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Dear Donna

Donna Cardillo, RN, well-known career guru and president of Cardillo & Associates, is a speaker, entrepreneur, humorist, and master of the career universe. She uses her expertise to help you polish your rough edges and shine in your career.

"Experience is not enough in today's fast-paced, competitive world," notes Cardillo. "You must look good, speak well, appear confident, have the ability to perform with increasing daily demands on your time, and through it all maintain a positive, upbeat attitude."

Cardillo brings more than 20 years of clinical, management, and business experience to her new role. She is the top-rated speaker at Nursing Spectrum Career Fairs and takes a down-to-earth approach to career advice. Cardillo has appeared on television and radio and written many articles on career and professional development topics. Most recently, Cardillo was a career consultant with monster.com, but she left that position to assume her exclusive Dear Donna! relationship with Nursing Spectrum/NurseWeek.

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I would like to start my own business as a consultant and health educator, particularly “sexual health.” Any advice?
Friday November 14, 2008
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Question:

Dear Donna,

I am currently working as a school nurse and working on my BSN. I would like to start my own business as a consultant and health educator, particularly “sexual health.” I don’t want to do a complete abstinence program, but it will be geared towards abstinence. I want to educate kids and give them the good and the bad about sexual activity. I want to give them facts about sex and encourage them to ask me about anything. How can I get this off the ground? I love kids, but I have not been able to teach and educate as well as I would like in the four years I have been a school nurse.

Tracy



Dear Donna replies:

Dear Tracy,

What a great idea! And your background is perfect for this. I suggest that you contact the National Speakers Association <http://www.nsaspeaker.org> and get hooked up with your local chapter. Although you must qualify for membership in the national organization, most chapters allow guests to attend their programs. There you will find education, information, support, services, advice, and role models and mentors to help you launch your speaking business. They have a special program, the Academy for Professional Speaking <http://www.academyforprofessionalspeaking.org/academy/default.asp> to help emerging speakers get started.

You might also be interested in my upcoming How to Start your Own Business or Consulting Practice seminar, being held in Atlantic City, N.J., on February 24 <http://events.nursingspectrum.com/event.cfm?EID=674&type=Seminar>. I also have a brand new home study program titled “Learn to Speak with Style for Fun and Profit.” Information is available at http://www.dcardillo.com/career_tape.html#speak.

It’s great that you’re working on your BSN. That will help to propel you forward, personally and professionally. Have business cards made now for networking, and start letting people know what you’re planning to do to. Here are two articles you may find helpful: “Nursing and Entrepreneurship: Perfect Together” at http://www.dcardillo.com/articles/perfect-together.html and “How to Make a Presentation” at http://www.dcardillo.com/articles/presentation.html.

Best wishes,
Donna



Donna Cardillo, RN, MA, well-known career guru, is Nursing Spectrum/NurseWeek’s “Dear Donna” and author of Your First Year as a Nurse: Making the Transition from Total Novice to Successful Professional and The ULTIMATE Career Guide for Nurses: Practical Advice for Thriving at Every Stage of Your Career. Information about the books is available at www.nurse.com/CE/7010 and www.nurse.com/CE/7250, respectively. To ask Donna your question, go to www.nurse.com/asktheexperts/deardonna. Find a “Dear Donna” seminar near you: Call (800) 866-0919 or visit http://events.nursingspectrum.com/Seminar.



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