Most of us are looking for ways to better ourselves — whether it's learning proper etiquette for a business meeting or cooking a healthy dinner. This month's Nursing Connections™ provides resources for self-improvement.

Donna's Book Pix: The Nurse's Etiquette Advantage: How Professional Etiquette Can Advance Your Nursing Career Kathleen Pagana, RN, PhD Etiquette is more than just which fork to use. It's about handling business meetings and PDAs appropriately. It's about cultivating your career, and it's essential for nurses' career success — from new graduates to seasoned leaders. The Nurse's Etiquette Advantage will assist any nurse in developing into a well-rounded, socially adept professional.

Cool Nursing Web Site:
Nurse.com
Along with articles from Nursing Spectrum and NurseWeek, this website features nursing news (clinical, drug, specialty), continuing education, and jobs. It is also the home of my online Dear Donna advice column. Log on today and ask your question!

Career Article:
Six Strategies for Starting a New Job
Congratulations! You've just landed a new job and are gearing up for your first day. You're feeling a mixture of excitement and apprehension as you wonder how you will fit in, what your new coworkers will be like, and what new knowledge and skills you'll need to acquire to do well. Follow these six steps to make a smooth transition. Read more.

News You Can Use:
Updated Food Pyramid
What should you eat (or not eat) to stay healthy? The Healthy Eating Pyramid, built by the faculty in the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health, encourages eating more foods from the bottom part of the pyramid (vegetables, whole grains) and less from the top (red meat, refined grains). Its foundation is daily exercise and weight control.

Quote of the Month:
To find what you seek in the road of life, the best proverb of all is that which says: 'Leave no stone unturned.' — Edward Bulwer Lytton

Donna's Blog: Stepping Out of My Comfort Zone
Last week I was installed as president of the National Speakers Association — New Jersey Chapter. I agreed to accept the position for a variety of reasons — one of them being that I would have to stretch myself personally and professionally. Read more at http://www.nurse-power.net/blog.

Entrepreneur Spotlight:
Scott DeBoer, RN, MSN, CEN, CCRN, CFRN, EMT-P, is owner of Peds-R-Us Medical Education, a worldwide pediatric seminar company. They coordinate 50+ seminars around the globe each year with the primary focus of pediatric emergency care. Scott is also a non-pierced, non-tattooed medical consultant for the Association of Professional Piercers; he acts as a medical consultant to piercers, those with body art, and medical professionals. And as if all that isn't enough, Scott still finds time to work as a flight nurse for a Chicago hospital and a critical care transport nurse for an ambulance service.

Scott says he got started in 1995, when he was teaching for a seminar company on emergency-related topics and doing short programs as in-services for hospitals and ambulance services. After about three years, he decided to start his own business and focus on the specialty he was most interested in — pediatrics.

"From firsthand experience as a flight nurse," he says, "I saw a need for someone to help medical personnel come up with a less stressful way to take care of critically ill and injured children. In the emergency field, everyone is at ease with caring for adults. But when it came to kids, people tended to get a little tense! I had grown accustomed to my 'tiny patients' and wanted to share that knowledge and comfort level with others so they wouldn't panic when it came to caring for sick children."

The biggest challenge of running his own business was getting use to not having a guaranteed income. "It can be hit or miss," says Scott. "We mail out tens of thousands of brochures and hope people will come to our seminars — although for 10 years, happily, people have kept coming and keep coming back for more."

One of the worst lessons he learned was about cutting corners with mailing lists. He purchased a mailing list of California nurses that was guaranteed to be 99% deliverable for a great price. After about two weeks of not hearing anything from this mailing, he got a call from a florist in California who wanted to know "why we were mailing this medical stuff to them. The list was 99% deliverable, but it never went to nurses. We learned a hard, $10,000 lesson: You really get what you pay for."

Scott says the best thing about being self-employed is "the ability to be home with my wife and two children, who we home school. Our business allows me to 'play nurse' once a week, teach somewhere once a week, and be home or in the office creating new courses the rest. I've also done six teaching trips to Australia, New Zealand, and the Caribbean. Life is good!"

Find out more about Scott, his business, and his products at www.peds-r-us.com.

Upcoming Seminars:
Career Alternatives For Nurses®
September 27, 2008 — Chicago, IL area

How to Start Your Own Business or Consulting Practice
September 28, 2008 — Chicago, IL area

Extreme Career Makeover with Dear Donna
October 27, 2008 - Las Vegas, NV

Career Alternatives For Nurses®
October 28, 2008 - Las Vegas, NV

Learn to Speak With Style for Fun and Profit
November 11, 2008 – Red Bank, NJ

Come Meet Donna:
Nursing Spectrum Career Fairs
September 9, 2008 - Mt. Laurel, NJ
September 12, 2008 - Plantsville, CT
September 26, 2008 - Oak Brook Terrace, IL

For additional program info visit http://www.dcardillo.com/events.html.

Book Donna Today
Donna has some great programs to get nurses feeling pumped up and positive about nursing. Call (800) 801-5796 or e-mail donna@dcardillo.com for rates, availability, and program topics. Fill out an inquiry form if you prefer. Call 800-801-5796 or e-mail at donna@dcardillo.com for rates, availability, and program topics. Fill out an inquiry form if you prefer.

Your 1^st Year As A Nurse Ordering Information
Order a personalized, autographed copy of Your 1^st Year as a Nurse directly from Cardillo & Associates. It makes a great personal or professional gift.

For colleges and healthcare facilities, Your 1^st Year as a Nurse can be purchased at a bulk discount from online booksellers and directly from the publisher. Contact us for more information at (800) 801-5796.

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