, prioritize, set goals, etc. A health and wellness coach focuses more on stress reduction, healthy eating, physical activity, holistic modalities, and so on. It’s important to understand the difference.

I would suggest that you contact the American Holistic Nurses Association and hook up with your local chapter or network. Although the association doesn’t offer courses for health and wellness coaching per se, many members are doing just that. To be a health and wellness coach, you should familiarize yourself with holistic practice and principles. You may even want to become licensed or certified in a holistic modality, such as Reiki or massage therapy, to enhance your practice.

You should also hook up with the International Coaching Federation, the premier organization for coaches of all types. Its website has a lot of information about coaching in general and offers training programs, certification, etc. Contact them and see if they have any health and wellness coach members that you could speak with.

Whenever you are starting any type of business or consulting practice, you should join and get active in related business organizations, such as the National Nurses in Business Association and the National Association of Women Business Owners. Check out “ Considering Consulting?”. And consider attending one of my upcoming “How to Start Your Own Business or Consulting Practice” seminars to learn how to effectively start, operate, and promote your business. Find out more at http://events.nursingspectrum.com.

Donna

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