After recently taking a new job, I had an unexpected conversation that surprisingly applies to the Dermatology Nurses' Association (DNA) and the Journal of the Dermatology Nurses' Association (JDNA). With the transition in employment often comes a change in health insurance, an important consideration when evaluating the benefits of a new job and a new employer for almost any applicant. I consider myself fortunate to be among those with solid health insurance with prescription coverage. This is the context where, of all places, my unexpected con versation happened. I was talking to a representative of my new prescription drug coverage program. Unfortunately, this conversation was happening at 4 p.m., on a Friday. Now, if you are anything like me, you are probably a little exhausted on Fridays at 4 p.m.; I would not have thought that this conversation was going to be so meaningful. Jamie, the representative, and I were talking. He was not rushed and was intent on providing excellent customer service. That Friday, we had a 30-minute conversation. Thirty minutes! I was too tired to do anything but listen and politely respond as necessary. We were almost done with our conversation when he earned my full attention.
By this point, he was convincing me that signing up for their prescription service was a good opportunity, and to his credit, he told me a story. He related that, when he was a teenager, his mother told him that life was going to present opportunities to him. She then said it was up to him whether he takes advantage of those opportunities. These two sentences have resonated with me since he told the story. I think the idea of opportunities being offered is directly applicable to what the DNA and the JDNA are all about. As a DNA member, or friend of DNA, I would ask you to closely examine what our organization has to offer you. The DNA has opportunities for education, professional development, volunteering, leadership, networking, writing, mentoring, travel, friendship, and the list goes on.
I don't think we can talk about opportunities without talking about the work required to take advantage of those opportunities. Yes, work. The DNA and JDNA give you the platform for great opportunities, but to take full advantage will take some work on your part. But don't worry, the "work" you experience with the DNA or JDNA is usually fun! And, as it says on the DNA Web site, "There is something to do for everyone." Don't worry, there isn't a place for you to volunteer! So, I ask you, are you going to take advantage of the opportunities being offered? Before you answer, consider looking at http://www.dnanurse.org, http://www.dnanurse.org/about/thinking-about-volunteering, http://www.dnanurse.org/sites/default/files/downloads/2013/COMMITTEE%20AND%20VOL, and http://journals.lww.com/jdnaonline/Pages/default.aspx.
Along the same train of thought, I wanted to remind you of a great opportunity available with JDNA. As I am sure you know, the JDNA offers the opportunities for Continuing Education (CE) credit for many of our articles (see http://journals.lww.com/jdnaonline/Pages/collectiondetails.aspx?TopicalCollectio). In addition, I want to remind our readers that the JDNA, in conjunction with our publisher, offers the CE for Reviewers Program. The JDNA participates in this program to give our peer reviewers the opportunity to earn CE credit for the work they do peer reviewing. Participation in the program is designed to acknowledge the significant impact peer reviewers have in the publishing process. The JDNA, like most peer-reviewed journals, is dependent on its peer reviewers to help publish quality articles. We celebrate our peer reviewers and encourage you to consider joining our group of dedicated individuals who help the Journal in this way. If you do, we would be pleased to offer you the opportunity of CE for your efforts.
Another great opportunity I wanted to talk about is the annual DNA Convention. Those of us who have attended before can attest to the simply amazing nature of this event. You will likely have the opportunities for education, professional development, volunteering, leadership, networking, writing, mentoring, travel, and friendship all in 4 days! This year, the DNA's 34th Annual Convention will be on March 31 through April 3, 2016, in Indianapolis, IN. In order not to miss this opportunity, I would encourage you to look at this page-http://www.dnanurse.org/sites/default/files/downloads/2015/DNA-16-MakeYourCase-B-that outlines making your case for attending. This is a compelling document that might sway your thoughts!
What other opportunities in dermatology nursing have you encountered? What experiences have you had because of deciding to take advantage of a presented opportunity? How would you encourage others to get involved, so that they, too, would benefit from acknowledging the opportunity and taking full advantage? Do you have an opportunity you'd like to share with our dermatology community? What opportunities would you like the DNA and JDNA to offer? I welcome our DNA members and JDNA readers sharing their stories and experiences.
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Angela L. Borger
Editor in Chief
E-mail: [email protected]