Let me be the first to wish you a Happy Nurses Week! National Nurses Week is celebrated May 6-12 each year to coincide with Florence Nightingale's birthday (May 12, 1820). It is a time to celebrate the wonderful profession we call Nursing and reflect on the value nurses bring to healthcare and the world at large. This edition of Nursing Connections™ is dedicated to our noble profession.

Donna's Book Pix: Nursing, The Finest Art: An Illustrated History, 2nd Edition by M. Patricia Donahue, PhD, RN, FAAN This is a beautifully written and illustrated coffee table book. It is filled with photographs, art, and images that chronicle our long, rich history. I bought this book as a gift to myself and love to sit and leaf through it. I feel such a sense of pride and privilege each time I do. With so many negative images of nursing around, this book is a breath of fresh air.

Cool Nursing Web Site:
Country Joe McDonald’s Tribute to Florence Nightingale
This is a touching tribute to Flo and nurses in general. Be sure to listen to the audio clips of the four songs Country Joe has written about nurses. Also check out the link to the Virtual Nurses Memorial, a tribute to nurses who died in the line of duty.

Career Article:
Talk About What you Do
Too often, we RNs complain that the general public doesn’t really understand what we do, that the press ignores us, and that other healthcare workers don’t respect us. Although there are many reasons for the above, at least part of the blame falls on us. We are notoriously silent about who we are, what we do, and our vast knowledge base. Read more.

News You Can Use:
Britain Faces A Massive Exodus Of Nurses. According to a recent report published by the Royal College of Nursing, as many as 35,000 nurses have quit or retired over the last year. This compares with 20,000 new nurses joining the register and 12,000 imported from overseas. RCN general secretary Dr Beverly Malone said, "Nurses are coming in the front door and falling out the back." The report states that The National Health Service must double its recruitment of nurses to buck the trend. By 2014 annual recruitment will need to reach 66,000. Dr. Malone further comments, "The government has not only got to pay attention to bringing them in but keeping them in." Sound familiar?

Quote of the Month:
Live your life while you have it. Life is a splendid gift - there is nothing small about it. — Florence Nightingale

Entrepreneur Spotlight:
Shari Sandifer, RN, MBA is a nurse with a global perspective. She is president and owner of Avant Healthcare Professionals, an international recruitment, placement and transitioning firm. Avant recruits nurses, physical therapists, and occupational therapists from overseas and places them in long-term contracts in the U.S. What makes this firm unique is that they also offer training and support to recruits once they arrive in this country. This includes an intensive 4-8 week clinical transition program covering American practice standards for documentation, customer service, clinical practice, legal issues and other topics. Shari notes, “Not only is American practice different from what they’re used to, but it is very different working in a private healthcare system vs. a socialized medicine system.” Additionally, Avant sends trainers into the contract hospitals to train the managers and preceptors about various ways they can support the recruits. Shari adds, “No other company offers this type of service to the recruits or the contract hospitals.”

Shari has a long and impressive background in administration for home health care and travel nurse agencies as well as international recruitment firms. She saw a need for support and training beyond the recruitment and placement process and, in 2003, decided to break out on her own to bring her vision to fruition. Today she has 2 offices, 100 employees, and anticipates annual company earnings in excess of $2 million in 2005. What Shari likes most about her work: “I love to be able to create great work opportunities for the recruits and help them bring their professional skills up to their highest level.” The downside of self-employment: “The emotional drain of rarely being able to turn it off. Ultimately, it all comes back to you – the marketing, the finances, the personnel .” Her biggest lesson learned in business: “Your business plan is only a plan and needs to be a working plan. You have to be flexible and adjust for changes in the market.” To learn more about Avant Healthcare Professionals, visit their web site at www.avanthealthcare.com.

Come Meet Donna at:
For Nurses Week Donna will be speaking

May 5	Palisades Medical Center, North Bergen, NJ
May 6	Lenox Hill Hospital, New York, NY
May 11	Maimonides Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY
May 13	Northridge Hospital Medical Center, Northridge, CA

Nursing Spectrum Career Fitness^SM Expo

August 30	San Antonio, TX
September 28	Houston, TX

Career Alternatives for Nurses^TM

May 18	Chicago (Hoffman Estates), IL
October 12	Arlington, TX
November 7	New England (Location to be determined)

Seminar Double Header – Las Vegas, NV

November 14	How to Start Your Own Business or Consulting Practice
November 15	Learn to Speak with Style

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

Educational Tour of Scandinavia August 6 - 13, 2005
Join Donna on a fun-filled and educational trip to Norway and Sweden. Visit local hospitals, attend CE sessions on professional writing, speaking, and business ownership, relax and enjoy! If you’ve never traveled with a group of nurses, you don’t know what you’re missing! Find out more at http://events.nursingspectrum.com/Tour/.

Book Donna Today
Planning a Nurses Week celebration, educational conference, or leadership training program? Looking for a speaker for a new graduate orientation program, student nurse luncheon, or recruitment event? Donna has a program to meet your needs. Her 2005 calendar is already filling up so don’t miss the opportunity to bring the country’s leading career management expert and motivational speaker for nurses to your event. 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.

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