Susan Fleming on a medical mission trip to South America. Photo courtesy of www.ExceptionalNurse.com
If helping others makes your heart sing, consider volunteering. The possibilities are endless. Volunteer opportunities can provide you with connections within an organization and beyond, and provide a way to ease your way back into nursing if it has been a while. Take a look at these examples:
· A nurse with a disability volunteered to work with a local school nurse volunteer program. After a few of months of volunteering at an elementary school, the nurse was offered a full-time position.
· Nurses with disabilities volunteer their time as mentors and speakers with www.ExceptionalNurse.com. Some have been asked to speak at conferences. The experiences have led to additional speaking opportunities and built their confidence in public speaking.
· Connie Adleman, RN is a stroke survivor. She volunteered to write a continuing education program for www.ExceptionalNurse.com. Soon after, she launched her own business called CSA Nursing Seminars.
· Another nurse with a disability volunteers as a parish nurse. Parish nursing typically does not involve "hands on" medical care such as giving medications, dressing changes, or drawing blood. Parish nurses represent many faiths— Christians, Jews and Muslims. http://www.parishnurses.org
· Beka Serdans, RN, MS is an ICU nurse in New York City who is challenged with dystonia. Her volunteer efforts include creating a nonprofit resource for people with dystonia www. http://www.care4dystonia.org/.
· Susan Fleming, RN, MN teaches nursing in Washington. Susan was born missing her left hand. She volunteers on medical mission trips every year. Trips to South America give Susan the opportunity to serve others and maintain her nursing skills.
· Mobility International supports the participation of people with disabilities in the full range of international volunteer programs. http://www.miusa.org/
Volunteer experiences can help you sharpen old skills or learn new ones, and provide recent experience to put on your resume. Your knowledge, expertise and passion are priceless. Volunteer work can renew your spirit and make you fall in love with nursing all over again. For nurses with disabilities, volunteer work can be so much more; it can be the door to continued nursing practice.
About the Author: Donna Maheady, Ed.D., ARNP is a pediatric nurse practitioner and nursing care consultant. She is a strong advocate for inclusion of nurses with disabilities in nursing practice, and has taught nursing for over 20 years and worked with nursing students with a wide range of disabilities. Donna is the founder of www.ExceptionalNurse.com, a nonprofit resource network for nurses and nursing students with disabilities.
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