title: Throw the crutches away ... your career depends on it!
abstract: NAON and Rhône-Poulenc Rorer have joined together to establish the Professional Development Initiative (PDI): a comprehensive endeavor to better position orthopaedic nurses for their future. Central to the theme of this initiative is the development of self-esteem and self-empowerment strategies that can be used on a daily basis. As part of the PDI, a series of six articles, beginning with this issue, will appear in Orthopaedic Nursing. Each article will present practical, easily definable skills on change management, career development, networking, resume writing and interviewing, and mentoring. All are critical elements designed to help the orthopaedic nurse redefine career goals and increase professional as well as personal growth. The purpose of this first article is to briefly introduce the five elements and encourage you to learn more about each of them as they are presented in upcoming issues.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Clark
mesh_terms: D002322:Career Mobility; D004509:Education, Nursing, Continuing; D005544:Forecasting; D006801:Humans; D007586:Job Application; D016530:Orthopedic Nursing / Q000193:education* / Q000639:trends; D011361:Professional Competence