Letter From Dear Donna
by Donna Cardillo, RN, BS

Dear Readers,

During my tenure as "Dear Donna," I've received thousands of letters and e-mails from around the world asking diverse and challenging questions and sharing stories, dreams, and aspirations. I've also had the pleasure of meeting many of you in person at my Career Alternatives for Nurses and How to Start Your Own Business or Consulting Practice seminars, as well as at career fairs, recruitment events, and other venues. I'm always delighted when you tell me about an article that you particularly enjoyed or how you used something you learned. I've also "met" many of you online during live chats. These interactions all provide ideas and inspiration for many of my columns as well as my educational programs.

Writing the online advice column has put me in close touch with nurses, students, prospective nurses, and other interested parties across the globe. I see clear trends developing based on the volume of questions I receive on a particular topic or from a particular segment of the population. For example, in the last five years, I have seen a distinct increase in questions from men who want to be nurses, from people in other careers who want to transition into nursing, from nurses who want to start businesses, and from nurses outside the U.S. who wish to come here to work.

Many of you have written and offered additional suggestions in response to my online advice column. For example, when a nurse asked about what type of services to offer at a health fair she was arranging for her local church, several other nurses wrote in with additional suggestions, which I shared with readers. After writing about retirement, several employers confirmed that they valued the wisdom and experience of older nurses and would love to have a retired nurse working part-time teaching certified nurses' aides, home health aides, medical assistants, and LPNs. Likewise, when I wrote about committing random acts of kindness, several nurses wrote in to tell me how they were doing just that.

One of my favorite reader responses was from a nurse who was also the mother of a nursing student. She originally asked for tips to give her daughter, who had failed the NCLEX twice. "I'm afraid my daughter may never reach her goal because of this one exam," she lamented. She wrote back several months later to inform me that her daughter had passed on her third try.

Another nurse wrote: "Until I read your column, I didn't know that nurses had so many opportunities for employment — and I've been a nurse for 32 years. You always surprise me when you add yet another venue to the long list of opportunities for nurses."

Some of the articles from my Dear Donna magazine column that generated the highest volume of mail were "Do Nurses Really Eat Their Young," and "End Workplace Abuse." You can access these articles by doing an article search at www.nurse.com.

I'm excited to announce that my second book, The Ultimate Career Guide for Nurses, will be coming out in the next few months. It is the culmination of my 12 years of speaking, writing, career coaching, and doling out career advice. The book addresses how to enhance your nursing career at every stage — from student to retiree and everything else in between. The Ultimate Career Guide for Nurses is being published by Gannett Healthcare Group, the parent company of Nursing Spectrum and NurseWeek.

Please keep your questions, comments, and suggestions coming. I read every single letter and e-mail that you send to me. I look forward to meeting more of you in the future. Be sure to introduce yourself to me because you, the reader, are what it's all about.

With love, respect, and admiration,

Donna Cardillo