By Cynthia Pegram

Published: March 18, 2008

When she talks about “Nurse Power,” Donna Cardillo isn’t just addressing the nation’s 2.9 million strong power base of nurses.

Nurses have been in the background “working in the shadows in health care and being silent for way too long,” said Cardillo, opening speaker Tuesday of Centra’s two-day 2008 Nursing Summit. Centra employs more than 1,600 nurses, and the summit drew nurses from the region as well.

Cardillo — a registered nurse, author and national speaker — said nurses comprise the largest group among health professionals, and that Gallup polls consistently find the public views nursing as having the highest credibility.

Yet many nurses don’t know about the high regard, or nursing’s leading historic figures. They even downplay their own achievements, with statements like, “I’m just a nurse,” Cardillo said.

“Moving forward is the responsibility of every person in this room,” said Cardillo to the nearly full auditorium in the DeMoss Learning Center at Liberty University.

Nurses tend to talk in acronyms, like PCU, or NICU, which doesn’t communicate much to the non-healthcare person. Use words that have meaning to non-nurses. “Just because you say what you do, doesn’t mean that people understand,” she said.

Be careful how you speak of yourself, Cardillo said. “Because others will take you at your own word — ‘I’m just a nurse. I’m only an RN. I’m only an LPN. I only have my bachelor’s degree.’

“State your credentials very proudly.”

She noted that nurses should never discourage anyone from entering nursing.

“If you’re unhappy, it’s your issue. There’s no reason to be unhappy in nursing. There are endless choices in this profession.”

Cardillo urged nurses to be more assertive.

In the health care setting, nurses should introduce themselves as nurses to patients and family, she said.

“Don’t remain a nameless generic entity. Patients and family members don’t know who’s who in hospitals any more. Everybody dresses the same way; there’s little distinction.”

A nurse’s nametag and credentials should always be obvious, not flipped over or under a lab coat or printed so small patients and family members can’t read it, she said.

And nurses need to stop being so isolated.

Nursing associations abound. “Join and stay active,” she said. “If you stay in your narrow world, you lose perspective.”

Nurses can act on their power, she said.

She noted how recent concerted action by nurses, nationally, forced withdrawal of an offensive TV shampoo advertisement that degraded nurses.

Throughout her presentation, Cardillo continuously drew enthusiastic response from the audience.

“I thought it gave us power, informed us about things we as nurses can do to educate the community, and to educate each other,” said Eboni Hillman, R.N., as Cardillo’s presentation ended.